Yes. You probably already have it. You just don't realize it. Hear me out on this. What is critical on a CD? Well, those little pits on the inside, you might say. Because, after all, that's where the "information" is. And you would be correct. What's the problem with a dirty CD? The light gets refracted (bent) incorrectly when it passes through the oil from your skin or the dust on the surface or, God help you, the scratches on the surface. Next question. If the important stuff is on the inside, what is on the outside? No fair counting the paint on the one side that tells you what the songs are. It's plastic. Not gold. Not even platinum. Just plain old plastic. Hey, the folks who recorded and packaged the darn thing sprayed paint on it. How delicate can it be? Okay, I'm on a soapbox. But I just can't stand to see people spend money on something as silly as a fancy CD cleaning machine. Here's the bottom line. Easy steps as follows...
1. Take your CD's to the kitchen. Next to the sink. Grab a clean cotton bath towel. Don't use fabric softener when you wash this towel. Ever again.
2. Important. Wash your hands in the hottest water you can stand and use dish washing liquid (Palmolive, Dawn, etc.). Rinse them completely.
3. Here's the scary part. Adjust the water to warm. Not hot. Grab a CD with your wet fingers and (holding your breath), squirt a bit of the dishwashing liquid on the surface of the CD. Scrub, only with your fingers. No rags, or cloths, no matter how soft they may be. You don't have to follow all of that nonsense about moving only inside to outside, etc. You are washing a piece of plastic. Oh, sure it has a highly polished surface on one side and a painted surface on the other. Rinse completely. Then lay it out on the towel to dry it. Pat it dry. Don't wipe it. Remember you want no scratches on it. If you start grinding away at the surface you may be scratching.
4. Now look at the CD surface (you know, the non-painted side that must be "read"). Do you see any scratches. No? Good. Put it in the case and move on to the next one.
Advanced users only! I have performed the following with no problems.
Had sticky glue-like stuff on the surface one time. From my tool cabinet I grabbed the WD-40. Again, using my clean, soft, fingers, I rubbed it in until the "ick" was dissolved. Since the WD-40 is a solvent, I needed to hit the CD with the old Palmolive ASAP. Still have the CD after about eight years. Plays just fine.
Bought a slightly scratched copy of an Allison Kraus CD. Scratches were bad enough that it would not play completely. This worked as a last ditch effort. I cleaned with the dishwashing liquid. Then, again off to the tool cabinet, in the car cleaning section and grabbed a bottle of STP Son of a Gun (kind of like ArmorAll, but does not dry out the leather, vinyl, plastic), and sprayed it on. Again, rubbing with my fingers. Then finishing off with a clean, cotton towel. No soap again. We want to polish the surface, not clean all of the Son of a Gun from it.
Okay, last one. Have a Sony Playstation. Someone gave me a game that would not play at all. This next part is not for the faint of heart. Many scratches on the surface. First, I cleaned it in the manner mentioned above. Next, no kidding, a Dremel tool with the polishing wheel at the lowest speed of about 5000 rpm. Traded the big scratches for teeny, tiny ones that you could only see under great magnification. At a glance it was mirror smooth. Cleaned it again. Hit it with the Son of a Gun treatment and my daughter has not had one problem since. Almost a year now.
So, the moral of the story is this. Spend what you want. I'll spend what I have to because I, unlike some of the folks on here, understand what goes on regarding CD's and error correction, and what really matters. Try it my way. Save your money for components, cables, or music. Don't waste it on crap you don't need just because someone else fell for marketing. Remember, we all are afraid of what we don't understand. Research the CD technology a bit, enlighten yourself, and don't be afraid any more. Wash those CD's by hand and take pride in the fact that you did it, not a machine! Save your money. Be smart!!!!
Brad
