Polishing CD's

If when you buy a brand new CD you get it home and breathe heavily on it you are almost always going to see a pattern in the mist on the disc that must have been left there during the manufacturing process. This pattern is very probably a chemical residue that could impede the laser in your CD player. If you now take an 80% solution of Isopropyl Alcohol (Propan-2-ol) and distilled water it is very easy to clean off this chemical residue and buff up the disc.
Do not think that you can use washing up liquid. You can't. Washing up liquid contains a mass of chemicals designed to make one's hands soft and delicate. The main chemical here is Glycerol and this will leave yet another coating on your CD's.
How does it affect your listening pleasure...??? Try it and see. IPA should be available from any good pharmacy and distilled water is readily available by the shedload from filling stations. Failing that, get a friend in the chemical industry. Never use Acetone. This will dissolve your CD.

Why do you use distilled water?

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Originally Posted by symon

Why do you use distilled water?

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Because it has been stripped of all impurities. Therefore no residue can be left on the surface of your CD.

I for one never clean CDs unless I get them dirty. I use a dry method using cotton wool pads and cleaning in a pattern from inside to outside edge in straight lines. Circular motions can scratch the disc. However I think the best policy is not to clean, as scratches that might result from this, can cause more issues with the laser beam than a mold release agent IMHO.


Regards D S D L


PS Very nice photos by the way Haselsh1 (on your website). You have a way with a camera, thanks for sharing...love the black and white land/seascapes.

Thanks Neil.

I must admit I'm still bouncing around deciding whether to do this or that to get a better sound. Simple and easy things are good for me. The only trouble is, I'm lazy! Can I really be bothered to clean my CDs when I get them? I guess I'll have to try it and see.

I must admit that I'm with Neil on this one, but only because I'm too precious about my discs to risk anything that might damage them. I'm always very careful with them, and they shouldn't ever need cleaning or rubbing (which I'm sure will affect the surface, even if only cosmetically). I'm sure that what is suggested is harmless, but I'd rather not find out. I once tried cleaning gum off a cassette case using alcohol and it clouded the surface. I'd be worried that the same might happen to the surface of the disc :confused:

Mmm... one thing I can tell you is that after the CD has been cleaned and buffed it is much more like a mirror than before it was cleaned. The depth of shine is amazing after it has been cleaned. Does it really change the sound...??? I'll leave that up to you.

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Originally Posted by Haselsh1

Mmm... one thing I can tell you is that after the CD has been cleaned and buffed it is much more like a mirror than before it was cleaned. The depth of shine is amazing after it has been cleaned. Does it really change the sound...??? I'll leave that up to you.

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This is what intrigues me. I wonder what they do sound like after a quick clean? Hmm, maybe my curiosity will win out over my laziness!

Davros, many thanks for your positive comments on the website. I particularly like the seaside when it's not necessarily at the resort if you get the meaning.

You are of course correct... Distilled water is used as it is totally free of impurities and solids that may scratch the surface of the polycarbonate coating on the disc and IPA is used as it is cheap and cleans away organic chemicals easily. One thing I forgot to say though is that a fairly new duster should be used for this process.

I won't be drawn into a debate about sound quality and how amazing things are after cleaning. If you want to try this process please do and then report back to the forum. I for one would love to hear of your findings.

Jesus...!!! I also forgot to say that I use a small hand pump action spray for the solvent.

My only authority with what I am proposing here is twenty seven years in the chemical industry as a lab tech and chemist. I specialised in organic chemistry and heat flow calorimetry.

That's cool. The philosophy here is pretty much suck it and see. So, I'm building myself up to giving it a go (need to get some distilled water and a new microfibre cloth). I'll let you know what happens when I get round to doing it.
Thanks for the tip!