I destroyed a nice CD by cleaning it - Part II

continue from: I destroyed a nice CD by cleaning it

I use Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Shine-Ola CD Cleaner (2 Oz) to cleaning cds but every cloth that I use leave marks! Seriously any method to cleaning cds without leaving marks on play side?

Thanks that I read this before cleaning my NIMBUS CDs. The mfsl shineola is liquid so! I think don't use with Nimbus CDs, anyone have tried the Shieola with nimbus CDs?

by the way the problem with nimbus cds is just on the label side? is safe cleaning the play side? or the play side is affected too?

 

To be honest, I don't clean my CDs unless its completely necessary (which is rare). The worst I get are fingerprints and those I rub off with a microfiber cloth. I never use solvents or solutions.

 

Same here. An older friend of mine who's a photographer once told me that if his lenses ever got dirty, he just breathed on them (enough so they fogged up, i.e. had a thin layer of moisture) and then gently wipe them with a cotton T-shirt. He said a few pros were stunned by this, but this is how he had done it for decades and never had a problem doing this. So I basically applied the same approach with any CD's that need wiping - breathe on them, and then wipe gently with a cotton T-shirt or microfiber cloth. Never had a problem, not even a light scratch.

If they're ever really dirty (like some used CD's can be), I gently wash them with hand soap under a faucet, then pat some of the water off with a bath towel, then lay the disc out to air dry. Don't make a habit of this as polycarbonate can indeed retain moisture, but once to take care of heavy grime should be fine.

 

What's a quick and easy method to know if any of my CD's are NIMBUS ones?

 

I just use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe any dirt or marks off and dry it with a second dry microfiber cloth. Never felt anything more than this was needed.

 

Simple, look at the inner band of the disc, look for the word Nimbus.

 

Bought a used CD off ebay that was scratched up enough that it didn't play right. Tried the old toothpaste method to lightly buff out the scratches and while it still was more scratched up than I'd like I also had a disc that played flawlessly.

If you want to go crazy I suppose one can try this:

 

Just made the same mistake last Sunday, while cleaning a 2CD set which was housed in a cardboard digipak. Unlike Japanese CDs which often include a protective plastic sleeve inside the mini LP jacket, the discs were not protected. This 2CD digipak leaked glue from the cardboard onto the information side of the discs.

 

And if the top surface is sticky, then leave well alone.

 

You know what I use? Cleaning cloths from the Multi-Clean packs Mrs richierichie buys from the supermarket then I dry the CDs with a clean soft cloth, total cost 1pence/1cent/1euro. No damage to the CD - EVER!

The only CDs I need to clean are used CDs I buy cheap.

 

It never ceases to amaze me. Why are people cleaning their CD's? I have bought a couple on my time that were dirty (secondhand), and honestly I put them directly under the tap (faucet) and used dish detergent on them. Worked like a charm.

 

There is no need to clean a CD unless it is very very noticeably dirty and/or scratched.

There is not need for me to clean any CD that I've owned since new. I do have a need to clean some CDs that I've purchased used. Some. Not all. And not very many.

There have been a few used CDs that I've purchased that have been skuffed and that didn't rip perfectly (without detectable errors that were caught by AccurateRip) the first time. In those cases I cleaned the CD using a manual CD cleaner (the type that has a soft rotary pad that spins as you manually operate a knob that spins both the pad and the CD). That cleaning ends up cleaning the CD well enough for me to get a perfect rip unless the CD is super badly skuffed and scratched. In those cases nothing other than taking the CD to a shop that has a CD planer that actually shaves off and polishes off a bit of the plastic on the CD will help. And even then the results can be iffy.

If you've taken good care of your CDs (and you likely have) and don't have bad skuffs and sratches, then there is no need to clean your CDs. Fingerprints are not an issue. The laser can read right through fingerprints and similar surface grunge. Deep scratches and really thick surface smudges can present a problem.

 

I never clean cds, because they don't really get dirty. I play them, then put them away. And, I handle them by the rim or the label (like handling a record), so no fingerprints.
If you are cleaning cds, you either have filthy cds, or too much time on your hands...

 

It's worth noting - scratches on the playing side are usually not much of an issue. Scratches on the label side though, are a different matter, due to the way they're manufactured, the playing side is more protected than the label side.

 

As for the nimbus thing, if you're careful to clean just the play side, you're fine. The label side is where the problem is.

Every cloth with the right amount of pressure would leave a mark. I guess that micro scratches are sort of unavoidable.
That said, scratches are mainly made by dust. I always (If in need) wash the CD under water, gently rubbing with my thumb (if needed) and using a tiny layer of neutral soap (f needed). I use microfiber cloth (or the one I use for glasses) only to remove residuals after absorbing water with towels or toilet paper (by pressure, no rubbing).

That's the safest I can go, and of course doesn't work with sticky nimbus.

 

I have never tried cleaning the label side. And have never had a CD where the label side was scratched enough to cause a problem.

I have bought used CDs where the playing side needed to be cleaned in order to get a good rip. If a CD is crached and skuffed enough on the playing side to need to be cleaned it will be very obvious. Hariline scratches are not a problem. It takes a very noticeable deep concentric scratch to cause a problem. Concentric scratches that follow the path of the laser can cause problems. Radial scratches that are like spokes on a wheel are unlikely to cause problems. Fingerprints do not cause problems.

 

when you buy cheap used, It's almost mandatory to clean them up.

 

Not always. But can seem to be more often than not.

 

How can you "improve" a sound that is digital?

 

Yes, of course.

 

Once the surface of a cd is clean, with no scratches, the sound is as good as it will be. It's just "pits" that are read by the laser in the cd player.

 

I never clean CDs, they don't really need it. Only if they skip, which is a decidedly rare event.

 

Of course, but there's no way to "improve" sound, either avoiding a skip or not. It's the first time I'm hearing about an actual, vinyl-like improvement.

 

Right, once a cd is as clean and scratch free as possible, that is as good as the cd itself can be. After that,"improvement" in sound can only be from better quality playback hardware, not the cd.

 

You can't! Remember digital = "Perfect Sound Forever"