TLC for a skipping CD

Does your Partridge Family CD skip in your CD player? Are you unable to rip (copy) your Milli Vanilli Greatest Hits due to errors? There is hope.

A CD is read by a laser that scans the underside, the side without artwork. The laser passes through the clear plastic to read the data. That underside often gets dirty and oily through handling, and that can impede or alter the laser, causing errors. A gentle cleaning and firm polishing can allow the disk to play without skips or errors.

First, hold the disk up to the light. If you see pinholes that let light through, then the data layer is damaged and the disk may be unrepairable. Usually, though, playing errors are caused by scratches or dirt on the underside. My CD cleaning method is:

1. Rinse the disk under warm water, underside (clear plastic side) up.
2. Apply a small amount of dishwashing liquid to the underside.
3. Scrub with your soapy thumbs from the centre of the disk outward to the edge, gradually rotating the CD to clean all of it a few times.
4. Rinse well under warm water.
5. Shake off excess water.
6. With a soft cotton cloth (a well-worn cotton t-shirt is good) dry and polish the disk, always in straight lines radiating out from the disk centre, as in spokes on a wheel. Continue polishing, pressing firmly, so that you polish the entire disk through several passes.

I’ve restored many disks to playing and ripping error free with this simple cleaning and polishing. In my next article I’ll explain what to do if this method is insufficient, as on a scratched disk.