# Cleaning a CD/RW?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-cd-rw/259308>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 11, 2004, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-cd-rw/259308 "2004-08-11T02:37:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-cd-rw/259308/1 "2004-08-11T02:37:36Z")

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**spooje’s stupid question of the day**

Can you clean a CD/RW on a PC with one of those cleaning disks? I asked the kid at Best Buy, and he said ‘sure’. But I don’t think his mind was on it, or anything else I had to say either. Second question, even if it did no harm, would it do any _good_?  
Thanks, in advance.

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**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-cd-rw/259308/2 "2004-08-11T02:44:05Z")

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> [@spooje](#):
>
> **spooje’s stupid question of the day**  
> Can you clean a CD/RW on a PC with one of those cleaning disks? I asked the kid at Best Buy, and he said ‘sure’. But I don’t think his mind was on it, or anything else I had to say either. Second question, even if it did no harm, would it do any _good_?  
> Thanks, in advance.

You are referring to the drive not a CD/DVD?

YES!

Will it do any good?  
Maybe.

Are you sure it is dirty. Old enough to collect dust/lint on the lens?  
Has performance sufferred?

If no, let well enough alone. Why tempt fate?

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**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-cd-rw/259308/3 "2004-08-11T02:52:50Z")

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I’ve noticed a couple of skipps on burned CD’s where there were no skips on the source disk. Not a lot, just enough to make me think the lens mau be dirty.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-cd-rw/259308/4 "2004-08-11T02:54:32Z")

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> [@spooje](#):
>
> **spooje’s stupid question of the day**
> 
> Can you clean a CD/RW on a PC with one of those cleaning disks? I asked the kid at Best Buy, and he said ‘sure’. But I don’t think his mind was on it, or anything else I had to say either. Second question, even if it did no harm, would it do any _good_?  
> Thanks, in advance.

They’ll work just fine, but be aware that a lot of the time CD drives are not recoverable once they start to get hinky, and new CDRWs can be had for $ 20 or so after rebate. Before I’d use a cleaning disk, I’d put the vacuum cleaner hose up to the edge of the open CD bezel, and see if there’s interfering dust you can pull out.