# Cleaning A Used, Dirty Music CD? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356 "2022-04-24T14:37:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356/1 "2022-04-24T14:37:08Z")
Yes, I do still listen to music CD’s 😉 🙂 . Anyway, I received one yesterday, and it skips like crazy, especially at the end. It’s used, so perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised. And if it’s damaged, I realize there’s not much I can do. But it does look smudged and dirty. So I suspect that may be it. How do I clean it? I realize that they sell CD wipes in stores. But _in the meantime_ is there anything that I can use around the house? I have soaps and detergents. And I do have isopropyl alcohol. Would any of those work? Thank you in advance for your helpful replies 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356/2 "2022-04-24T14:51:17Z")
IIRC, use a soft, clean cloth (one of them there micro-fiber ones would probably do) and wipe from the inside circle to the outside, one direction, not back and forth, rotating the disc. I would exhale on it a hundred thousand times as I wipe; no cleaners, no abrasives. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356/3 "2022-04-24T14:53:17Z")
Spray for cleaning glasses or windows works well. Also, it’s best to use a microfiber cloth, or something else that’s non-abrasive and lint-free. Avoid paper towels and Kleenex. Be sure not to leave streaks. Use radial strokes when wiping the CD. Try not to wipe it with circular strokes. The tracking and error correction system in a CD player can cope with radial scratches better than circumferential scratches. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356/4 "2022-04-24T14:54:30Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > circumferential You’ve been waiting a long time to use that word, huh? 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356/5 "2022-04-24T15:07:00Z")
I always used soap and water to clean them. Never had any problems. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356/6 "2022-04-24T16:26:28Z")
Some good advice here. I’ll just add that some CD (and DVD) players can be more sensitive than others. So if, after cleaning it, it still doesn’t play perfectly, it might be worth trying to play it in a different player (if you have one; and remember that most DVD players can also play CDs), or, if you have a computer with a CD drive, trying to rip the CD and either play the digital files or burn them to a new CD. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-a-used-dirty-music-cd/963356/7 "2022-04-24T16:28:34Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I always used soap and water to clean them. Never had any problems. Yup. A drop or two of dish soap (like Dawn), rinse well. Dry with a microfiber cloth or clean soft dish towel.