# scratched CD **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924 "2000-09-04T02:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GasDr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@GasDr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GasDr)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/1 "2000-09-04T02:17:35Z")
Dear Martha Stewart, is there anyway to remove fairly deep scratches from a musical compact disc? ---
**Author:** ![CandyBoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@CandyBoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandyBoi)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/2 "2000-09-04T02:38:43Z")
Try tooth paste, and water…i havent done this my self so i can tell you for sure but hey its worth a try… ---
**Author:** ![Kaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaz)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/3 "2000-09-04T02:52:49Z")
There are thingies that you can buy for $20-30 that really work like magic, and will clean just about any of your CDs up. It seems like a lot of money, but damn, it worked really good. My brother bought one, and it cleaned up a CD that I thought was gone for sure. It has multiple uses too, not jsut a one time thing, you can use it over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6de8d8/32.png) [@Kilgore\_Trout\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilgore_Trout_1)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/4 "2000-09-04T03:14:04Z")
get a bottle of that pink stuff they sell at cd stores. it’s only like $10. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/5 "2000-09-04T05:06:03Z")
The toothpaste and water thing really works, but you have to be careful! Use a soft cloth- like a cloth diaper. Starting at the outer rim of the CD, work your way to the centre using little strokes. Don’t go in little circles, or you may create more problems. I did this with an old CD that I felt I had nothing to lose on, and it worked! I was pretty impressed. ---
**Author:** ![PowerpuffKue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@PowerpuffKue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PowerpuffKue)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/6 "2000-09-04T05:15:52Z")
My friend recently used chap stick on a heavily scratched Alanis Morissette CD. [Bad Joke] The lyrics were still jagged, but the music played normaly. You live, you learn I guess. [/Bad Joke] ---
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/7 "2000-09-04T05:37:30Z")
a lot of used cd stores (that i’ve seen) will repair a cd for you for like 2 or 3 bucks, which is a lot better than buying the whold damn $30 machine. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/8 "2000-09-04T05:39:08Z")
If the chapstick made your Alanis Morissette CD actually sound _good_ it must be some pretty powerful shit. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/9 "2000-09-04T18:57:57Z")
Those little “CD Repair” kits are a ripoff. The more expensive ones probably work better, but I haven’t tried them personally. For a cheaper version of those little kits with the bottles of pink stuff, buy a bottle of liquid Turtle Wax. You’ll get a LOT of it for about $3, and you can wax your car with it as well. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/10 "2000-09-04T19:12:49Z")
Belt sander. ---
**Author:** ![GasDr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@GasDr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GasDr)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/11 "2000-09-04T19:39:10Z")
A belt sander would probably work wonders on CD’s like The Back Street Boys and that worthless piece of $h-t Eminem. Anyone ever try Armor-All…heard that it works. ---
**Author:** ![TampaFlyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@TampaFlyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TampaFlyer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/12 "2000-09-04T20:00:11Z")
\> like a cloth diaper. Yeah, the crap fills in the cracks, but it does smell up your player! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmundex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@Sigmundex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmundex)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/13 "2000-09-05T02:31:06Z")
I’ve heard that if you smear a bit of Pledge on it and then buff it in it’ll fill up the scratch and make it like new. But for some reason every time I’m in a grocery store and see the price of Pledge I say “Ahh, screw it, I’ll just listen to the same cd’s I’ve been listening to all along”. I’ll fix them some other time…" ---
**Author:** ![themachine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@themachine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themachine)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2000, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scratched-cd/31924/14 "2000-09-05T04:22:23Z")
Aluminium mag wheel polish.