How to Clean a CD, or DVD

Right, first up, one way not to have to clean a CD, or DVD, is to treat them properly in the first place. Prevention, as they say, is better than cure.

So, when you get a disc, treat it right. And by the way, the side with the writing on, isn't the side that the laser scans. It's the shiny clear bit. Just thought that might need saying.

Remember that discs are not Frisbees, nor do they make great coasters for your tea mug. Discs are quite fragile things and don't like abuse. Nor do they like children, who seem to insist on smearing their fingers with chocolate and then grabbing hold of the disc as though it were a paper plate, and then, horrors of horrors, forcing it into the player like plasticine.

So, first tip, don't let kids near your treasured discs. In fact, don't let the kids near any discs. Second tip, do not expose the discs to extremes, whether that be sunlight, cold, or hot water from the kettle; do not scratch discs (otherwise you'll be forever watching a movie scene over and over again); don't use a pencil to write on a disc (you can get a special pen for that); don't stick anything onto a disc (stick the post-it note to a box); and, try to keep dust, floor sweepings and bits of pizza off them as well.

Handle discs by holding their edges, or sticking a finger up the centre hole. Avoid touching the shiny side. If it looks mucky, then use a soft, lightly damp cloth, and work out from the middle with a circular motion. Do no use Domestos, even if it does kill all known germs dead.

Although, despite our best efforts, discs do get scratched and there are a number of cleaners on the market, some quite expensive, that claim to restore them back to their old glory.

Now, there is talk of a new technique that could save you a fortune on the more fancy cleaners. And that's using toothpaste to clean your discs.

Okay, admittedly, it sounds a bit off the wall, a bit too Woodstock, but apparently, it works. But convince yourself first. Get an old disc and have a few experiments. Don't get out your favourite special double-disc version of Where Eagles Dare, smear it with ultra white Colgate, then find that ".Broadsword calling Danny Boy.", comes out completely different.

So here's what you do, but again, on your own head be it. We're not to blame if it goes wrong, okay?

Grab hold of the toothpaste and squeeze a small amount, the same as you would use in the morning say, onto the disc and then hold it under a hot tap. Be careful though, start when you first turn on the hot tap when the water is cool and then goes to luke warm, which helps the toothpaste clean as you work it around the shiny side with a cloth. Don't, of course, have the hot already hot and getting hotter, as you're disc will resemble a pancake.

Ensure you've wiped away all the bits of toothpaste and bingo, you should have a perfectly working disc again.

Now, of course, if you think about it, it's not so daft, because the toothpaste must act as an extremely delicate abrasive which takes out the scratches from the shiny surface if they're not too deep. Pretty straightforward actually, albeit somewhat weird.

So, next time you clean your teeth, think about giving your CDs and DVDs a clean as well. Just don't floss them as well.

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