Scratches on discs happen. After one of our favorite DVDs started to skip after receiving a few too many scratches we started to look for a solution to salvage it. Sure there are DVD scratch removal devices that you can buy, but why waste money when there is a solution to be found right in our own homes? Using toothpaste, a banana, a rag and window cleaner we will show you how to remove scratches from a DVD and with any luck the unplayable will become playable.
Equipment:
toothpaste
clean rag
banana
window cleaner
1. The first thing you do is apply toothpaste on the scratched surface of the DVD. Next, rub the toothpaste gently into the DVD using the rag. Let this sit for about a minute.
2. Remove the toothpaste from the DVD using the rag. Then take the cut banana and in small circular motions rub the banana into the DVD. After you have applied the banana to the DVD, you will then take the peel and use this to rub the DVD in small circular motions.
3. Clean the DVD using the rag. Make sure to remove all the traces of the banana and peel. Spray window cleaner onto the surface of the DVD and continue cleaning the DVD. If you are lucky, your formerly unplayable DVD has now been salvaged!
Additional Notes: We experimented with using just toothpaste and just the banana, but we received the best results from using the toothpaste first and following it with the banana.
Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home? (Images: Joelle Alcaidinho)
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For CDs too? This should be helpful
view ncieloo's profile
@ ncieloo... yes, this also works for CDs.
view joellemarie's profile
why does this work??
view yolio's profile
this also is kind of weird, but when i have a scratched disk, i put it in the toilet (clean! i hope), scratched side down, and flush. this supposedly pulls out the scratches the way a scratch remover kit would.
one time i showed this trick to a 4-year-old i babysat. i forgot to tell his mom about it, though, and he got in trouble when he put his scratched DVD in the toilet when i wasn't there =)
view christyyyjoy's profile
I've tried the toothpaste before, and it works! It's apparently because the laser in your DVD player gets stuck in the scratches and doesn't know how to continue (not necessarily because that chunk of information is gone, like you would think.) The toothpaste/banana helps to "fill in" the gaps with a material that the laser likes, so it's able to continue scanning across the disk as though nothing is wrong.
view Zhahira's profile
Could the reason the banana helps have anything to do with the fact that bananas (and avocados) contain a latex like compound?
view mf1192's profile
Is there a particular kind of toothpaste (i.e. gel or paste) that works best? I don't want to try the wrong kind and make things worse!
view Octavia82's profile
This is an internet meme that's been around for ages. The toothpaste is a bit abrasive, that's the slightly working part, but the banana is useless (you don't want to fill gaps with... food!) and the ammonia in the window cleaner will definitely degrade the dvd plastic.
view maymaymay's profile
You can also use Brasso. It's a compound used to remove surface scratches from the chromed parts or any shiny metal on your vehicle or whatever needs to be refurbished.
view Hogi's profile
You can use a banana to polish your shoes too.
http://lifehacker.com/5402450/polish-your-shoes-with-a-banana
view spinsLPs's profile
Very informative. I never thought of cleaning a DVD with banana. Good stuff. Two thumps up!
relationship advice
view freshegg's profile