Clean Blu Ray Discs

Typical Data CD, MusicCD, and DVD Discs

We’ve played CDs and DVDs for many years, and now, we’ve gotten into the blu ray disc craze. Media discs become soiled or damaged from the same dirt sources. These include oily fingerprints, dust, and scratches. Further, all kinds of data discs need the same gentle cleaning. Proper cleaning can restore them to their brand new playing condition. Through our experiences, we’ve learned a lot in order to clean Blu Ray discs. So we share these tricks and tips in this post.

Clean Blu Ray Discs: Introduction

Dirt Prevents Good Playing

Sometimes, they can become so soiled that it seems that nothing will ever restore them to even partially playable condition. But wait. Do not throw out that blu ray disc just yet. Keeping clean Blu Ray discs is easy. First, you master handling them safely and which cleaners work well. Then you learn which polishing cloths scratch the least. After those lessons, you’ll clean those discs like a pro.

So do Scratches

Scratches and abrasions, the nemesis of most any optical device and disc, should be fervently avoided. All of these are essential factors in preserving the clear, smooth surface, and thus, error free playing. Cleaning the disc often repairs very small scratches. This occurs via the buffing action of drying with a soft cloth, as described below.

Typical optical media / data discs.

Even Little Dirt Particles and Scratches can Hurt Disc Playback

Given the extreme data density of Blu Ray discs especially, keeping these spotless is critical for stutter-free, skip-free playback. Scratches and etches impact Blu Ray media. Indeed, a single hairline scratch can render the entire disc, or at least several minutes of the movie, unplayable. So again, it’s paramount to select the softest cleaning cloths and gentlest detergents and purest water possible for cleaning. The cleaners that work so well with CDs and DVDs, also work on Blu Ray media discs too.

You Don’t Need a Fancy Disc Cleaner

We’ve tried the popular dry lens cleaning cloths from Bausch & Lomb, See-Clear, Kodak et al, made of thin, tissue-like paper, as well as some of the costly alcohol-based liquid lens cleaners, with limited success. Invariably, this cleaning duo left smears and streaks on the discs. Further, it seemed to speed the “fogging up” of the protective clear plastic coating that covers the reflective data surface.

Then, once you’ve washed and rinsed your blu ray discs, dry them. For that, use a microfiber cloth, intended for safely cleaning eyeglasses lenses. These are more than gentle enough for safely drying Blu Ray discs. Buy these soft cloths at most vision shops such as Walmart, Pearl, Lens Crafters, Sam’s Club, et al. Use this cloth, only to dry the rinsed discs; not for actual cleaning. For that, you gently rub the soaped up discs with your fingers until you’ve completely covered all playable surfaces. Avoid excessive rubbing, as this too can mar the disc surfaces.

Examples of soft Blu Ray disc drying cloths.

Be sure to use a clean, soft lens cloth. Oil in the drying cloths can transfer to your washed discs as you dry them. This creates smears, that might lower their playing performance.

Fortunately today though, Blu Ray disc coatings have become more durable, and generally last longer under normal playing conditions. But don’t be lulled into thinking that they’re indestructible. Blu ray discs are still quite delicate. So they can easily be scratched or destroyed if you get industrial lubes or strong cleaners on them.

Clean Blu Ray Discs: Suggested Cleaning Routine

To sum all this up, here’s our tried-and-true clean blu ray discs routine.

1. Apply Water

Moisten the data side of the disc with clean water; ideally distilled, or preferably filtered and softened. This helps prevent suspended particles in the water from scratching the delicate plastic disc surfaces.

2. Apply Dish Soap

Then, apply one or two drops of dishwashing liquid; the manual wash kind, not that for automatic dishwashers. Avoid detergents with lotions.

3. Softly Scrub Just the Disc Data Side, with Fingers Only

Next, gently rub the disc surface with your fingers, taking care not to press too hard. Also, be sure you have no callouses, scabs, dry skin, or other rough edges on your fingertips. These can mar those Blu Ray disc surfaces.

4. Clean the Label Sides if Needed to Continue With Clean Blu Ray Discs

The soap on your fingers from the play side should work well to clean the label side too, if needed. But we suggest not washing the label side unless it truly is dirty. Why? Because the inks and paints on older discs especially, might come off when wetted and rubbed.

5. Rinse Soap Off

Rinse the disc under warm, running water until your fingers squeak when run across it.

6. Dry the Blu Ray Disc

Then, use the anti reflective lens cloths mentioned above to completely dry the blu ray disc to a vivid luster.

Clean Blu Ray Discs: Preventative Tips and Advice

Keep Blu Ray Discs Clean to Start With

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to cleaning Blu Ray discs. So to preserve their peak performance, avoid getting them very dirty in the first place. Or at least, minimize how dirty you get them. Avoid solvents like turpentine or citrus-based cleaners, or any harsh chemicals, as these can quickly obliterate the micro thin plastic.

Never Leave Blu Ray Discs Outside Their Cases

Avoid handling the discs more than is absolutely necessary in order to play them. And, when you do, be sure to carry them by the edges. Do not grasp them via their flat surfaces. This limits the need to ever clean handprints from them.

Wash your Hands Before Handling Blu Ray Discs

True, some body oil will most always appear on often-handled discs. But keep in mind. Even when you use the method above, don’t go overboard cleaning your discs. Why not? Cleaning the discs stress the plastic covering over the data area. Indeed, too much cleaning damages them. So, store your discs such that they need to be cleaned as little as possible. But when you must clean your Blu Ray discs, use the technique above.

Avoid Harsh Chemicals and Abrasive Solvents

Harsh cleaning agents include cleansers, polishes, waxes. ammonia, or bleach based cleaners. These can soften or strip away the thin protective layer, particularly on blu ray discs. You want just a basic dishwashing-by-hand liquid with preferably no extra chemicals besides the soap. The same goes for consumer-grade disc cleaning machines. We’ve found these crank style cleaning mechanisms to leave hair-line scratches on discs. These scratches become more visible with repeated machine cleanings.

Use Only Gentle, Low Residue Soaps

Why spend gobs of money on dedicated optics cleaning solutions and wipes? Indeed, many experts agree. To extend Blu Ray disc life, the best cleaning agent is a lotion-free, mild and non abrasive dishwashing liquid. We use Great Value, Dawn, Joy, or Ajax. Further, the best drying cloth is a reusable microfiber eyeglasses cleaning wipe. You may need to dilute the thicker soap liquids to thin them down. So try mixing one part water with one part of dish soap to start. Then, adjust your formula depending on how thick you want it.

Use Quickly Rinsed Soaps Only

You want the solution thin enough that it can easily be spread with the fingers over the entire disc surfaces. But avoid those dish soaps that have moisteners, oils, and lanolin. Why? Because these agents can leave smears on your Blu Ray discs that not even the lens cleaning cloths can remove. Such smears can degrade how well they play. So we suggest perfume-free dish soaps to further reduce deposits left on these blu ray movies.

Periodically Wash the Optics Drying Cloths

We have many of these velvety feeling cloths on our Blu Ray shelf, and wash them along with color laundry. Wash them in fabric softener-free, scent free laundry detergent. Avoid drying them with fabric softener as well.