Hydra Studios  | 01 Mar 2008 10:06 a.m. PST |
Hi guys: The kids have been scratching the heck out of all of their CDs and DVDs. I also own a Memorex scratch remover kit, but it doesn't really work so well. I also tried the trick of rubbing toothpaste on the surface to smooth out scrathes and some gouges are pretty deep. How do you guys fix your scratched DVDs and CDs? (other than buying new ones) Thanks,
Matt |
| Pijlie | 01 Mar 2008 10:09 a.m. PST |
AFAIK, there is no way to fix seriously scratched DVDs. |
| Pictors Studio | 01 Mar 2008 10:12 a.m. PST |
The best thing to do in this situation is isolation. Your CD/DVD collection has been something you've probably built up over time and you value it. The damage from some scratches is irrepairable, so for some of those you are just going to have to buy new ones. Try removing the toddlers from your household. One of the biggest obstacles to this will no doubt be their mother. Show her the damage to the CDs, if this does not convince her, she may also need to be removed. In the long run this solution is cheaper as, even if the toddlers are able to mow the lawn in a few years, paying someone else to do it will be cheaper than paying for college. If you follow my advice you will not have damaged CDs and will save thousands, (possibly hundreds of thousands) of dollars. |
| AndrewGPaul | 01 Mar 2008 10:18 a.m. PST |
Hide the originals, give the kids copies. When they scratch the copies, burn another one. |
| Doc Perverticus | 01 Mar 2008 10:27 a.m. PST |
Matt- so long as it's THEIR CDs and DVDs, I dont see a problem. Let them learn what happens when they don't take care of their stuff. Other than that, maybe you might consider frequesnting the CD/DVD sections of your local library. ( Andrew Paul's suggestion also has considerable merit ) |
| Doc Perverticus | 01 Mar 2008 10:33 a.m. PST |
Just re-read the thread's title, Toddlers?? You let Toddlers handle CDs & DVDs?? I withdraw my previous comments, and maybe you should be thinking about what it is that your giving them too much access to. |
| Hydra Studios | 01 Mar 2008 11:14 a.m. PST |
Good suggestions everyone, especially getting rid of the kids:) That might be easier than locking everything down. It's only a couple of DVDx and CDs (actually they belong to my 7 year old) I was hoping someone might have a fixing technique, but I'll just re-purchase them. Thanks,
Matt |
| TheStarRanger | 01 Mar 2008 12:18 p.m. PST |
Check your local video stores for a resurfacing machine. There is a chain local to me that has a machine that does a multi-step process to buff out scratches and they will do it for you for a few dollars per disc. |
| Crusoe the Painter | 01 Mar 2008 12:36 p.m. PST |
d-skin.com Protective cover for CDs, you put them on the disc, and then they can still be played. That said, tell the kids if they scratch the disc, they won't get a new one. After a few months of no-Barney, or whatever their favorite, they may learn their lesson. |
| Given up for good | 01 Mar 2008 2:20 p.m. PST |
|
| Iberian Warrior | 01 Mar 2008 2:25 p.m. PST |
A trick I used to use on my PC CD's when they got a scratch and the game failed to run is rub in a little bit of tooth paste. Rub in small circles until practically all rubbed off. It sounds like a really dumb thing to do but it sure enough did work. Never tried it with a DVD though Brian |
 John the OFM  | 01 Mar 2008 2:44 p.m. PST |
Don't let them load their own CDs and DVDs until they are big enough to treat them right.
It's not their fault if they scratch them, but that doesn't mean they get to handle them either. DO NOT replace their favorites right away if they get scratched. Make them EARN a replacement, and make sure they know why. |
| MiniatureWargaming dot com | 01 Mar 2008 7:04 p.m. PST |
The toothpaste thing has worked for me in the past. |
| CeruLucifus | 01 Mar 2008 11:24 p.m. PST |
My kids are 3 and 5. The 5-year-old is learning to load his own media. Both like to look at the box art and sometimes get upset if all the pieces are not there. I've had 2-3 CDs or DVDs have playability problems. At the first sign of this, I grab the disc, clean it, and see if my computer can make a copy. If so, thereafter the kid watches the copy. (So far that's always been the case.) Andrew Paul: Hide the originals, give the kids copies. This is a good idea in principle but in practice, it's just too much trouble, to make a copy of every disk. |
| Doctor Skull | 07 May 2008 9:29 a.m. PST |
It has been my experience that any product designed for a car's finish is good for fixing disc media. I've been using Turtle Wax and buffing compound for several years with good success. The other thing is to regularly clean your DVD player by opening it up and removing dust and cat hair. I have to do it about four times a year. |
paints grey horses - specifically, dapple greys.
