by Kath Campbell

Created on: January 14, 2009   Last Updated: January 16, 2009

If you are going to to effectively clean a DVD player without damaging the unit, it will help if you have a little understanding of how it works beforehand. The DVD drive shines a laser on the disc as it spins, and then reads the reflections through a lens. When a DVD player skips or has other problems while playing a clean disc, the most likely culprit is dirt on this lens.

Commercial Cleaning Discs

The first step for anyone encountering this problem is to try a commercial lens-cleaning disc. This disc has microfiber bristles attached to it that brush the lens as the disc spins. The microfiber bristles are very smooth, even at a fine level, so the bristles are able to brush and blow away dust without scratching the DVD lens. After you insert the disc and send it through a cleaning cycle as listed on the menu, test playability with a disc you've had problems with before.

Photography-Quality Lens-Cleaning Swabs

Sometimes a commercial cleaning disc is not enough, especially when the lens has something other than regular dust on it. If you have a top-loading system, or a side loading system that has the lens in the tray, this kind of grime is more likely to happen due to the easy accessibility of the lens, but it is easier to clean than a front-loading DVD player or drive and it is unlikely that you will void your warranty by attempting to clean it. You will want to purchase lens cleaning swabs (or cloths, if swabs aren't available - swabs are just the right shape and size for the small lenses of DVD players) at a local or online camera supply store. You can try using a common cotton swab, but you run the risk of scratching the lens - swabs made specifically for photography applications are designed to reduce this possibility. Once you have the swabs or cloths, simply wipe the lens with gentle motions. Going in different directions helps ensure you get all the dust or dirt. As before, you will want to test your DVD player to see if your cleaning method worked.

Isopropyl Alcohol

If you are still having problems with the DVD player or drive, you still have an option. Use isopropyl alcohol (also known as rubbing or wood alcohol) along with the lens cleaning swap or wipe. This can dissolve stubborn gunk that may be on your lens. I was able to use this method to fix a friend's laptop DVD drive that had had food spilled on it.

Last Resort

If you have a front-loading player that doesn't become clean with a commercial disc, you have two different options. You can send the unit in for warranty cleaning, or if you are the do-it-yourself type and not afraid to void your warranty (or your warranty has expired), you can take a more active approach. If your DVD player is completely unusable, it is worth a shot to try to take the player apart and locate the lens. Find a flat, hard surface with a minimum of ambient dust. Be very careful when unscrewing the unit and consider taking pictures so you can remember how it goes back together. Clean the lens as described above and then reassemble the player. I was able to use this method to save my Xbox drive after the warranty had expired since Xbox discs (and most other console discs) are essentially DVDs.

Very Last Resort

If none of the suggestions in the article so far have been able to get your DVD player or drive reading discs again, you can further disassemble the DVD drive and clean the prism inside that the laser shines through. This should be a very last resort on equipment that is totally worthless unless you can fix it. This prism is hidden inside the casing of the drive, so it's unlikely that dust will get on it but it sometimes happens. Use lens swabs and isopropyl alcohol on this prism as desribed above for the lens.

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