Do hand-cleaning products damage CDs and DVDs

[Rillington]

As said in the question, do you damage DVDs and CDs if you handle them after using hand sanitiser?

[Rillington]

Also, does hand wash damage DVDs and CDs?

I ask because even after rinsing you can still have some handwash on your hand so I am wondering if this would be an issue when handing DVDs and CDs, even after your hands have dried out.

[daveeb]

Originally Posted by Rillington

As said in the question, do you damage DVDs and CDs if you handle them after using hand sanitiser?

They contain alcohol mainly, so i'd guess it would be OK providing you gently clean the playing surface with a lint free cloth if you've got fingerprints on it.

[Jaymoss]

I would dilute it first a little as for the soap question I would give that a swerve

CD and DVD cleaners are alcohol based so I’d assume not.

---------- Post added at 15:46 ---------- Previous post was at 15:45 ----------

seriously … a thread each for sanitiser and soap? Merged.

[Taf]

Some sanitisers have "moisturising content", probably an oil, that remains on your hands after use. That could transfer to disks if you don't handle them carefully (by the edges only).

[admars]

Originally Posted by Rillington

Also, does hand wash damage DVDs and CDs?

I ask because even after rinsing you can still have some handwash on your hand so I am wondering if this would be an issue when handing DVDs and CDs, even after your hands have dried out.

Washing hands, for me at least, isn't a new thing, I've been doing it since before I owned CDs, DVDs, Blu Rays, they still seem to work

[Jaymoss]

you would be better off with a cap full of vodka

[Hom3r]

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

you would be better off with a cap full of vodka

NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOO


DON'T YOU DARE.


Drink the stuff, and don't waste it cleaning discs.

[Rillington]

Thank you for the replies although I'm still unclear as to whether handling discs after washing your hands with handwash - there is always some handwash still on your hands no matter how well you rinse - or using hand sanitiser would damage discs.

---------- Post added at 16:30 ---------- Previous post was at 16:28 ----------

Originally Posted by Taf

Some sanitisers have "moisturising content", probably an oil, that remains on your hands after use. That could transfer to disks if you don't handle them carefully (by the edges only).

Thank you for the reply and that is my concern because with the best will in the world one is always going to end up touching more than just the edges of a disc which is why I am asking the question.

[Jaymoss]

Originally Posted by Rillington

Thank you for the replies although I'm still unclear as to whether handling discs after washing your hands with handwash - there is always some handwash still on your hands no matter how well you rinse - or using hand sanitiser would damage discs.

---------- Post added at 16:30 ---------- Previous post was at 16:28 ----------



Thank you for the reply and that is my concern because with the best will in the world one is always going to end up touching more than just the edges of a disc which is why I am asking the question.

you should always handle discs with care and not touch the recorded side as much as possible

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

you should always handle discs with care and not touch the recorded side as much as possible

Isn’t it funny how when they first came out CDs were widely believed to be indestructible, scratch proof, and all sorts of things …. I remember in the 80s an auntie getting a CD player and then washing one of her CDs in the kitchen sink to prove how clever and modern they were.

[Jaymoss]

Yeah I remember how it was advertised hahahah

[Rillington]

as do I - the footage of them being smeared with jam on I bleieve Tomrrow's World sticks in the memory.

As Jaymoss said, handle discs with care and I presume that the recorded side is the underside of the disc and the non recorded side is the side with the writing on it?

So to clarify, will handwash on your hands, either dry or damp, cause discs to become damaged?

No, it won’t. To damage the disc it would have to either warp, scratch or corrode the plastic, and I very much doubt anything you can put on your hands would be capable of doing that. If it leaves visible smears it may of course fail to play back properly but cleaning it with a soft cloth would fix that.