Caution ! Avoid CD Lens Cleaners.

[Bobberman]

For those who still own CD players like i do. Back in the 90s i bought one of these destructive devices it was a CD with a small thin Brush ( the brush was on the playing side) you simply put it in your player and play it and follow the voice instructions.according to the package it was recommended after every 40 hours of play but in my experience they caused tracking problems galore and other issues little by little. They drastically.shorten the life span of the machine. After 2001 when the 25 disc changer i had for 5 years totally malfunctioned. And since then I quit using those comfounded things. And every disc player i owned since then has lasted longer than 5 years. I wonder if anybody else had the same unfortunate experience? I Have Learned my Lesson for sure. It's Better To Leave Well Enough Alone.

 

[Rudy]

It just never sounded right to me, to use something with a brush against the laser assembly. It is a delicate device--the lens can move in and out to focus on the disc. I think I had seen a disc that had vanes on it, which supposedly helped blow the dust away, but thought it might not be as effective. A blast from a can of compressed air might do more harm than good also.

I still can't help but think a couple of my older players started playing erratically due to a film of dust on the lens. These were players I had in service for a decade or more. Yet I've never known of a good way to clean them.

With my current player, I try to use it a few times per month, as I primarily use its network features to play back music from a network server yet rarely use the disc. I figure the lens will last a good long time. Yet I do need to use it, to keep the mechanical parts moving inside. Neglect will kill a player just as much as overuse.

 

[Bobberman]

I Agree Rudy and another thing i do is when im not using my player for long periods of time i unplug it to conserve electricity . In a nutshell its about balance as well as "USE IT OR LOSE IT"

 

[DeeInKY]

I don't know for sure if that was the cause, but I used one in my car CD player a few years ago. The thing went kerflooie shortly thereafter. Had to replace it to the tune of $400 and never tried to clean it again.

 

[Murray]

I still can't help but think a couple of my older players started playing erratically due to a film of dust on the lens. These were players I had in service for a decade or more. Yet I've never known of a good way to clean them.

When I have to clean the lens on a CD or DVD player, I dismantle enough of the machine to expose the lens, then I use a blower brush (available at camera stores) to remove the dust. If the dust is really stuck on, I moisten a lens tissue with a drop of Kodak lens cleaner, and then gently wipe the lens in a circular motion (NO PRESSURE!), let dry, and then reassemble the machine. I was able to save a couple of malfunctioning players this way.

 

[Rudy]

My issues with car cassette and CD players over the years has driven me to use players that have a USB port. My JVC has two USB ports, although one is taken up by Bluetooth. I use a 64GB Sandisk Cruzer loaded up with 8000+ songs on it (all WMA format at 256kbps). The JVC can handle up to 9,999 files and/or 999 folders. I could use WAV files but aside from using more space, they don't have the tagging ability like other file formats. The Pioneer in the other car, while newer, isn't as sophisticated (you have to separately sort the files in the FAT before they will read in sequence). But even there, it is handy having a way to play back music with no moving parts, and nothing to wear out.

I've had many, many problems with Sony disc players over the years, but strangely enough, the CDX-R88 I received in 1988 (as a replacement for my CDX-R7) lasted the longest, including commutes of almost an hour each direction five days a week, in weather that ranged from sub-zero to near 100 degrees. I think I just wore out the laser. That is where I wonder if the laser was just covered in dust from over a dozen continuous years of usage...

 

[Rudy]

When I have to clean the lens on a CD or DVD player, I dismantle enough of the machine to expose the lens, then I use a blower brush (available at camera stores) to remove the dust. If the dust is really stuck on, I moisten a lens tissue with a drop of Kodak lens cleaner, and then gently wipe the lens in a circular motion (NO PRESSURE!), let dry, and then reassemble the machine. I was able to save a couple of malfunctioning players this way.

I still have one of those blower brushes in my camera kit. What you mention is about the safest way to do it. And for sure--no pressure! Not for the laser lens's sake, but for the focusing mechanism, which I believe is a delicate coil assembly.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I've used a lens cleaner since the 80's and never had a problem with my players. None whatsoever.

 

[DeeInKY]

Never thought of a blower brush. I have one. It would certainly be gentle.

 

[Bobberman]

I've used a lens cleaner since the 80's and never had a problem with my players. None whatsoever.

Well Captain You either were Very Lucky. Or You probably owned some much Sturdier players or Both. Nevertheless i'm glad they worked out for you.

 

[Rudy]

It might depend on the type of brush (soft or hard), but having seen how delicate laser assemblies are, I am reluctant to use much of anything.

 

[Bobberman]

It might depend on the type of brush (soft or hard), but having seen how delicate laser assemblies are, I am reluctant to use much of anything.

Agreed. And since i banned those lens cleaners i been following my Reluctance too. And so far so good.

 

[Acapulco 1922]

It, usually, just involves removing the top brace of the disc retainer (screwed down on each side)...then, *gently* taking a dampened Q-tip in rubbing alcohol and grazing over the lens. The Sony-type transports, mind you, are a lot EASIER to access than the mechanism Philips invented (where the disc has to drop-down *after* the tray loads).
Best "sleeper" cd player I'd once found and used: a 1990 LUXMAN "DZ-92". Granted, it was "Alpine-car-stereo-owned-Lux" -- BUT, honestly, it sounded better than a 1995-era Sony "CDP-69ES" I later came across (at a Goodwill for $29!).
Last CDR I had: a Harman/Kardon "CDR 2" five years ago. The playback-only side was like a throw-in or from a boom box: total CRAP. However, the recorder was good enough; until -- the message "OPTICAL CODE ERROR" wouldn't clear from the display. So, I disassembled it (thinking, the lens was just dirty); but, saw that the stepper MOTOR to drive the tracking mechanism had, apparently, just "died out".
In the trash it went.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I've had many CD players (including one very old Pioneer one that still works fine) and I've never used any kind of lens cleaner on any of them. In my experience, other things like the switches, disk motor or whatever tend to go out before the lens ever needs cleaning. Maybe I've just been lucky, but yeah, the lens cleaner disks were probably a marketing gimmick more than anything. Kind of like "Monster Cables."

 

[Bobberman]

Yes Mike They were all Just Gimmicks Indeed. I couldn't agree more