A scratched DVD may or may not affect its play in a disc player. Sometimes scratches cause skips or inability for the player to read the encoded material below the DVD surface. This can be frustrating, and it doesn’t only occur when DVD are abused. Sometimes people will buy a brand new disc that will have a perceptible scratch on it and won’t play properly. There are many potential suggestions for how to fix a scratched DVD, each with some merit and application depending upon the degree of damage.

If the DVD was just purchased, it’s not advisable to attempt to repair it. Instead, return it to the store where it was purchased. Some stores may be problematic in this respect, and may suspect people of attempting to copy DVD material, only to return the disc. Provided a person is asking for a direct exchange to another disc that isn’t scratched, it shouldn’t be too much trouble. When possible, open the copy of the replacement disc and inspect it in front of the store’s personnel to be certain no scratches are present.

When the disc is old or simply misused, another route is required to fix a scratched DVD, and these methods may work for other discs like CD discs, and those that come with various game players like Wii® and Playstation®. First inspect the scratch. If it is a single scratch on one side of the disc only, it may be fairly easy to repair. If the scratch runs in a circular pattern, it may be far more difficult to repair and could require professional help.

The simplest method is to use jewelers’ cloths and simply buff the DVD in straight lines across the disc. Any disc repair site will remind people to never buff in circular patterns because this may make the scratches worse. There are DVD cleaning cloths that can be used in place of jewelers’ cloths. Don’t use just any cloths, as some may actually make scratching worse.

When simple cleaning alone doesn’t work, it may be possible to repair a scratched DVD by using cleaning solution designed for discs. Others recommend using toothpaste that has baking soda, or furniture cleaner. The solution is applied to the DVD and rubbed off (straight, not circular) with DVD or jewelers’ cloths. Rinse the solution off with water, briefly dry it with a dry cloth, and then allow it to sit and dry fully prior to using it.

Sometimes, despite best efforts, it’s impossible to fix a scratched DVD with hand polishing and buffing. In this case, people can look to several disc buffing or repairing machines, that can cost anywhere from about $50 US Dollars (USD) to well over several hundred. These often get good reviews and may help extend DVD life.

Another option to fix a scratched DVD is to talk to local gaming and video rental stores about buffing or resurfacing a disc. Many of them offer disc resurfacing and for about $5 USD, they can resurface a damaged disc. This is usually the one method that works when scratches are in circular pattern around the disc. It still doesn’t work in all cases, but many times resurfacing is successful and will restore the disc to normal play.

One last suggestion many tech experts have on this subject is that people not try to fix a scratched DVD when play or use of the disc is not affected. Ultimately polishing and resurfacing can wear down the disc and reduce its life. Only attempt to fix the disc if the scratch is reducing function.