While CDs offer a lot of advantages over older kinds of storage media such as audio cassettes and floppy disks, they also get damaged much more easily. Even the most carefully handled disc is bound to get a few nicks and scratches over time. While some disks are beyond repair, many scratches can be easily repaired at home.
Technique
Don't make the problem worse. When wiping the disc by hand, be sure to use a nonabrasive cloth; something too coarse will do more harm than good. Try an old T-shirt or a cloth for cleaning eyeglasses.
Wipe in a straight line, from the center of the disc to the outer edge. While your tendency may be to wipe the disc in a circular motion, this can damage the data written onto the disc's surface. Drying any substances off the disk should be done with a clean, dry cloth.
Home Remedies
Sometimes, dust or fingerprints are all that is wrong with your CD. Wipe down the shiny side of the disc with a slightly dampened cloth. Then dry the disc completely with a soft cloth. See if this has solved your problem.
If it didn't, try polishing the surface of the disk with a small amount of toothpaste and a soft cloth, remembering to wipe from the inside out. After you've finished polishing the CD, thoroughly wipe off the toothpaste with a damp cloth and dry it.
Another unorthodox but effective method is to use a banana. First, rub a slice of the banana onto the surface of the disc, and then use the soft inside of the peel to polish the disc, just like you would with a damp cloth. Once the banana's wax has been wiped off with a damp cloth, dry the CD and try playing it again.
Retail Products
If home remedies don't help with the scratches, you may consider turning to retail CD-repair products. Your two main options are CD-repair kits and mechanical scratch-repair systems.
Repair kits usually consist of a cleaning gel or spray and a soft cloth. These are used more or less identically to the household repair techniques, though they are specifically designed for use with scratched CDs. Repair kits can be found in computer-supply stores or online.
Mechanical scratch-repair systems, while more expensive, offer your best chance at saving your disc. You simply slot the CD into the cleaner, along with any cleaning fluid that's been included, and the repair system will mechanically polish the disk. This offers a smaller chance of accidentally scratching the disk than polishing by hand and will provide a more thorough and even cleaning.
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