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How to Repair Cracked CDs

Some of us treasure our CD collection like Grandpa treasures his vinyl records. While CDs are not as sensitive as vinyl records, they can occasionally crack. Chances are, that CD is no longer of any use, no matter how small the crack. Don't take any chances. Do not play the CD in your CD player again. The speed at which a CD spins in the player can further damage the CD and, in turn, your CD player. But if the contents of your CD simply have to be salvaged, there are steps you can take.

Things You'll Need

  • Cracked CD
  • Flat, hard surface
  • Clean napkin
  • Circular, adhesive CD label
  • CD scratch remover formula
  • Lint-free cloth
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay the clean napkin on a hard, flat surface, such as a table or kitchen counter. Place the cracked CD on top of the napkin with the CD's content side facing down. The contents of a CD are usually on the shiny side with no writing.

    • 2

      Should the edges of the crack stick out, gently manipulate the CD until the crack is as flat as possible. The goal is to try to get the CD to resemble its original state.

    • 3

      Peel off the back of the circular, adhesive CD label to expose its sticky side. Apply it to the top of the CD (the side that does NOT have the content). Apply the label near the crack first. Then smooth the label across the rest of the CD. Try to avoid any air bubbles.

    • 4

      Gently rub the label at the spot of the crack to ensure the label is firmly affixed.

    • 5

      Turn the CD over and carefully clean it with some scratch remover solution. You can apply the solution to the napkin you used. Make slow, circular motions to clean the CD. Finally, remove any scratch remover solution excess with a lint-free cloth.

    • 6

      Insert the CD into a CD player and play. If your hear odd sounds coming from the CD player, hit stop immediately and take the CD out. If you have a computer with ripping software, rip the CD at the lowest speed to avoid any further damage to the CD.

Digital Music

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