Can you clean dvds?

Same as cleaning CD's as far as I know. Kids clean ours with luke warm water, soft cloth and go side to side, not around with the "grooves." No problem with that method so far.

Distilled water is best. Do not use cleaning solutions. Soft cloth working from the inside out. Do not follow the grooves around. Alcohol as last resort for stubborn stains...try the water first.

I think I followed the grooves... oops... It works BETTER, but not perfectly yet... Going to try one more time, but maybe it's messed up. Was that mildew or what that caused th cloud? Do you know by any chance? Also, how to prevent others from getting like that? Thanks, if you have answers...

A cloudy film coulda been a number of things - general gunk and dust high on the list. Fingerprints, cigarette smoke, household aerosol, and cookin' grease residues are common culprits. When not in use, an optical disk should be stored in a protective sleeve or jewel case.

When cleanin', ya don't wanna wipe "with the grooves" as that is the orientation in which the data pits are laid down, and followin' the orientation can and will obscure the demarcations between data pits. Sometimes, damage incurred by improper cleanin' or even mishandlin' can be alleviated by polishin' the disk with commercially available compounds specifically made for the purpose - they're similar to ultra-fine jewelers' rouge.

While distilled water and finger-held soft, lintless cleanin' pads can be used to fair effect for cleanin', and repair compound and finger-held-buffin' pads can be used successfully, most folks likely will find any of the reputable major-brand mechanical cleanin' and/or repair devices and their associated fluids and pads to be not only more convenient, but more effective than hand-cleanin' or repairin'.

Fully manual ones run from around $10/$15 and up, with one workin' just about as well as any other if used accordin' to directions. For the really lazy, there are powered models, but IMO most are no more effective than the hand-cranked type, and they're a lot spendier.

take it out, and give it a good high-pressure water-blastin'!!!!

I use a premoistened lens cloth. I go from the inside of the DVD to the outside, like spokes. Seems to work ok. I have a subscription to Blockbuster Online, and some of the DVDs that they send looks like they have been through the wars.

Alcohol and petroleum-based solvents or cleaners will attack and destroy the protective laquer which shields the actual written data. You prolly don't wanna use either on any optical disc you plan on usin' much.