francois@yale.ARPA (Charles B. Francois) (09/16/85)
Followup-To: Distribution: > The instructions on some of the CDs I have purchased state > explicitly that CDs should be wiped with a soft cloth (*no liquids) in > a radial direction (i.e. from the center of the disc outward.) > > Since *all* of the CD cleaners that I have seen involve wiping > the disc while spinning it, doesn't it seem reasonable to assume that > these devices are not only unnecessary but also undesirable? > Not so. I have been living with the Discwasher CD cleaner for about a month now, and I have nothing but praise for it. I only resorted to buying one after I had been unable to stop my docile Yamaha from pitter-pattering on a disc from a treasured three-disc set (the Glyndebourne/Haitink "Don Giovanni"). I haven't looked back since. The package comes with a small spray bottle containing what I suspect to be some sort of alcohol mixture, but the cleaner's main feature is its *radial* cleaning action. It's a rather ingenious set-up wherein you place the wet CD label-side down on a spindle in a plastic case whose top cover is fitted inside with a ring-shaped cleaning pad that is rotated with a small handle once the case is closed. In about 20 revolutions, you have a spotless CD. The direction of the cleaning action can be verified by stopping after the first few revolutions and beholding the radial streaks of the liquid on the CD's surface. Nifty. It takes a couple of uses to get the proper feel for a regular, smooth turning motion, but for $15 (in Manhattan), this is definitely worth having around the house for when those tiny feet suddenly spring up on a formerly silent compact disc. No, I don't hold any Discwasher stocks. --Charles B. Francois {...,decvax}!yale!francois