I need to know how to go about cleaning DVD's and DVD/CD players. I am afraid dust or some kind of particles may have entered mine since it does't want to play. It is not very old.
Cleaning CD and DVD players is very easy. Go to any electronics store or even your local supermarket and look for a cleaner. These are usually packaged in a DVD case. There are two types, wet and dry. The cheaper dry ones have a disc with little brushes that will dust off the internal laser that reads the disc. The wet type uses a liquid to "wash" off the laser in addition to the dusting. Most of the players recommend cleaning every 10 hours of play, which is about every 5 movies. Usually a monthly cleaning is sufficient, or when you start to notice problems. I have also found that computer burned DVD's will start having problems sooner than Hollywood mass marketed DVD's.
Considering that your player doesn't work at all, I would get the wet type and do it a couple of times. Usually the problem starts small and gets worse over time. If the player just stopped cold, the problem may not be a dirty laser lens but something more serious. Unfortunately is is rarely cost effective to repair these devices. You can pick up a cheap one for as little as $30.00 on sale and a name brand one for around $100.00. I would never spend more than that as I have used many different brands and have never noticed any playing difference between the cheap and expensive brands. If it is less than a year old, check your warranty.
One last thing. Make sure you buy a DVD cleaner for DVD players and a CD cleaner for CD players. Many are now multiformat and will work for all disc players and game consoles but make sure it specifically states that. Good luck!
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