How to Clean and Maintain a DVD Player

With the majority of people opting to watch movies on it, DVD players have increasingly become an indispensable part of our entertainment needs. However, like all electronic appliances, it attracts dust and is prone to scratches and fingerprints. It therefore needs a cleaning regime, to not only make it last for ages, but also enable us to watch movies without the interruption of skipping discs or grainy pictures. DVD players need to be cleaned from inside as well as outside. While cleaning the exterior is fairly simple, it is the interior of the DVD player which is likely to attract even more dirt than the exterior. The good news is that, with a few household products and appropriate maintenance, you can keep your DVD player clean and running smoothly.

How to clean a DVD player?

First things first, before you start cleaning your DVD player, remember to turn it off and unplug the machine from the television. Move it to a more suitable working environment, like a table or a desk.

Cleaning the Exterior: The exterior of the DVD player can be cleaned with simple household items, like rubbing alcohol and seltzer water. Use a cotton, lint free cloth or a cotton swab and apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to it. Gently rub the exterior of the player. While alcohol has the advantage of evaporating quickly, seltzer water has an increased cleansing action due to the carbonation it contains. Use the cloth to clean the player's vent areas, where dust might have accumulated. Avoid a duster, as it might just end up pushing the dust further inside. Cleaning the vents of the DVD player is of utmost importance, as heat dissipating from the inside of your player might not be allowed to escape, causing it to overheat. You could also clean the vent by using a can of compressed air. It can be softly sprayed into the vent, to clear out the dust build up.

Cleaning the Interior: When your DVD does not load, or skips, and you note a deterioration in the audio or video signals, it may indicate the fact, that you need to clean the interior of your DVD player. This usually entails the cleaning of the lens of your player, which can ensure that the disc is being read properly. The easiest, most hassle free way of doing this, is by buying a lens cleaning disc. These DVD cleaning discs are easily available in the market and are often recommended as the first troubleshooting method, when you are trying to repair a DVD player, that is having difficulty reading discs. They contain bristles, situated on top of the disc, so that when the disc is inserted into the player, the disc begins to spin and the raised bristles on it dust the lens. Once the cleaning cycle of the cleaning discs is complete, the lens should be clean.

If you want to clean the DVD player thoroughly, you need to dismantle the player and clean the insides by hand. For doing this, you need to turn the machine over and look at the seams for finding the screws and the tape, that holds the case together. Remove the screws and lift up the tape, to expose the insides of the player. Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to clean all the surfaces, except for the bright green circuit boards. Use a can of compressed air, to flush out the dirt from hard to reach places. Remember while doing this, to not tilt, shake, or hold the can upside down, as the liquid nitrogen that comes out can damage your electronics and your skin! Once the alcohol is dry, reassemble your DVD player.

Cleaning your DVD player every four to six weeks ensures that it keeps running like new, for longer than you thought possible. There are also a host of commercial DVD cleaning kits available, which assist in cleaning, and are also easy on your pockets.