When it comes to removing scratches, the iPod appears to be not as fortunate as other easily scratched items like spectacles and compact discs. The iPod does not have a designated scratch remover as opposed to the eyeglass' lens cleaner and the CD's CD cleaner. You have to get a little creative and resourceful when you are dealing with iPod scratches.
Classic iPods give its users two places to worry about. Its shiny chrome back can develop bundles of scratches as well as its screen. Specific cleaners are available in the market and you can purchase these cleaning solutions depending on which side of your iPod is badly scratched.
The iPod Screen
The iPod's screen is covered with a layer of hardened plastic. Sturdy as the plastic coating appears, it is prone to get scratches, especially if the iPod is placed in a pocket filled with coins and other hard items. Fortunately, you can use the scratch removers of other items that bear similar properties to the iPod's plastic screen.
•Eyeglass Cleaner – The lenses of spectacles are made from hardened plastic just like an iPod's screen. Expectedly, the eyeglass cleaner can remove scratches from the screen the way it removes scratches from lenses. You can get a box or bottle of eyeglass cleaner for approximately $12 and you can get the cleaning solution from optical stores. If you plan to purchase an eyeglass cleaner for your iPod, do not forget to also purchase a cleaning cloth for spectacles. Partnering the cleaner with the cleaning cloth improves the scratch-removing efficiency of both items.
•Rubbing Compound – Rubbing compounds are the cleaners sold at car parts shops. These cleaners are often used for polishing PVC windows and some car parts. Surprisingly, these cleaners work well with iPod screens. Small scratches are easily removed after scrubbing the solution on the iPod screen. Deep scratches require a little more effort but nevertheless, they can also be erased by a rubbing compound. Some people even say that rubbing compounds are more effective than eyeglass cleaners for their iPods. Priced at a few dollars per tube, the generic rubbing compound is a good choice for cleaning both the screen and the chrome back of classic iPods.
•Eyeglass Cleaning Cloth – The little rag that comes with purchased spectacles can actually remove smudges and small scratches from iPod screens. The surface of an eyeglass cleaning cloth has tiny fibers that are gentle to the sensitive screen of iPods, but corrosive for scratches. If you slightly dampen the rug with water or eyeglass cleaner, you can remove many small scratches from the iPod screen.
•Mobile Phone Screen Cleaners – The screens of most mobile phones are made from the same material used for the iPod's plastic screen. Naturally, mobile phone screen cleaners can also remove scratches from the screen of your iPod. Just apply a small amount of the cleaning solution on a piece of cloth and you can wipe away most of the scratches.
•Change the iPod Casing – Sometimes the deepest scratches cannot be removed by any scratch remover or cleaning solution. For permanent scratches, you can bring your iPod to a service center and replace the casing with a new one. Do not worry about the price of the service or the new casing since they are usually cheap.
The iPod's Back
Scratched iPod backs are not as serious as scratched screens since the scratches at the backs of iPods do not really hamper any of the gadget's functions. However, an iPod with a heavily scratched back looks shabby and cheap. The scratched device can even give an impression that its owner is a messy person, which is not good in many social scenes. When you have a lot of free time, make sure that removing scratches from the back of your iPod is in your “to-do” list.
Since chrome is a more workable surface, the cleaning solutions for the back portion of your iPod are quite abundant. You can find most of the needed scratch removers at a hardware store. Here some of your best options:
•Rubbing Compound – Used to polish hard materials like PVC and other metals, the generic rubbing compound sold in car parts stores is one of your best options to remove scratches from the back side of your iPod. When you scrub the chrome surface with generous amounts of the compound, you will notice that the compound can remove deep scratches. Even some of the scratches that seem permanent can be wiped away with such an effective cleaner. Best of all, a tube of rubbing compound will not cost you more than two dollars.
•Home All-Purpose Cleaners – These cleaning solutions are not called all-purpose for nothing. They can easily shine wooden surfaces and remove scratches from metal and plastic surfaces. Obviously, such a potent cleaning solution (Want to make your own all purpose cleaner? read how to make all purpose spray cleaner) will make short work of the scratches at the back of your iPod, regardless of model.
•Metal Cleaning Solution – Soldiers use metal cleaning solutions to shine and remove scratches from their medals. In your case, the back of your iPod can shine like a soldier's medal if you use the same cleaning solution. Metal cleaning solutions are formulated to corrode scratches and other unwanted grooves on metal surfaces. Remarkably, the solution is gentle on metal surfaces as a whole.
•Spray Paint – If the scratches at the back of your iPod are too deep for cleaning solutions, your best option is to cover them with paint. Fill a spray can with paint and cover the back of your iPod with designs that suit your personality and lifestyle. If you have a good hand at painting, you can even make your iPod look even better than before.
The Verdict
If you look at the list of options for the iPod's screen and back, you will notice that one item appears in both lists, the rubbing compound. The rubbing compound can clean most surfaces, even the plastic surfaces of modern iPods. Remarkably, you can clean the whole exterior of your iPod and keep it scratch-free with a tube of generic rubbing compound. Except for the eyeglass cleaning cloth, the rubbing compound is also the cheapest item in both lists.
Without a doubt, the generic rubbing compound is the unofficial cleaning solution of your iPod. Better purchase a good amount now, before the rest of the world discovers the scratch removing properties of this accidental cleaning solution. If you enjoyed this article, you'll surely enjoy reading how to fix an ipod.