Don't wipe in circles: That's how the discs are read, and doing so could cause further damage. Most instruction manuals and console manufactures will tell you to clean your games with a clean, lint-free, soft, dry or slightly damp cloth and wipe in straight lines from the disc's center to its outer edge. Therefore, if the only boss you can't get past is dirt on your discs, try following the manufacturer's guidelines to get back into the game. In fact, some Internet solutions (such as the banana-cleaning method) usually make the situation worse and will turn a game that skips occasionally into an unplayable piece of plastic trash.

A quick Internet search will give you countless methods and variations for game cleaning, but not all of them are going to work. However, there's some disagreement about the best technique to clean your discs. Luckily, the cleaning process is the same for all disc-based games. Depending on what systems you own, you'll be caring for and cleaning games that are burned onto DVDs or Blu-rays (and if you like vintage gaming, perhaps even some old-school CDs). Gone are the days of blowing into a cartridge to clean your games.

Video game disc cleaner