www.makemkv.com

Disc cleaning seems to be the “reboot computer” of ripping, so it seems relevant.

I’ve ripped or converted probably 100 DVDs in the last week: Almost all of The West Wing (to VIDEO_TS with https://mdrp.app) plus a huge number of homemade DVDs (using MakeMKV first and MDRP if that failed). There have been at least 10 disc fails. Every time a disc fails, I clean it and try again. It’s never worked.

Is cleaning a myth? Or am I doing it wrong? (Given my history of whacky tech problems, it could also just be me.)

Here’s my method:
1) Lay disc on eyeglass cleaning cloth, playable side up
2) Spray eyeglass cleaner (the legit stuff from the optician) lightly onto disc surface
3) Use 2nd eyeglass cleaning cloth to wipe across the disc in straight lines
4) Examine disc to see if there are any spots, blemishes, streaks, etc.
5) In the event of anything that appears to be a scratch, put a couple of drops of cleaning fluid on it, then use a folded corner of the cleaning cloth to try to remove / erase it VERY gently using straight lines. If it comes off, it wasn’t a scratch.

Related but definitely off-topic question: How do you handle it if you’re ripping a season of a TV show and one disc won’t rip? I’m looking for suggestions.

That seems like a reasonable method to clean a disc. Personally, I use plenty of warm water, liquid dish soap, and the tip of my finger to clean the disc. After cleaning and thoroughly rinsing, I put the disc label side down on a towel and dry the data side with a can of air. I make doubly sure the disc is dry before I put it back in my reader.