Published March 21, 2007 by: Marsha J
CDs should last longer than cassette tapes but they can easily be damaged if they are not stored correctly. First, you should never touch the back of a CD. Always put a finger through the whole and have the other fingers grasp the edge of the CD. The same goes for a DVD. To safely store a CD there are a lot of options.
The most used option is to put CD's in a jewel case. When buying a CD they usually come in jewel cases already but it is a good idea to go to an auction site like EBay and buy some thin jewel cases in bulk. The thin jewel cases allow more room to store CD's because they are about two times thinner than a regular CD case.
Other options for storing CD's for even more room is to put them in paper sleeves. These sleeves can be bought in bulk online and in cases of 50 or 100 in offline stores. Because they are made from thin paper, these sleeves gives even more room than jewel cases but also protect the CD from scratches, dust and fingerprints.
If you have empty spindles available from blank discs consider using them as a way to store your CD's. Because there is a long plastic pole in the middle of the spindle, the CD's are protected from shifting around. However, depending on the amount of movement, there is still a chance of the CD's getting scratched on the CD below it.
Another good option for CD storage is a CD case. These cases hold a small amount to hundreds of CD's at a time. Depending on the amount that the case is able to hold there will be two, four, six or eight sleeves to hold a CD on each page. The outside sleeve is usually made of plastic or mesh and the side that touches the back of the CD will be made of a soft fabric that should not scratch your CD. CD cases are also great for DVD's and they take up the least amount of space.
Online there are lots of other CD storage products that may not be found in traditional offline stores. In some place there are little drawers made specifically for CD's. Depending on the drawer that you buy it will be one or more drawers in the stand and once opens there will be a certain number of mesh and plastic sleeves inside of the stand. More room is usually available to add more sleeves for more CD's later on.
When cleaning a CD, do not clean it in a circular motion. Also keep CD's out of direct sunlight as they will start to degrade from the heat of the sun. Keep CD's in a cool area or room and keep them away from other heat as well as the sun.
Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/166034/how_to_store_a_cd_properly_pg2.html?cat=15
