Ever had a scratched DVD (movie or data DVD full of photos) that froze at a certain point and seemed unusable? I have and it can be aweful.

This happened to me a while ago and I really wanted to finish watching the movie (nothing worse than getting hooked and being cut off half way through). I was desparate and remembered a tip I’d heard about but never tried; toothpaste.

Put a small amount of toothpaste on your finger and gently rub it around the usable side of the DVD. Then, with a very soft cloth, gently rub it off. It fills in any of the scratches that may be causing the problem.

I’ve used the technique several times since then and it’s amazing how well it works on movies and on data DVDs.