My CD player recently started to skip when playing back discs, now it is not even reading some CD’s. Do I need some sort of cleaner?

A lens cleaner ($25) may help but if your CD player is over 4 years old it is likely that the laser is on the way out. This can be an expensive exercise as new lasers can usually cost as much as a new player. Also a technician will charge upwards of $60 just to look it your player.

The same goes for DVD players. If your player is over 4 years old, take it to a HiFi specialist and they should be able to identify the problem and offer suggestions.

Lastly, if the skip is happening on the same discs at the same points each time, take a look at the actual discs and make sure they are clean and free from dust.