The Microwaved CD-ROM Experiment - Disclaimer

Time to be serious for a moment:

Sticking CDs in your microwave can be dangerous. You're using microwave radiation to heat a sheet of foil to the point of vaporizing it. This almost immediately releases small amounts of smoke and noxious fumes. Further, the plastic substrate and the paint on the front will quickly burn if the oven is left on for too long. This will generate copious amounts of smoke, and will quite likely damage your oven. In short, this is a pretty stupid thing to do! Just look at the pretty pictures here, and don't do it.

But, since I know several people will want to do it anyway (I can't fault them too much, since I just did it 28 times), here is some advice for doing it safely:

Only run the microwave oven for a few seconds. I found that five seconds exhausted all potential sparking, and left only hot spots and smoking. And mine is about a decade old. Your oven may do so in even less time.
Place the CDs painted side down. This will cut down on some of the smoke.
Don't do this just before you plan on cooking a meal. You'll need to air out your microwave for a few hours first.
Probably best not to do it before guests arrive, either, as you will stink up the joint.
Place the CD on something disposable, like a paper plate. This will keep melted paint and plastic off your oven.
Keep a wet towel handy, to douse any fires or excessive smoke that might result.
Open a window before you start.

It's tempting to say to yourself "What happens if I do it longer than a few seconds? Let's find out!" So I'll tell you, and save you the trouble. The pretty moving blue and green sparks will stop in under five seconds. Bright white hot spots will appear at various stationary points for a couple seconds. They'll fade to red, then wink out. The plastic will melt. Sometimes, the CD will warp. The paint will burn. There will be plumes of thick white smoke. It will stink, badly. If you inhale the smoke, you will cough. A lot. If you keep at it, the CD and whatever it is sitting on will burn. (This can happen in a matter of a minute or two.) Your oven will catch on fire, and you'll probably burn your house or apartment down. If you escape, your homeowner's/renter's insurance will refuse coverage, because you're an idiot. You may get charged with arson or some other felony. You may end up in the hospital. Get it? Don't do it. Stick with four or five seconds, enjoy the pretty sparks, and let it go at that.

All that being said, the author of this website accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury that results from microwaving CDs, even if you do follow every single piece of advice I give to the letter. If you're a kid, ask a responsible adult to supervise you. The responsible adult will say "No! Are you crazy?!? Go to your room!" Listen to him, and don't do it. This really is dangerous and stupid. And if you are a responsible adult, but have a momentary lapse in judgement and do it anyway, be careful. Try to muster a bit of common sense, and think before you try anything "creative." (Read that as "suicidally stupid.") If your microwave explodes in a ball of fire and the shrapnel kills your dog, don't blame me. You have been warned.

Disclaimer #2: I know that this is not a true experiment, as it neither tests a proposed hypthesis nor draws any theoretical conclusions. But "experiment" sounds better than "a bunch of stuff I did to just to see what would happen."

Go back to the Microwaved CD Experiment.