Moldy VHS tape: what to do
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frederic91600
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myrabelle -
myrabelle -
Hello everyone,
I'm posting my question in "digital video," but I'm leaving it up to the moderators to move it to a potentially better place since my question isn't about digital media.
I just recovered my belongings after a move: my boxes of VHS tapes have been sitting in a basement for three and a half years, and they've taken a bit of a beating:
the top of the magnetic tape is moldy (sometimes it's white, sometimes it's yellow/brown!!). I don't know if it's just the top or if the whole tape is affected!
For now, I'm letting them air out (they're spread out on my carpet for a while).
Here are my questions:
How can I clean the tapes (if they need cleaning at all)?
Do I need to disassemble the tapes to clean them?
Is the mold contaminating? (meaning, if I leave moldy tapes next to healthy ones, will the latter be affected?)
Should I do a fast forward-fast rewind to get the tape moving? Is there a risk of the tape breaking?
Finally, you see the kind of problems I'm facing.
If you've had similar issues, please share your experience, and I'm open to any advice.
Thank you all again.
--
TV is so stupid, even the birds don’t land on the antennas.
I'm posting my question in "digital video," but I'm leaving it up to the moderators to move it to a potentially better place since my question isn't about digital media.
I just recovered my belongings after a move: my boxes of VHS tapes have been sitting in a basement for three and a half years, and they've taken a bit of a beating:
the top of the magnetic tape is moldy (sometimes it's white, sometimes it's yellow/brown!!). I don't know if it's just the top or if the whole tape is affected!
For now, I'm letting them air out (they're spread out on my carpet for a while).
Here are my questions:
How can I clean the tapes (if they need cleaning at all)?
Do I need to disassemble the tapes to clean them?
Is the mold contaminating? (meaning, if I leave moldy tapes next to healthy ones, will the latter be affected?)
Should I do a fast forward-fast rewind to get the tape moving? Is there a risk of the tape breaking?
Finally, you see the kind of problems I'm facing.
If you've had similar issues, please share your experience, and I'm open to any advice.
Thank you all again.
--
TV is so stupid, even the birds don’t land on the antennas.
10 answers
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Hello Frédéric,
To clean the tapes, you need to be equipped with a cassette cleaner and a neutral organic solvent. The pads of the cleaner are dampened with liquid and gradually dissolve the mold as the tape passes between the pads. This is the only way; manually, it is impossible, as a 120-minute cassette has a length of about 180 meters.
It is almost always preferable to remove the reels from the case and clean them flat on a platter. The elimination of mold is of better quality since it prevents the risk of spreading it within the case.
Mold is not contaminating (from one cassette to another); it is a fungus that grows on the tape and its progression is favored by humidity and lack of light. Cassettes that are white are infected with living fungi that can grow, while those that are brown are infected with dead fungi. The dead fungus creates a dry layer on top of the tape, gluing it, which can cause it to tear when the cassette is played.
It is not advisable to fast-forward the cassette in a VCR in that state, as it could damage the heads of the device (the tape rubbing against the guides and the head drum will create powder that will spread inside the cassette case, and the tiny reading heads risk irreversible damage).
I have already had this kind of hassle with my entire collection; I live in the Caribbean where the humidity is 85% and an unused cassette can mold in 6 months. I found someone who deals with the problem and all my cassettes are now on DVD... phew - good luck.
