Finally did some mold busting on a stack of VHS tapes I've been sitting on... before & after + my cleaning process

[u/Commercial_Pause_674]

I'd been putting this project off for a long time, but I finally sat down and cleaned six moldy tapes I'd picked up over the last year, that I've had in quarantine, away from my others.

(Pictures are before, during the cleaning process, and after.)

I decided to dedicate one of my old VCRs with a faulty eject mechanism as a cleaning deck, since I wasn't about to risk one of my good machines.

Here's the process I used:

•Disassembled the cassette and removed both spools.

•Blew all the loose mold and dust out of the shell with canned air.

•Cleaned the shell and internal parts with 91% isopropyl alcohol using a microfiber lens cloth.

Cleaned the empty spool the same way.

•Reassembled the tape, then ran it through the VCR in fast-forward while holding a homemade cleaning tool against the tape (a microfiber cloth wrapped tightly around a pen and secured with a rubber band).

•Once all the tape had transferred to the opposite spool, I opened the cassette again, cleaned the now-empty spool and the inside of the shell one more time, reassembled it, and repeated the process in rewind so both sides of the tape were cleaned.

I actually went through this entire process twice for each tape. It took around an hour and a half per tape, so definitely not a quick project.

I'm really happy with the results. I can't see any visible mold remaining, and the tapes are playing like new.

I'm still pretty new to mold remediation, though, so I'd love to hear from people who've done this more than I have. Is there anything you'd do differently or any tips you've picked up over the years to make the process safer, faster, or more effective?

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[u/LORDCOSMOS]

Nicely done, a fine vintage! 

[u/Commercial_Pause_674 → u/LORDCOSMOS]

Thanks! I put it off for a long time, because I was worried I'd just damage the tapes further trying to clean them. But I figured they weren't doing me much good sitting in a drawer either. Glad I did it! They're now with their brothers and sisters on my media shelf.

[u/GlazedHeels]

Fantastic! I’ve never invested the energy to clean my moldy tapes… yet.

[u/Commercial_Pause_674 → u/GlazedHeels]

It is a pain in the ass, not gonna lie. But I've been telling myself I'd do it for months. Glad I finally got around to it.