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by sunniebgi on January 29th, 2006

sunniebgi

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Is there any way to remove mold and mildew from VHS tapes?

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  • by JRKaru on August 31st, 2008

    JRKaru

    Yes, it is possible to remove the mold without destroying the tapes. We do
    it all the time. Here are a few tips:

    Do NOT try to remove active mold. Expose the tapes to a dry environment for
    a period of time to drive the mold into dormancy before trying to remove it.
    We use a chamber kept around 20% RH for polyester-base tape. You can tell
    if the mold is dormant when it comes off in a dry powder instead of smearing
    all over the tape when you wipe it.

    Dry-wiping off mold only removes the flowering heads and spores from the
    tape surface. It does not kill the mold in/on the tape.

    Some mold cannot be removed with a simple dry-wipe. Common liquids used are
    distilled water, isopropyl and 111 Tri-chlor. The Tri-chlor is the only one
    that guarantees that the fungus is actually dead but you must be very
    careful as it is a restricted substance and, if you get it on the plastic
    reel or cassette shell- it will melt them.

    If you use liquids to remove the worst sections of mold, only wipe in one
    direction. Testing shows that if you wipe back-and-forth, in both
    directions, you can damage the recording surface.

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