My method for cleaning mold off of VHS tapes. This method is mostly taken from this blog post on LunchMeatVHS.com: www.lunchmeatvh...
Пікірлер: 232
@andrewrobotbuilder4 жыл бұрын
Just used your method to clean my parents' wedding video that was horribly overgrown with mould. It turned out great and I digitised it after, even though this was the copy and I found the original tape in pristine condition in another box nearby shortly after! Great tutorial all the same!
@tossik1647 Жыл бұрын
What metod you used for digitised ? I also found my parents wedding VHS.
@andrewrobotbuilder Жыл бұрын
@@tossik1647 I followed The Oldskool PC's video on digitising tapes with VirtualDub, but feel free to check around and see what works for you: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qdSPh6eSnuC9YZc.html&ab_channel=TheOldskoolPC
@mominaali2700 Жыл бұрын
Does alcohol damages vhs tape?
@mominaali2700 Жыл бұрын
@@andrewrobotbuilder use cloneralliance viewpro to digitise vhs tapes, it's recording is so good that I easily upscaled it into 4k
@mominaali2700 Жыл бұрын
@@andrewrobotbuilder does alcohol damages vhs tapes quality later?
@aliciadelosoul4311Ай бұрын
THANK YOU! My mom's basement got flooded and our family videos were moldy like this and we were devastated. Cleaned them like you showed and they work like a charm! So wonderful! Can't express how grateful we are for your video!
@tonymills65183 жыл бұрын
Great vid! Haven't read all the comments to find out if anyone's brought this up, but I've had extra crusty tapes break during cleaning, because of sticking. To avoid this now, I'll let a valuable tape run through at regular playback speed to knock the heavy mold off and allow the tape to separate from the rest of the spool. I vacuum that out of the VCR then clean the tape as you describe here.
@michaelr86024 жыл бұрын
I just found a huge collection of Japanese animation VHS tapes and books. This will help alot. Thank you
@leaks20553 жыл бұрын
Is some of it vhs only
@michaelr86023 жыл бұрын
@@leaks2055 there is a lot Japanese animation. I still have them
@ivannotsogreat75018 жыл бұрын
Years ago (after Tropical Storm Allison put much of Houston underwater) I had a plan and put it to action (without getting the idea from anyone) and it surprises me that I pull up videos that reminds me of what I did!!!...saved my collection. Great minds think alike.😄
@erikaengstrom82102 жыл бұрын
This was so so helpful for saving some family home videos that got moldy while sitting in our family home basement. Thank you!
@davidherber42332 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for your video. I spent $500 having 6 out of 25 VHS/ Hi-8 tapes transferred to DVD. The service slapped stickers on the originals stating that they could not transfer due to mold on analog tapes. My kid’s videos of their births could not be transferred. I was devastated until I watched your video. Many, many thanks. I’ll give this a try
@BlackSublime2 жыл бұрын
Did it end up working?
@ThexthSurvivor2 жыл бұрын
Who the hell charged you $500 for just 6 tapes? I do VHS to DVD or digital transfers for people all the time and only charge $10 per tape. You got charged way too much.
@EidolonFilmsUk4 жыл бұрын
I clean both sides at the same time, by using a cleaning bad folded over between my thumb and finger. Much more efficient. However, when I try cleaning with Isopropyl in the manner you use, I have found that the tape layers can stick togther. I do it dry, and clean by hand any hard bits of mould that don't come off with a pass like that. If it's a bad and 'crusty' bit it will need going over repeatedly with Isporopyl to shift it. I take the tape apart before I start, after I've ff'd it, and again at the end.
@Claydood Жыл бұрын
I recommend to NOT use a cotton swap to apply the alcohol, cotton fibers can be left behind and get transferred to the tape. Defeating the purpose of using a microfiber cloth.
@VHS_Vampire19886 ай бұрын
I like to use a glass eye dropper
@the1ucidone2 жыл бұрын
My man with the champion edition VHS cleaning tutorial. Thanks a lot! My Ma and Pa left me a ton of tapes and they all have a bit of mold so I got work to do.
@caseystrange Жыл бұрын
Easy and perfect. Thanks for teaching me this trick. It helped relieve much anxiety at the situation I have. And it also showed me I caught the mold just in time.
@HalfbrickVHS7 жыл бұрын
Wouldn't it be wise not to use that same piece of cloth again to clean the underside, as it'll just smear the collected mould onto it?
@maxheadrom30886 жыл бұрын
I think using the same piece for the first few cleans and a new one for the final clean would be a nice idea.
@jedharper58585 жыл бұрын
would the alcohol have killed it off?
@EclectikTronik4 ай бұрын
You should use an older VCR which does not have the tape laced round the drum in fast wind. That way you don't risk contaminating the whole tape path with mould or harming the heads
@Ryemoon0622 ай бұрын
Glad i found this video. Starting to collected animated movies/shows and as i was cleaning out a shelf that was no good, turns out a few tapes have caught mold. luckily their not so hard to find for a reasonable price, but i definetly will invest into another old VCR and convert it into a cleaner, just in case i run into a issue where a tape is hard to find/expensive
@mominaali2700 Жыл бұрын
Does alcohol damages vhs tape?
@KDiNicola935 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for this video. While transferring old home movies found 4 that were very bad-mold. Worked great. Thanks again
@LilBlighter3 жыл бұрын
I've got a 60 tape challenge ahead of me, some like this and sone much worse. I wondered whether you could clean both sides of the tape at the same time, then still give it two passes. I have a spare old VCR as my 'cleaning rig" so only clean tapes go near my decent VCR. As soon as they're clean I'm digitizing everything, then the tapes can all finally go, but not until I have a backup of everything, just in case. Will practice opening up and cleaning a couple of test tapes to get the hang of it first, then get a routine going. Thanks for sharing.
@Redchannelconditions Жыл бұрын
I’ve only got 3. But I don’t know what’s on them. Could be gold. Could be crap ha.
@forwardtothepast24117 жыл бұрын
great video, i like the odd breath, it sounds like you hate doing it haha, very helpful thought
@warnerbrosanddisneyvhsdvdb90156 жыл бұрын
Alex Orchin I cleaned mold off my VHS tape called Looney tunes back in action that came in the mail today
@jeremyklinger26915 жыл бұрын
seriously, he seems completely annoyed by the whole process it's great lol
@rickyiglesias5384 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for doing this. I've thankfully only ever had a few tapes with mold but they were not worth the work involved. BUT if there's ever a rare, hard-to-replace tape with mold, I will definitely use your method.
@mtbbicimaxenos95787 жыл бұрын
Im trying this too. Hopefully it will work! And with that finally see and pass taped to digital format! ;) family tapes
@AdamHaas7 жыл бұрын
Before and after showing the tape played would have been nice. My home VHS tapes don't have clear windows so I have no idea if mold is causing the to look all messed up.
@speedyboishan875 жыл бұрын
If the reel is damaged in the middle you will see lines fading in and out sadly this is impossible to fix, no way round fixing this, this happens if the reel is poor quality or the tape got jammed in your VCR and screwed the tape reel. Do not use a VCR that is of low quality stick to ones made by Panasonic, HS860 or NV Series they are reliable.
@masongovender92314 жыл бұрын
I have been doing this for 6+ years for clients. I live near the coast with high amounts of humidity (lots of mold). It usually improves the tapes by 50-90%. There are rare cases where the mold does damage the tape beyond repair. Its time consuming but worth the results.
@speedyboishan874 жыл бұрын
@@masongovender9231 Hi mould can damage the reel or recording of a tape, if the video or tape is important i strongly recommend you make a copy or transfer it over to DVD then that way you have a backup.
@babychickenstudios2 жыл бұрын
I’ve heard that putting mouldy tapes into a vcr player can damage them..the mould will collect on the video heads and over time will break it..and if there’s mould on the video heads and you put a clean tape in, it can transfer onto that tape and make that mouldy too 😮
@Benjamin-om3ih Жыл бұрын
Hi there This is a wonderful upload. I'm very happy to have come across it. I am about to begin digitizing all of our family VHS tapes. I wanted to ask you a question. The cleaning your doing that isn't the magnetic tape itself (the inside of the casing etc), is that nessicary for the quality of film or is it to protect against future mold outbreaks? I'll likely throw the tapes once I've digitized so I don't need to protect for longevity Thank you
@iamvulgar81887 ай бұрын
Aren't there oils on the tape itself? Wouldn't rubbing alcohol be bad for that?
@adambarnes80164 жыл бұрын
Just found my christening video and it has mould on it like this... SO glad theres a way of cleaning it!! As its completely irreplaceable cheers bro!
@Dretroz4 ай бұрын
Ty I had slight mold on my Digimon Volume 1 & those are hard to find in English now so you saved me big time man.
@diamondcounter69825 жыл бұрын
I still use VHS tapes
@autryandevanstudios43309 ай бұрын
Same
@truthfilter4 жыл бұрын
why don't you just wrap some micro fibre cloth around the first post then you wouldn't have to hold it away from the post? also i'm wondering if you could use a UV light to kill the mould or would that effect the tape ?
@CajunReaper959 ай бұрын
Now keep in mind tapes tend to wear out after a number of plays and rewinds so the poor picture isn’t necessarily due to the mold effecting it.
@TheOriginalKellyLynnAnderson4 жыл бұрын
This is the 1990 VHS of Hunchback of Notre Dame from the Hollywood Movie Greats Collection.
@TheOriginalKellyLynnAnderson3 жыл бұрын
I have that exact VCR, btw.
@Augustbabe627 жыл бұрын
Unfortunately, my family tapes have become moldy. I will try one that I have already converted to DVD and see if I can tell the difference. Thanks for posting.
@jefrey55785 жыл бұрын
Would amyl nitrate(sp?) be better. I have an old bottle of vhs head cleaner at home as I do ISO 91%. Thanks!
@lucyxchan6808 Жыл бұрын
Also works on old recorder tapes...be careful, not all tapes can handle isopropal alcohol...one of the oldest of the recorder tapes had the outer layer stripped...
@unstoppableguy5 жыл бұрын
Brilliant, good job! Worth the time and effort to save your precious tapes! Well done buddy!
@Rockabillyman267 жыл бұрын
your video was very helpful did what you did and now my VHS tapes are mold clean, thanks so much Dustin.
@stylish818 жыл бұрын
Very good video dude! Perfectly informative and simple!
@jsmith72535 жыл бұрын
Unfortunately the mold will come back. Some of the tapes I've cleaned about a year ago got moldy again. My advice is to have a separate vcr just for your moldy tapes, both for cleaning and viewing, so that you wont contaminate mold-free tapes.
@RagedContinuum5 жыл бұрын
you have to take the conditions away for mold, so keeping them in a low-humidity environment
@masongovender92314 жыл бұрын
Yip. He did mention that this was a cleaning Rig.
@Robowil8 жыл бұрын
I'll try doing this to one of my friend's SpongeBob SquarePants VHS tapes.
@sawing14s8 ай бұрын
Can the same thing be done with a Betamax VCR and tapes?
@ricowilko5 ай бұрын
Won't this risk damaging the VCR heads?
@covelus Жыл бұрын
Awesome tutorial, thanks a lot! I have a question, please: I only could find in my country stores (local or Amazon) Isopropyl Alcohol 99,9%, not Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol 91%... could this be used, or would it damage the tape?
@charliebrown68506 жыл бұрын
Why use several q tips to make tool? I would use a (handle end) of a teaspoon or similar to wrap the microcloth onto? Better flat surface? Or do you want the tool to flex? Good video nonetheless.
@TheSumyan077 ай бұрын
What if tape is stuck together in its casing? Then how to clean?
@BenjiJames2 жыл бұрын
I would love to know how you were storing this tape for it to become THAT moldy O_O However, that clean up job was brilliant!!
@gorry1236 жыл бұрын
+1 for the NES
@1supacress4 жыл бұрын
+2 for the Famicom
@austinthevhsvideogamelover5265 Жыл бұрын
11:37 i think i see the Brand quasar on that vcr underneath his NES. Does anyone know the model number? It could be from 1995 or 1996.
@technodrone77237 ай бұрын
We have some family tapes that are molded. Some don’t spin when you hit play, basically won’t move. Is that the mold? And why about tapes that you can what they audio but see no video? We weee gonna send these off to a company to restore but it’s very expensive and don’t know which tapes have stuff we want and stuff we don’t. So if I could do this myself that would be amazing! I’m pretty tech savvy, but never done anything like this. I wonder if some of the tapes needs to be restored completely to be able to be played. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
@Killiansuniverse7 жыл бұрын
do you know how to get rid of statics from your VHS tapes?
@masongovender92314 жыл бұрын
Late reply, but one thing you can to is clean the VCR head.
@jodywagner80216 жыл бұрын
Would it ruin your vcr if you fast forward the vhs tape if there is lots of mold on it?
@jma64126 жыл бұрын
Jody Wagner Yes... definetely. You will contaminate your vcr and all the tapes you put inside afterwards. You can ruin your heads too if mold gets in contact with them.
@jodywagner80216 жыл бұрын
JMA I been doing one with lots of mold on them then Cleaning my vcr with rubbing alcohol and so far no mold has returned to the tapes I finished after watching them with the vcr I use to clean them 😁
@maxheadrom30886 жыл бұрын
Awesome! I have lots of family tapes to clean and digitize. I guess I'll be having a lot of fun with isopropil alcohol!
@crashbandicoot4everr8 жыл бұрын
That's exactly how I do it! But you forgot to clean the tape path of the VCR because mold spores will get stuck on the tape guides and heads. :)
@maxsol846 жыл бұрын
Any advice on how to clean the tape path of the VCR? (sorry, I realize your post is over a year old, thought I'd ask just in case)
@RagedContinuum5 жыл бұрын
@@maxsol84 get some kimwipes and 90+% rubbing alcohol and spin it around while you gently hold the moistened wipe against the head. Look up how to clean dat recorders - same thing
@RagedContinuum5 жыл бұрын
you have to be gentle because the heads are fragile
@josefdez54005 жыл бұрын
Todo muy Bonito, pero a donde fueron a parar los hongos que había en la cinta? se quedaron en el vídeo reproductor?
@BKDBrian22 жыл бұрын
I guess that's not the Disney version of Hunchback.
@marconistars73842 ай бұрын
What are the gesture symbols of the video?
@yeetus48858 ай бұрын
Can you clean a tape and still use the same VCR to watch tapes on? Assuming you do a good clean and if it's maybe a light cleaning job to begin with? I only have the one atm
@kudalaMangalooru7 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the great tips on how to clean precious VHS tapes.
@mohammadj.jaradat80768 жыл бұрын
This is really really helpful. Thank you for sharing
@joselynatencio7051 Жыл бұрын
there are 2 lines of mold at the start of my star wars vhs tape. im afraid to touch it, should i leave it alone?
@UnusableFootage Жыл бұрын
Thank you dustin from the past
@rosevillereaper92302 жыл бұрын
If you dont have a vcr can you just pinch the tape in a microfiber cloth with iso on it and pull the tape through?
@kingshearer211 ай бұрын
Yes that mould was dead white mould. Cool video, I've been cleaning tapes using a similar method.
@DonTsolovvv4 жыл бұрын
On 24.11.2019y. I restored my moldy Aladdin 3 VHS, using this method...thumbs up!!!!!!
@DagobertDrug4 жыл бұрын
a day to be remembered, thanks for sharing. every saved vhs is a good vhs.
@shanenice538015 күн бұрын
One more thing.can u clean it by hand
@KindCountsDeb377311 ай бұрын
Would you clean a second time to improve? Or would that be risky? TY BTW: I'm so klutzy, notsure I could do this. I have a couple of vcr's, even one that takes VHS tape and records onto dvd. But I have pretty bad amount of mold. We'll see.
@JCTsFascinatingHobbies5 жыл бұрын
I'll be using this very method, but adapting it slightly, to work with my various Betamax cassettes. Thanks for posting :).
@johnnyretro19754 жыл бұрын
wow that looks amazing you make it look easy but i bet its not ive got loads of moldy ones but its not as easy as you make it
@andrewjonesy2V Жыл бұрын
do you always press against the tape before starting? I managed to snap one pressing as it was going. thanks
@Deweycox710 Жыл бұрын
I have moldy tapes and I would like them clean but it might take a very long time to clean them all I might try it one day!
@brettduffy19925 жыл бұрын
I had baby tapes found in the Attic some of them were moldy some of them are not the ones that were not moldy played fine I feel okay knowing that the other ones that were okay played fine so The moldy one should be okay?
@alexslusher16 Жыл бұрын
I am just asking out of curiosity, but you know how some VHS Tapes do that jitter to the Blue Screen if it's an older tape? Does this process fix that sort of thing?
@rail324nqch-par-84 жыл бұрын
Where did you say that Iso rubbing alcohol is available the one your using. Could you use a alcohol in a chemist like hand sanitizer?
@planetanalog Жыл бұрын
I have some tapes with like one small spot of dust that's about or less than the size of this . some have a few small spots around. Some have one and i mean ONE speck of small hair. Is it mold or is it possible for dust to get inside and on the reel?
@rockrecordreport71362 жыл бұрын
Both sides of the tape need to be done on the first pass, other wise it's like sweeping from the bottom of the stairs to the top.
@shanenice538017 күн бұрын
Do a video how to storage a tape
@zetamagnus10111 ай бұрын
does it have to specifically be 91% rubbing alcohol?
@allanbuckingham5388 жыл бұрын
Great Instructional video, good job...:) :)
@8bitfellow60 Жыл бұрын
What do you do with the used microfiber cloths that you used for cleaning? Can you wash/reuse them or do you just throw them out? Thanks.
@sneakytingvega56384 жыл бұрын
Does this also help with the playback issue? Whenever I watch the 1995 THX "Star Wars: A New Hope", the video flickers as if the frames were being shuffled in some places.
@matthewharris7331 Жыл бұрын
So the thing with all these cleaning mold videos is not one single person plays the tape after lol so is it playable??? I I been digitizing all my vhs but I have one moldy one I would love to know if it will be able to copy after cleaning
@Introvert_2001 Жыл бұрын
Thank you Dustin! I just wanna ask will this damage my VCR?
@musa4761 Жыл бұрын
Can I use petrol instead of rubbing alcohol?
@lazarusblackwell69884 жыл бұрын
That tape must have been stored in a very inhospitable place In a dark moist and hot place without any ventilation Keep your tapes properly stored people If you don't want to lose them
@srirachaegg25184 жыл бұрын
Can you travel back in time about 20+ years or so and launch an intense PSA campaign about this?
@knartfocker_2 жыл бұрын
Could you open the vhs and submerge it in an ultrasonic cleaner instead?
@malikgriffith_364566 ай бұрын
11:36 hey! That NES, cool videogame
@FreeThinkAlways2 ай бұрын
Youre telling me that tape plays perfectly fine on a tv after having all that done to it? I will believe that when I see it
@ydayama196 жыл бұрын
Does this method work with a moldy audio cassette as well?
@michaeldiver60315 жыл бұрын
If it has moId. think it would work. It’s just tape. But you may not be able to remind and forward it like he did on a machine. . You could use a biro pen to turn the reel and a cotton bud on the tape. Cleaning the inside of the tape holder would probably be more fiddley if you had to do that
@datapoint68594 жыл бұрын
After the drum head (relative to tape flow, be it FF/RW) is always better. Why? Because wet tape sticks, and if it is wet enough when it hits the drum, it's going to stick and bind everything up. I'd much rather have to clean a post than untangle that mess, especially as the name of this game is preservation.
@tobywatts55307 жыл бұрын
Im trying this on a really old BBC VHS wish me luck
@damian93037 жыл бұрын
Doing this on some Tennis tape that has too much mold to the point it fucked up the quality.
@warnerbrosanddisneyvhsdvdb90156 жыл бұрын
Toby Watts my cousin's VHS tapes got moldy during bad weather
@zandorvorkov93056 жыл бұрын
MR VHS COLLECTOR. Where did your cousin store the tapes? I wonder why there are so many moldy tapes out there? I keep mine in the house in a room and they all play perfectly.
@miracleworld46945 жыл бұрын
My VCR eaten a tape but I fixed the problem and they play just fine
@peterg68895 жыл бұрын
Good Luck! (Even though you have probably finished by now...)
@jetset8083 ай бұрын
This is amazing.. I wanted to 3d print something but this is a much better idea
@Synnystershy4 жыл бұрын
A few of my Thunderbirds VHS tapes are starting to mould
@CajunReaper959 ай бұрын
How does this happen?
@davenewsome3 ай бұрын
BEWARE! THE MOLD ACTS LIKE GLUE, HANGS ONTO THE ROLL OF TAPE, SO WHEN THE VCR GRABS IT, AND THE MOLD IS HOLDING IT TOGETHER, IT CAUSES THE TAPE TO BREAK!!
@hvtherealhv Жыл бұрын
Sorry, why 91% and not 99% isopropyl ? thanks!
@MJCPeters5 жыл бұрын
2 additional thoughts. Buy a VCR for $10 at a resale shop for this, don't use your good one. Also this is not a permanent solution, this makes the tape usable so it can be copied to a clean new tape. The video will be preserved on the new tape.
@rommix0 Жыл бұрын
Indeed. No sense doing the cleaning process on an AG-1980.
@haselu20024 жыл бұрын
You only cleaned tape edge. Is there have no fungus grown on tape surface? Once helican head scrolls fungus into head gap , heads will die.
@DVDandFilmBloke2 жыл бұрын
Usually when mould occurs on a videotape it usually starts at the top and bottom edges (in theory you can just run a mouldy tape through a spare VCR a few times and clean it out later). The mould would only affect the recording surface if the tape has very deep mould (i.e. it wasn't caught soon enough) or if the tape got damp (if that happens the tape could suffer from sticky shed syndrome and require baking before even considering cleaning). Whenever I do this job I will often repeat the process until the cleaning tool is clean and there is no gunk on it (in a lot of cases if I need to do another clean on the rewind pass I have 2 cleaning tools, one for the bottom side before it hits the head and another for the top side after the head before the tape re-enters the cassette). In between passes I would recommend a break for the tape so the IPA can dry and any mould left can deactivate, in some extreme cases I will manually go through the tape (also leave the tape for a few days to see if any mould returns before considering running it through a good machine). This cleaning method uses the same principle as an RTI Tapechek machine and the cleaning tool does touch the whole surface area so it could knock pretty much all the mould off. Also don't use a good VCR for this job, always use a machine you don't mind losing, hell the heads can already be damaged, all it needs to do is fast forward, rewind and eject. Also afterwards I would recommend cleaning out the spare machine well.
@ChillAustinVestus3 жыл бұрын
Would a method like this work on a VHS rewinder/fast forwarder with just the spools attached? It seems that there would be enough space for cleaning in a case like that, but I'm not entirely sure.
@videogamepolak02 жыл бұрын
ud have to modify it, thats what i was thinking of. Cause it wont rewind unless you drop the tape it and close it, then u might have to drill into the plastic housing to have a entrance area to sitck in a cleaner cloth or whatever you plant to use.
@Steve_SCirca302 жыл бұрын
Do you have a tutorial on how to open the tape?
@fabianpenaloyola32666 жыл бұрын
Hi! I'm afraid to screw up my vcr cleaning my moldy tapes. Could this be done manually, without the vcr?
@USannAung5 жыл бұрын
Fabián Peña Loyola you can get some old vcr from goodway or somewhere sells oldies
@dman34385 жыл бұрын
Fabián Peña Loyola yes technically .
@bwc19764 жыл бұрын
Any old junk VCR off eBay or Craigslist will work as long as it fast-forwards and rewinds. Don't contaminate your "daily driver" doing this.
@rail324nqch-par-84 жыл бұрын
Where can you get that Rubbisg Iso alcohol please?
@rail324nqch-par-84 жыл бұрын
Would a 70% isopropyl alcohol be OK? What about Hand sanitizer with isopropyl or Ethonal be OK?
@datapoint68594 жыл бұрын
Pure. Alcohol, no questions. You do not want to be leaving any residue on the tape surface.
@rail324nqch-par-84 жыл бұрын
@@datapoint6859 Many Thsnks 70% is the one I've got. I mean Isopriopfy.
@jacobxiaolong91048 жыл бұрын
"Ren found this old stack of VHS Tapes, would you like to help then sort out?"
@juljasmaharchive5 жыл бұрын
Jacob Xiao Long yeah my great grandma who’s 97 has a ton of moldy cassettes, vhs and records and wanted me to clean them for her lmao