The best way is to very carefully clean the tape with a soft cloth (e.g., a lens cloth) and a solution of mild soapy water, followed by a water rinse. Do not scrub too hard, as you may damage the magnetic layer on the tape. If this layer is rubbed off, the content is also rubbed off. This is a very finicky operation, because you will either have to draw the tape out of the housing foot by foot or disassemble the cartridge, remove the tape, and then reassemble the cartridge. It is difficult to unroll and then neatly roll up the tape afterwards. If you decide to clean the tape in the cartridge, you will need to remove the sprung flap or to tape it up out of the way. The tape is locked when the cartridge is removed from the VCR, but can be unlocked by pressing a recessed button near the centre of the cartridge underside. You may be forced to disassemble the cartridge to clean the interior, as it is also quite possible that some interior parts are also contaminated. Mold and mildew may leave stains on the tape or may have permanently damaged it in some fashion. I do not recommend using chemical cleaners on the tape itself, because of the potential for damage to the tape if the wrong chemical is used. Some people like alcohol-based cleaners, but I prefer to avoid them when cleaning media.

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Has anybody tried removing mold from vhs tapes? is it safe to clean the tape with soapy water?

Why is their mold in a VHS TAPE?!

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.

If your prized video has developed mould, it may be possible to clean it enough to transfer it, but you will never be able to remove the mould from the original and it will grow back! Mould typically grows on the top of the tape pack where air and moisture circulate and can be wiped off with various solutions (isopropyl alcohol will do) . It is advisable to fast forward and rewind the tape a couple of times in an old machine to shake loose any further debris and maintain tension on the tape. Even so, when you come to copy the tape you may find that you have to stop frequently and clean the player heads.

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It will be very tough to remove them and the video cassette will be damaged after that. Still, you can seek help from an expert. http://www.diymoldremovalproducts.com

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