If you find VHS tapes sitting in your attic and storage rooms, chances are they could have been exposed to moisture and other elements harmful to your tapes. That is why it is important to store your VHS tapes properly, or better yet, have your old VHS tapes transferred over to DVD or another digital format!
However, if you dig out your VHS collection and you discover that your tapes may have become damp or dusty, here is what you need to do.
If your tapes have gotten wet, do not try to use them until they are fully and completely dried out! You must allow them to dry first – attempting to play them while wet could severely damage the tape!
If your tapes are dry and dust or light dirt is the main problem, wear cotton gloves and slowly pull about a foot of tape (anymore and you risk tangling) out of the VHS, clean the tape (on both sides) with a tissue or a cotton cloth. Of course, you will need to do this for every inch of the tape. Be gentle and extremely careful! You do not want to scratch, rip or tangle the tape.
If there is dirt, moisture or other harmful elements within the tape housing, you can dissemble the VHS cassette and move the tape to a new case.
If you are ready to transfer your VHS tapes, please contact us. We will be happy to help!
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