Simplest way to clean old VHS tapes?

[Nobody Important]

TLDR: What is the simplest way to clean old VHS tapes?

Full story:

I want to convert old (20 years) family VHS tapes to digital media (might make a few DVD's for the old folk, but will probably just upload to YouTube and share a private link).

So I bought one of those dongles that hookup a VCR to a PC via USB; and a friend is giving me an old VCR they had laying in their garage (and have asked me to convert their tapes as well).

I will clean up the VCR (still remember how from when I was a laaitie), but how do I clean the tapes? They have been laying on a shelf in the garage for over a decade so very dusty and possibly mouldy (it is a thing with VHS).

Lots of YouTube videos but they give differing advice, so I want your first-hand advice from how you did it because you will tell me if it worked and/or what mistakes you made.

Tagging @Papa Smurf coz you are alive from the days of the bioscope, and work in the film industry.

 

[scudsucker]

The tape is wound tightly enough on the spools that you should not need to clean it.

You can "wind" the tape on VHS cassettes by pushing a small button to open the "lid" or protective cover. Just wind 5cm and the tape will be clean.

Or run the VCR with the cover off, so you can regularly stop it to clean the heads and feeder wheels.

 

[Magnum]

Would't risk cleaning the VHS. they can stretch risking data loss. Clean the VHS machine using Alchohol. and play the tape. if it dirty repeat.

 

[Aghori]

Use methylated spirits to clean the VHS head. Play tape. Remove tape. Clean VHS head again.

Problem solved. Don't clean the tape directly as you could damage it.

 

[Nobody Important]

Okay so the consensus is do not clean the tapes, rather clean the VCR head only?

Okay then, thanks!

Just out of interest, why do the companies that offer the VHS conversion service say they clean the tapes. Is that just a sales tactic?

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

never heard of cleaning tapes before
my first permanent job was working in a video shop renting out VHS tapes
as a free service to my customers i offered to service their machines twice a year or whenever they wanted
this helped in us having fewer damaged tapes returned

i used surgical spirits that you buy at chemist and tissue paper

When cleaning the main drum be very very gentle over the carbon pickups, ive circled it here in yellow, there will be a couple of them depending on the quality of the VCR. If you damage one of these you need to replace the entire stainless steel drum and thats a busload of money. In todays world you basically throw away the VCR

I circled in red the audio pickup, clean that as well, there will be another one that looks similar to it and it will be before the big stainless steel drum, that is the Erase pickup


and then just clean all the pinch rollers, they are black and if your tape is slipping through these rollers you can just use some sandpaper and gently roughen it up again so that they can grip into the tape and feed it

White rollers are solid plastic so just clean them

Just be gentle and everything will be fine, i have never ****ed up a VCR

 

[Nobody Important]

Just be gentle and everything will be fine

Advice for life! Thanks bro. And that photo is extremely helpful. Why can't you be lucid like this all the time?

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Advice for life! Thanks bro. And that photo is extremely helpful. Why can't you be lucid like this all the time?

It's a pleasure my friend, all the best

coz this thread is not in Off Topic and Bwana and Librarian will ban me for life if i call you a swear word here

 

[The_Mowgs]

Advice for life! Thanks bro. And that photo is extremely helpful. Why can't you be lucid like this all the time?

We would sooner find out what woman want than the answer to that question.

 

[Nobody Important]

My "friend" let me down. So I just bought two VCR's from a lady here in Durbs via Gumtree... and they are faulty. If any of you have one lying around and want to get rid of it, here is my ad.