Your VHS Tapes Are Dying

Written By Pete Smith

VHS TAPE COVERED IN MOLD

This is an actual VHS tape sent to a national digitizing service—returned unconverted due to heavy mold contamination. The content? A wedding video.

It’s easy to assume that your old VHS tapes are safe, especially if they’ve been sitting undisturbed in a closet or cabinet. But time doesn’t just make these tapes obsolete—it actively destroys them.

The photo above shows exactly what can happen, even under "good" storage conditions. This wedding tape was kept inside a home, not a basement or attic, and yet mold still developed deep within the reels. I sent it out to a well-known national service last year, and they mailed it back without transferring it—too risky for their equipment, they said. They were right. Playing a moldy tape like this could permanently damage VCR heads.

The Harsh Reality: VHS Degrades Day by Day

VHS and VHS-C tapes were never designed to last decades. Most consumer-grade tapes start to break down after 10–20 years, regardless of how carefully they’ve been stored. Here's what happens:

  • Mold and Mildew: Tapes can grow mold even in dry homes. Just a small shift in humidity or temperature over time can lead to irreversible contamination.

  • Magnetic Signal Loss: The magnetic particles that hold your video degrade naturally over time—images can fade, audio can drop out, or the tape may stop playing altogether.

  • Shell Warping or Binder Breakdown: Physical parts of the cassette and tape can deform, stick, or flake, especially if exposed to fluctuating temperatures.

Cleaning Mold Isn’t Easy—or Cheap

Can moldy tapes be cleaned? Sometimes. But:

  • It’s a slow, delicate process that involves disassembling the cassette and cleaning the tape inch by inch.

  • Specialized tools are required—this isn’t a DIY job.

  • Even after cleaning, the tape may still be too damaged to recover.

And every day the mold sets in deeper, the chance of recovery gets slimmer.

Local, Safe, and Personal—Let’s Get Them Digitized Now

If your tapes contain irreplaceable memories—weddings, graduations, loved ones long gone—don’t wait. Bring them to me here at OneNest Media, right here in Scarborough. Avoid the risks of shipping tapes across the country.

Let this moldy tape be a warning, not your reality.

Pete Smith
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