We are sadly seeing more mouldy videotapes everyday here at Avon Studios, which means more memories are being lost.

Videotapes become mouldy after years of sitting in an environment which have high moisture levels and varying temperatures. Mould on tapes tends to present itself as small white deposits and are easily seen through the clear plastic window. The Mould can begin to spread and cover more of your tape as well as any surrounding tapes. This increases your risk of losing more data and memories.

Any mould on MiniDV, video8 or Hi8 tapes usually result in the tape being unplayable. This is because the mould makes the tape stick together, so when you try to play it, it causes the tape to tear.

Please be aware that mould can’t always be solved, and recordings aren’t always going to be recovered, especially if there’s a high level of mould. And any recovered tape footage might not be perfect due to the mould eating away the tape face.

Unfortunately, here at Avon Studios we cannot digitise any videotapes with mould, as much as we like to. This is due to the fact that trying to convert tapes with mould could and more than likely will damage our equipment and prevent us from transferring any more memories

The best thing you can do is to get any tapes transferred on to a modern format quickly before any mould takes hold.

You can take the necessary steps outlined below to prevent any further damage:
  • Don’t try and ‘blow it away’ across the rest of your collection
  • Don’t play the damaged tape
  • Separate the mouldy tape to reduce the spread
  • After touching an infected tape – make sure you wash your hands and disinfect any surfaces
  • Place any good condition tapes into a new, clean box
  • Place in an environment with a stable temperature and lower moisture levels (stay away from sheds, garages and lofts)
  • And don’t throw away any mouldy tape casings or storage without noting down any details you want to remember. This could be the date, location or occasion. Make sure you keep this with the right tape.

To find out more information about our video transfer service please visit our dedicated website www.avonvideotransfer.co.uk or contact us!