subject: Moldy Home Videos [print this page] Home videos are more than just movies of friends, family, and vacations. Home movies are the memories of people on film/tape. As such many individuals in possession of home movies are often concerned about damage incurred during playback or losing them to things like mold. Of course home movies on VHS tapes run the risk of becoming irreparably damaged by things like heat, cold, moisture, bugs/insects, and crushing or tearing but perhaps none are more dangerous than mold.
Once mold sets in on any VHS tape the memories on the tapes are destroyed rapidly. Known commonly in professional circles as "tape mold" this type of growth is a result of wet summers which essentially means high heat and high moisture. While some VHS cassettes can be repaired after they've been torn or crushed there is little hope for those VHS cassettes infected by fungus.
Individuals in possession of home movies fearing mold growth as well as all of the other dangers old movies face while in storage sometimes don't know where to turn for help. Their videos often contain images of friends who've long since moved away and/or family members who have long since passed so it's understandable why many people in possession of home movies are so anxious about them. These people can breathe a sigh of relief however as there are now many professional firms that can assist with the preservation of home videos.
Preservation of home videos is often done by transferring such movies to a more durable medium like DVD, Blu-Ray, or a strictly digital file for playback on computers. Consumers who do an extra bit of digging and will also find that there are some home movie preservation firms that can dry out VHS cassette tapes before mold sets in. Even these firms however will recommend that once this process has been completed that those memories be moved to a more modern and durable medium in order to preserve them for a lifetime.
Persons in possession of home movies will also be surprised at just how affordable the preservation and repair process can be. Many of these firms are so eager for business that they are even willing to be flexible and allow customers to customize or build their own movie transfer package. Additionally many of the individuals who work in this industry do so because they were, at one time, people who either had their memories transferred to a modern medium or lost them to one of the many dangers they face in storage. If you have old movies and fear their loss, don't wait, have them transferred immediately.
