Things You'll Need:
- Small phillips screwdriver
- Small allen (hex) wrenches
- Bar soap or liquid hand soap
- Lint free cloth (lens cleaning cloths work well)
- Water
- Soft paper towels or another lint free cloth
-
Step 1
You will need to identify what kind of screws are holding the tape together. They are usually phillips head screws, but can be allen (hex) screws. Remove all of the screws from the cassette, but do not allow the two halves to come apart. You may have to remove the top label (if any) to get to the last one.
-
Step 2
Now, with the label side face down, carefully lift the bottom section straight up, watching for small springs (they will often pop out while you open the tape). You will need to identify the location of all the loose parts ie. springs and little plastic doodads (I don't know what they are called, but they are important for keeping your vcr from eating the tape).
-
Step 3
Unspool the tape to the very end of the "beginning" of the tape (assuming you "be kind rewind", this will be simple enough). You will see the tape has been "clamped" into the spool. You will need to remove the clamp. There should be a small hole where you can slide it out with your small screwdriver. An icepick will work, but be careful, your vital organs are more important than your embarrassing vacation video. Once the tape has been freed from its plastic prison, you will need to lay it on a soft cloth, or a few sheets of paper towel (the soft kind, not the cheap stuff).
-
Step 4
Prepare your soap and water mixture. To do this, you will need to fully saturate your lint free cloth with water and wring it out. Add a drop of soap to the cloth (if you are using bar soap, just rub the wet cloth onto it just enough to pick up a small amount of soap). Add a small amount of water to the cloth and work it a bit to spread out the soap. Bringing it to a lather is not necessary.
-
Step 5
With the wet, soapy cloth, you will need to gently brush the dirty areas of the tape in one direction. The data is very sensitive and you will be wasting your time if you try to scrub the dirty areas. You will be able to feel the subtle variation in texture as you wipe the tape. Refrain from using alcohol based cleaners unless the soap mixture has no effect. Clean approximately one foot of tape from the "beginning" and allow to air dry. Then you can re-attatch the tape to the spool. Just snap the tab in on top of the tape in the same notch that it was previously. Now you can spool the tape as you clean. Make sure the tape is completely dry before spooling forward, or the tape may stick to itself and remove the magnetic data when you try to rewind it or unspool it.
-
Step 6
Once the tape is cleaned, dried, and respooled, you can re-assemble the tape. This can be frustrating as the springs and plastic doodads do not like to stay where they belong. Screw it back together, and If you have assembled the tape correctly, you should be able to play it in your vcr.
It is a good idea to run a head cleaner before and after you test the tape, as any dust or grime on the path of the tape can scratch the tape, and will remove any residue left behind from the tape cleaning process.
This process is also compatable with Beta tapes. (the spools from a beta tape will work in a vhs tape with minor alterations, but that is for another tutorial)
