Oh, how times have changed… gone are the days of gathering around the television with your family to watch a good film on VHS tapes. Now the Netflix era means watching a film is only a few clicks away. Many of us, though, still have home-video-style tapes hanging around somewhere.
Here are the top 6 ways to preserve your VHS tapes:
Rewind after watching your VHS tapes
After you finish watching the tape, remember to rewind every time as it keeps the tape tight and responsive, as well as to avoid any sagging.
Store the tapes in a cool, dry place
Keeping your tapes in a cupboard should be just fine. Avoiding places that are humid and moist will give your tapes a long life. Be sure to keep them away from any direct sunlight and any kind of heat.
Place the VHS tapes upright vertically
Please do not be tempted to squeeze all of your tapes into boxes for ease of storage. Although this may sound like the best thing to do space-wise, the tape can sag on the reel if they are lying flat for a particularly long time (months or years) and can result in a poor-quality picture.
Use plastic cases to store the tapes
If you have a particularly valuable, sentimental or old VHS tape, consider buying an airtight plastic case for it. The case will keep dust and moisture out of the tape which can reduce sound and picture quality and cause damage in the long term.
Do not keep near magnetic devices
When you are not using your tapes, avoid placing them near speakers or magnetic devices (even your ceramic refrigerator magnet!). Your tapes are made up of lots of small magnets themselves, so, having them close to loudspeakers or magnetic devices can damage them, even erasing them in some cases.
Convert your old VHS tapes to digital format
Old VHS tapes can be incredibly meaningful and hold a place in our hearts. Whether it’s a home movie or an old film. There are many reasons why you should convert old VHS tapes to DVD as soon as possible. Converting your videotape will extend the life of the tape, provided that you keep it safe.
You could choose to transfer footage to digital, meaning you can copy and edit it on your own device.
Check out the best selling VHS tapes of all time here!
