Kids these days probably don’t know too much about DVDs and VHS movies as this is the era of streaming and digital media. But if you grew up in a time when movies came in the form of VHS tapes it’s hard to forget the charm of VHS tapes.
Many of us have a collection of our old favourite movies on VHS or DVDs but with the limited space in most of our homes we often have to get rid of them, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. Self storage is a great option for people with VHS tapes that they don’t want to get rid of.
VHS movies however are delicate and you can’t just throw them in a drawer or storage unit and hope for the best. If you have a collection of CHS tapes that you don’t want to get rid of, keep on reading, this is the article for you.
VHS tapes are delicate, the inside tape can become damaged if the temperature of your room goes too high or low. Usually, this isn’t a problem in your home because they are often stored in a box out of sight. However, storage units can become hot or cold if they aren’t temperature controlled.
When choosing a storage unit for your old VHS tapes you will need to make sure that you choose a storage unit that is temperature controlled. A temperature-controlled storage unit will stop the UK weather from causing damage to your old tapes.
When it comes to storing your goods long term whether this be furniture or your old VHS tapes you will need to prepare them before storage. To do this, take a microfibre cloth and gently clean the outside to get rid of dust and other debris. Do not use water or other sprays as they can damage the tape.
When all your tapes are cleaned you can then put them into an acid-free box which is preferably see-through so you can see what tapes are inside. Acid-free boxes are specifically designed for the long-term storage of delicate items and they are made to protect them against moisture, dust and UV light.
When storing your items, we would recommend that you store them in such a way that makes your tapes easier to find if you were to access them again. This can be done by storing your VHS tapes alphabetically, by genre or in any way that makes sense to you. If you do use sticky labels, use them on the boxes rather than your tapes as this can cause damage long term.
Where possible store your VHS movies inside of their original cases too, this adds another level of protection to them.
One thing that’s important to know too is that your movies should all be stacked vertically rather than on top of each other. Don’t stack your tapes as this can cause them damage. You also don’t want to store your tapes near any objects that can cause a magnetic field, or have magnets within them.
If you want to keep your VHS movies safe for many years to come you can rent an affordable storage unit from us. At Urban Locker, we provide affordable self storage in Islington and East London. If you would like to see how much storage you need for your VHS movies or any other items you can use our storage cost calculator at the top of this page.