As Tom Fine has said.......safety first!  Please wear correct masks
recommended for mold and also gloves.  Do the process in an isolated area.
We had a specific room for mold treatment before our earthquakes here.
This will be coming at some point as we rebuild.

Now that you are gloved and masked up - Photograph the boxes for all
information, including the spines, if there is any info on them, that is.
With a hepa vaccum, remove all mold from both sides.  If you are able to
unscrew the reel, eg, 10.5 and some 7 inch will have this, do this and put
the reel into a solution of hydrogen peroxide.  If not, then where the gaps
are on the reel apply and wipe a very light cotton ball soaked in the
hydrogen peroxide over this, both sides.

Now, using a machine devoted to moldy tapes, slow wind it on to a screwed
metal reel.  Do it outside of your studio as it seems you do not have a
devoted room.  I used to wheel a devoted machine out into a courtyard in
Santa Monica when I was there.  Keep mask and gloves still on.

Fix and replace any splices with archival splicing tape.

This tape will need baking as it is moldy for a reason as it got wet/damp.
Check to make sure that it isn't acetate tape.  Refer to Richard Hess's
site for those details.

I have done this method on moldy paper tape, very lightly over the pack
with the cotton ball which is almost not wet but moist.  I have not baked a
paper tape.

Good luck!
Marie

On Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 8:20 AM, Tom Diamant <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> I recently went to my personal archive (my garage) to recover some old 7
> inch reel to reel audio tapes and found they were all damp and had areas
> covered with big, furry mold. Some are plastic tape, but at least one seems
> to be paper tape. How can I clean these?
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Tom Diamant
>
> Arhoolie Foundation
> 10341 San Pablo Ave.
> El Cerrito, CA 94530
>
> Phone: 510-525-7471 , Fax: 510-525-1204
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Website: http://www.arhoolie.org
>