I'm just curious what brand of VCR head cleaning tapes everyone recommends...? Even though my VCR has an auto head cleaner, I tried using one of these when it started acting up and it didn't seem to help at all. I found the cheapest "wet" kind I could find which was a Philips Magnavox brand at Wal-Mart. Well, for one they only tell you to put 3 drops of the liquid in the tape. Uh, in my book this doesn't classify as "wet". The other thing was, it ran for only about 5 seconds, and I really don't think that was enough time to thoroughly clean the heads and tape path. While the audio seemed a little crisper, little else changed...:rolleyes:


BTW, the reason the VCR "acted up" was not dirty heads but just an overheating DVD player set on top of it in an enclosed area. Once they switched positions, all went back to normal...

I only have a Scotch Head Cleaner Plus has messages about cleaning video & audio heads and features an audio test that tells you how long does it clean at a 10-second tone. This one lasted about 5 sequences. After that, the head cleaning and audio tests are completed and at the end of the first 5 segments. It tells you how to press stop and eject the tape. At the very end, the message tells you to depress and hold the rewind button. That's so strange. I'm also buying a better head cleaner than the white tape head cleaner.

ouch, I dont recommend those at all. I close frsend of mine repairs vcrs Tvs etc for a living. He told me those taped do more harm than good. Take the back off . Clean the head with high resolution cleaner ( Rubbing alcohol etc) take a white soft cloth.
gently take the cloth hold it on the head directly. Then take your other hand and rotate the head counter clockwise while holding the cloth in other hand. It is the most effective cleaner and cheap too. Head cleaning tapes has a tendency to tear or snag inside of vcrs. Everyone has their own personal preference though.

Just trying to help.

There is a website called Fixer.com that goes into detail on how to clean and repair VCR's. You really must take the cover off, and clean the heads by hand to get good results.

I have heard of that other method, but it just seems to be too much of a hassle. I mean, most sources say clean the heads every 10-30 hours of play/record time?? I'd have to take the VCR apart almost weekly! That is why to avoid this I have a VCR with auto head cleaner. Actually, 2 of the 3 VCRs we own have it, and it really does make a difference. While it doesn't go into cleaning the entire tape path and all the audio heads, it keeps the video drum head clean which is the most important part anyway. I really don't see how the commercially available cleaning cassettes could do any harm, other than being too expensive for doing too little...

VCRs with Auto Head Cleaner:

RCA (all models)
Zenith
Sharp (select models)
Emerson
GoldStar
Samsung
Daewoo
Sony (the SLV-N500 the VCR I own)
Sansui

The only VCRs that I've seen that have never incorporated an auto head cleaner are Panasonic, JVC & the other Funai brands - Sylvania, Symphonic & Funai (Emerson is also made by Funai), which is too bad...anyone else here own VCRs with AHC?

Hello,
I agree with Mick56. The only way to a good job is to take the cover off and clean it by hand with Qtips and an alcohol solution.
Only takes about 15 mintues and you'll see the real junk that builds up that the store bought cleaners don't even touch.
Devoman13

Often the dirt that clogs the heads will be cleaned if you run a "virgin" tape through it. Meaning it is fresh out of the wrapper, and is the first time it has been in a machine. The virgin tapes tend to attract dirt and grime and stick to the tape. The key is to never play this portion of the tape in a player again. Mark it as your tape cleaner, play it for about 10 seconds, stop the tape, and eject.

If you do play that portion of the tape in a machine again, it can and probably will clog up your heads. So I would say never rewind this tape, always keep it cued up to a fresh strip of virgin tape.