Mold, a word that elicits many negative reactions, unless you’re talking about cheese. I get the feelings of concern surrounding the appearance of mold, and feel the same way, even when it concerns cheese. But mold is a natural occurrence in many regards, including in film collections, and while not always ideal (in some cases it is dangerous!) the important takeaway here is that the advent of mold should not be viewed as an emergency that halts all intended work with the affected media.
Over the course of my time as a fellow for the Regional Media Legacies (RML) project, I’ve come in contact with mold more than once, and have become desensitized to seeing it at this point. I am not a mold expert and my intention is not to be dismissive of the presence of mold. Expertise in mold in an archival setting is very important since discovering it is quite common.
I’d like to use this post to share my findings with mold as an audiovisual archivist doing collections work with under-resourced collections, and where that experience falls on the spectrum of audiovisual preservation.
In early 2020, I was in the process of inspecting film for a small historical organization when a staff member discovered additional films while they were reorganizing items in the basement. I was called down to inspect and assess the films, and determined they were indeed most definitely covered in mold. The musty smell emanating from the cans gave away the mold immediately. Then as I opened each can and the white fuzzy evidence confirmed our suspicions. Another common form of film decay that makes its presence known through a smell, but should not be confused with mold, is vinegar syndrome. This smell is far more powerful and can sometimes be evident even without opening a film can.
After some research and discussion with the staff, they allowed me to remediate the moldy films. I already possessed 99% isopropyl alcohol that I had purchased for a previous project. I also purchased a non-abrasive cloth from a local hardware store. I moved my portable film inspection bench outside on a nice day. It’s worth noting here that when dealing with moldy objects, you should do so in a well-ventilated area, and nothing really beats a mild sunny day. I tested the cloth on a piece of film to ensure that it did not scratch it. Had the cloth actually scratched the film I would not have moved forward. An important rule to follow as an archivist is to do no harm.
Before I continue, I want to note that it is important to wear a mask, N95 preferably, as well as latex gloves. Wash your hands thoroughly after remediation and do not touch your face after holding moldy items.
Confident with the new cloth, I readied the first film on the inspection bench, then lightly soaked it in isopropyl alcohol. I held the cloth gently around the film and wound the film onto a take-up reel. I then wiped the original reel with alcohol and wound the film back on. This process removed the visible mold. I proceeded to perform this process on about a dozen reels of 16mm film. I made sure the alcohol evaporated before placing the films back in their cans.
Four months later, I inspected the films for mold or any sign of effect from the alcohol. I did not see or smell any mold, or see any change to the film image. To this day, there are no signs of mold. It’s also important to note that these films are no longer stored in the basement and have been moved to an upper-level floor in the building. They have also been rehoused in new archival cans and taken off the metal reels and wound onto archival film cores. Environmentally controlled archival storage may not be possible, but moving media items out of spaces more likely to encounter flooding or fluctuating temperatures and humidity can go a long way.
Below is a before and after of one of the reels:
My process in becoming comfortable with mold began with doing basic research, which demonstrated how common mold is and why it shows up in the first place. For mold to grow, two things need to be present: a food source for the mold and constant moisture. These two conditions together are a breeding ground for mold and are also the common conditions of most basements and many attics.
It is also important to note that mold never really dies. Mold is either active or inactive. You can render mold inactive by drying out the affected area, but the second a moldy film is reintroduced to a moist environment the mold will become active and continue to grow. The only way to render mold harmless is to remove it from the equation completely. There are also many different types of mold. I have only ever seen white mold on films before. I’ve never seen black mold on a film, but can’t say definitively what might be possible!
The gelatin binder on all film formats is a prime food source for mold. And once a single film item is affected, all nearby film formats are in danger. Magnetic media isn’t safe from mold either! The remediation technique I used should be performed by someone comfortable with film, whether through archival training or experience working with film in a production environment. This technique would not be appropriate for video or audiotape, but advice related to storage would be similar.
My education and instincts lead me to this remediation process, but it was helpful to find validation amongst the photographer set with a post like this: “How to Clean Your Negatives” by Dillon Wallace
Additionally, the project manager of the RML project reached out to a few colleagues who have dealt with mold on film. While best practices tend to lean more toward engaging a professional vendor for cleaning, using a more toxic cleaning agent yourself (if you can get approved for it), or foregoing cleaning agents at all and prioritizing cold storage and digitization – our final takeaway was that my methodology achieved the intended goal of mold remediation. This lower-cost solution is particularly important in a scenario where a higher-cost vendor solution was not possible. Not remediating the films this way would have resulted in zero-intervention for a further unknown length of time, allowing for the mold to continue its potentially destructive course.
Since professional mold remediation can be costly and out of reach, it’s best to take measures to avoid this situation as much as possible by keeping your films in a dry area. A cool, dry, secure space is essential for all media items – it’s great for any items, quite frankly. If you’re reading this, and you know you have media items in a basement, attic, or garage – make a plan to check up on these items, and find a new location. In an office setting – a room with no windows and low traffic. In a home – a hall closet would be preferable. Any space where you notice the conditions are more stable and dry throughout the year.
Keeping in mind that mold can reactivate, the films I cleaned have been prioritized for digitization but it’s not always possible to jump ahead to this step. In the meantime, we keep the films stored as best we can and check up on them when we can. Professionally sanctioned best practices are important to learn, but cannot always be implemented (and in some cases are not appropriate), and our goal is to assist project partners not only by performing conservation and preservation work but also by presenting reasonable options and empowering them to move forward even without our assistance.
By Robert Anen, RML Fellow & Marie Lascu, RML Project Manager
Great article, Robert.
Since this technique would not be appropriate for video or audiotape, I’d like to suggest you to consider writing an article about dealing with moldy VHS tapes. I’ve seen tutorials online but none of them seemed to really know what they were doing. And most of them were using 99% isopropyl alcohol – something you said is not the right way to go about it.