If your tent has been stored away for a while you may discover that your tent has a bad odor or that it has become moldy since your last trip. In this article I will teach you easy reliable ways to clean a smelly or moldy tent along with tips on how to prevent tent odors, mold, and mildew in the future.
The best way I have found to clean a tent is to hand wash it and air dry it with 1 parts water and ½ parts white vinegar. I have found that it can rid a tent of odors, mold, and mildew very effectively. You can put this in a spray bottle and spray specific areas or soak your tent in the solution. Depending on if it is also stained you may need to scrub some areas with a sponge or rag.
Cleaning a Tent With Mold
What You need
- Dish soap
- Sponge
- Warm water
- White vinegar
- Large tub(soak tent in)
To begin this process you will want to get your sponge wet and soapy. Having your tent set up can make this a lot easier to spot mold and mildew along with getting the hard to reach places. Begin spotting and scrubbing the individual areas that have mold or mildew on them. You will want to keep your sponge wet and soapy as you scrub until all signs of mold and mildew are gone. Once all signs of mildew, stains, and mold are gone it is time to soak the tent.
I have tried and researched many different options but I prefer to do two different types of soaks. The first soak is with water and white vinegar. To start you will want to put 1 part warm water and 1/2 parts white vinegar in a tub big enough to fully submerge your tent. Completely submerge your tent under for a total of 10 minute and make sure all doors and windows are unzipped. It’s recommended to occasionally move your tent around underwater to irritate all residue on your tent. This process is best to get rid of a stinky tent.
The next step and most important step after scrubbing is to soak the tent in warm water for another 10 minutes. This will wash off all excess soap and vinegar from the fabric. This process is to rinse all cleaning products and final dirt off of the tent. After 5 minutes you will want to flip it inside out to ensure that both sides of your tent are well cleaned and rinsed.
Finally it is time to dry. You will want to air dry almost any tent no matter the brand or style. Most other ways of drying will get rid of the tents PU which is the water proofing for the tent. When air drying you will want to pick a time when there are sunny conditions and possibly a small breeze. This should take a total of 6-8 hours depending on the weather and size of the tent.
To begin this process you will want to completely set up the tent. Start with all openings and vents unzipped so the inside of the tent gets aired out, and place it in the sun. It should take about 4-5 hours for the inside to dry then you will want to zip all openings and vents a little over half way up. This will allow both sides of the flaps to be air dried along with still allowing air flow within the tent. After about 6-8 hours your tent should be ready to pack back up, but you will want to make sure it is completely dry before packing it back up. If you pack up your tent when still moist or wet there is a very good chance more mold will grow and you will have to do this process all over again.
How to Clean a Tent After Camping
Cleaning your tent after camping is a very good precautionary process to limit future problems with your tent and to keep it in quality condition. After cleaning my gear and tent regularly after each trip I was able to make my tent last years longer than I ever had before.
When you start to pack up your tent make sure you get everything out of it before beginning this process. First you will want to open all the doors and shake as much dirt and debris out as you can. Once you have gotten everything out, zip up all doors and windows so nothing can get back inside.
Take down your tent and pack up all poles and stakes, wiping as much dirt and mud off as you can. Before packing your tent make sure it is completely dry and free of dirt. As you begin to fold and roll the tent wipe off all dirt each and every fold/roll. Getting rid of as much dirt at your campsite will reduce the amount of work you will have to do after your trip.
Once you get back from your trip it is recommended to unpack and re clean out the tent. This may seem tedious but will be worth it in the end since it will help preserve the tent and allow you to keep it for longer before it is ruined. Set up your tent outside to air it out for a couple hours while you unpack everything else. If it still smells after being aired out I recommend to soak in ½ part white vinegar and ½ part water for about 10 minutes. Once completed air dry for about 6-8 hours until completely dry, then re pack. For indepths stops refer to the section above about how to clean a tent with mold. After you have fully cleaned your tent make sure to store it in a dry safe place to protect you from getting damaged or grooming mold.
Tips to Prevent Tent Odors and Damages
- These are some of the tips I use to make sure my tent doesn’t smell like mildew or grow mold. These tips and tricks will help prevent bad tent smells and limit the amount you may have to clean your tent.
- Get yourself a tent footprint. This will prevent water from getting in the bottom of your tent and protect it from the ground.
- Don’t pack your tent if still wet. This may be hard if you are camping in wet conditions but drying off the outside of your tent before packing it can limit smells and reduce the risk of future molding.
- Have a floor mat outside your tent. This is where you should keep your shoes and anything else that can track in dirt. Leaving your shoes off will limit the amount of dirt getting into your tent. Wearing shoes in the tent can rip or damage the tent canvas so having a no shoe policy will limit dirtiness and damage to the tent.
- Keep doors closed when you can. I find this very important because you never know when a gust of wind can blow dirt and debris around and you don’t want that in your tent. It will get rid of unwanted bugs as they wont be able to get in if the doors are closed off.
- Keep your poles clean and out of the dirt or sand. The poles of a tent may get overlooked but most of the time are the first thing that needs to be replaced. When putting your tent together don’t lay the poles out in the dirt or sand as it can get inside the cracks and make them difficult to get apart. After 2 or 3 uses make sure to clean the poles with water or blow the dirt out which will help prevent future problems and replacement costs.
- Resealing your tent can be necessary to prevent interior moisture. If you notice any leaks along your seals there is an easy solution which can prevent the inside of your tent getting wet which can lead to a smelly tent and possible canvas mold or mildew. There are many great articles out there showing you how to reseal your tent.