Can You Wash a Tent?
With many seasons of use, comes the accumulation of dirt, sand, and other debris in your tent that can easily wear down the fabric and coatings. Many tent owners often ask, can you wash a tent without damaging it further? The answer is a resounding yes–cleaning them actually helps maintain their condition and functionality.
Table Of Contents
Many events can lead a tent to require a good cleaning. For example, if a tent is packed away and stored while still damp or if it gets wet during use and is not properly or thoroughly dried, it can quickly develop mold and mildew. The same is true for your ground tarp, even if you choose to use a poly tarp which is primarily made from plastic and is less porous–mold and mildew can still grow and rot through your tarp if it is not dried before being placed in storage for long periods. Washing and properly drying your tent and tarps can help prevent these issues.
When you are camping, food or drink spills can easily happen inside your tent. It’s important to clean your tent after having food items inside to avoid bug infestations or carrying scents along that might attract unwanted visitors like bears to your campsite. Whether your tent has food remnants, or stains, or has just housed many bodies, washing your tent is a hygienic practice and pleasant to use.
Regular tent maintenance practices, such as establishing a washing routine, do more than just prevent rot, mold, and mildew. It helps keep the tent in like-new shape, extending its lifespan beyond what it could be if you allowed dirt, dust, and debris to accumulate. If you’re going to invest in a tent, you want to be able to rely on its performance during your camping trips. This means spending time on maintenance and cleaning.
Supplies You’ll Need
First things first, you’ll need to round up supplies before you get around to cleaning. A few things you may need are:
- Lukewarm water
- Mild, unscented dish soap
- Cleaner designed specifically for outdoor gear and clothing
- Non-abrasive sponge or cloth– you don’t want to cause damage to your tent with vigorous scrubbing.
- Bathtub or other large tub
General Wash Instructions
It’s important to note that you should never machine wash your tent. As we all probably know from our fair share of clothing mishaps, washing machines are not often very gentle. Tent construction often includes delicate materials like mesh and intricate seams. Subjecting your tent to a rough washing might cause irreparable damage and compromise the waterproofing/fireproofing technology of your setup.
Tent Washing Don’ts
- Avoid household cleaners like bleach, spot removers, or laundry pre-soaking products that are full of harsh chemicals that will break down waterproofing/fireproofing/overall tent material durability
- Never use harsh or abrasive cleaning brushes, brillo pads, or rough cloths– there is nothing wrong with a good scrub, but you want to be using gentle tools like cloths, rags, or mops
- Never use a pressure washer, no matter how much time you think you’ll save. Such high water pressure can rip and tear the seams and walls of even the most durable glamping tent.
Tent Washing Dos
- Begin by preparing your tent for cleaning before you actually launch into the process. Take your tent outside, unzip the doors and windows of your tent, and turn it completely inside out. This might take a few hands, especially if you are cleaning wall tents, bell tents, or cabin tents. Shake the tent out vigorously to get rid of loose debris.
- Start by spot-cleaning the areas of the tent you can already see will need some extra attention. Do not use stain remover or any household cleaner including harsh chemicals.
- Scrub extra-dirty areas with a mop, cloth, or sponge, warm water, and a drop or two of mild dish soap.
- Fill your bathtub or outdoor utility sink with lukewarm water and dilute several drops of cleaner specifically designed for washing outdoor gear. Soak your inside-out tent and your rainfly in the mixture, and let them soak for a while to really pull out all the nastiness.
- When it’s time to rinse, drain the sink or tub completely and then refill it with clean water. Swirl the tent around in the clean water to rinse it–making sure to change its shape and get the soap out of all the folds. Keep this up until all the soap is gone.
- Finally, the most important part of maintaining your level of cleanliness: drying the tent. Pitch the tent as you normally would on a camping trip, but this time in a shaded outdoor spot safe from pet or kid traffic, and let it dry for several hours–up to overnight. Give it longer than you think it needs to make absolutely certain it is completely dry before storing it.
Deep Clean
In some cases, a general soak just won’t do. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you combat stains and big messes in your tent.
If you find that your tent has developed mildew, mold, or otherwise foul odors, use a gear cleaner such as Nikwax or MiraZyme™ to remove the unpleasantness. Follow the directions on the cleaner bottles extremely carefully–especially when using an enzyme cleaner–paying close attention to how long to soak the tent. As we have warned several times, leaving the tent soaking for longer than the recommended time can put your tent at severe risk of hydrolysis, where the cleaner-infused water will begin to break down waterproof and UV protective coatings.
In the not-so-uncommon case that you discover pine sap on your tent, it is okay to spot-clean the tent with mineral oil. When using mineral oil, however, be careful not to over-scrub. Alcohol-based products like hand sanitizer or wet wipes are also safe and effective for combatting pine sap messiness. Once you get the pine sap taken care of, rinse the spot with water.
There is nothing more frustrating than trying to maneuver in and out of a tent with a zipper that hesitates. If your tent zippers are sticking or totally stuck, there’s a good chance that they just have a buildup of dirty residue from repeated use. Grab an extra toothbrush you may have lying around, and scrub out any sand, dirt, mud, or gunk that may be trapped in the zipper teeth. For the most stubborn of muck, first, douse the zipper in warm water, then brush.
To keep your tent setup frustration-free, grab a wet, soapy rag and wipe down your dirty, dusty, or salty tent poles periodically.
If you are finding that your tent isn’t protecting you and your gear from rain and dew like it once did, renew the waterproof coatings. You can do this easily by applying a thin coat of paint-on polyurethane sealant to your tent or rain fly sheet fabric.
Lessen Future Messes: Proper Tent Care During Use
Take measures to avoid bringing dirt and debris into your tent. Leave boots and shoes outside the door of your tent, or build a hanging shoe organizer to place inside your tent and keep them off the ground. Buildups of dirt, grit, and grime will eventually erode the durability of your tent floor, cause damage, and invite bacteria into your tent.
You should always keep food and anything with a strong scent outside of your tent to prevent mice and other small rodents from chewing through the fabric and spreading their germs and feces around your dwelling.
Never leave an unsupervised dog inside your tent. They are liable to have accidents or damage your tent material with teeth and claws. Not to mention the amount of dirt and nastiness they could drag inside with them! If you do decide to let your dog into your tent, be sure to sweep out any hair and debris before storing it.
Properly Store Your Tent
Never store a damp tent. Here are a few tips for ensuring that your tent gets stashed away dry.
After taking down your tent, shake it out to remove any water that could have pooled inside. This will help speed up the drying process. Then, find a clean, dry, flat area to spread out your tent. Pitch it as you would when setting up for a weekend camping trip. This is where a ground tarp may come in handy– it can serve as a barrier between the damp ground and the base of your tent. While you may be tempted to set up your tent in direct sunlight to speed up the drying process, this can actually cause further damage to your tent’s fabric. Dry your dwelling out in a shaded, well-ventilated area. At some point in the drying process, you could take your tent down and turn it inside out. This ensures that all layers get the ventilation they need.
When taking your tent down and preparing to store it, feel every single corner of your tent to ensure that it is actually dry. Pay close attention to the seams, corners, and any area that may retain moisture.
Last but certainly not least, let’s talk about proper storage containers. It’s best to store your tent loosely in a pillowcase or mesh bag for breathability, somewhere cool and dry. Avoid damp or hot locations including garages, basements, attics, or car trunks.
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