How to Clean Mold off Canvas Tents to Extend Their Life?

How To Clean And Waterproof A Camping Tent?

A camping tent is an essential piece of equipment for a successful camping trip, but it’s important to keep it clean and free of dirt, mildew and other debris. This article will show you how to clean mould off canvas and wash your camping tent safely so you can waterproof it effectively and stay dry and have fun on your next camping trip!

How to Clean Mold off Canvas Tents:

Step 1 – Prepare Your Tent

Before to wash your camping tent, it’s important to ensure that the tent has been properly stored away. This means that it shouldn’t have been left folded or bunched up in a bag for an extended period of time. The fabric needs to be able to move freely, so the weight isn’t being placed on anyone’s spot for too long.

Step 2 – Pick Up Supplies

Your first step is to pick up some basic cleaning supplies at your local store. These items will help you to clean your camping gear safely and effectively without putting any holes in the fabric or damaging it further:

Two Empty Spray Bottles

• One bottle should be filled with water, If possible, use distilled or purified water instead of tap water, sometimes tap water leaves spots on the fabric when it dries.
• One bottle should have a mixture of soap and water. A gentle dish soap without any bleach or other harsh chemicals is recommended.

A Soft-Bristled Brush

• This will help you scrub away dirt and grime in hard-to-reach places, including around holes and zipper tracks.

Step 3 – Tackle The Dirty Areas First(mildew)

While it might seem like a clever idea to just spray down your entire camping tent with your cleaning solution and scrub everything in sight at once, this can cause problems with over saturation if some parts need more attention than others. So instead, start by focusing on problem areas.

• For example, you’ll want to pay special attention to the head and foot areas of your tent that tend to collect dirt. You can use a toothbrush or small paintbrush for this purpose as these brushes will not scratch the fabric.
• Stubborn grime can be tackled by using a scrub brush and a stronger cleaning solution. But make sure you wet down those areas with distilled water first, or it might cause damage to the fabric itself.
• Mildew, if you notice mildew growing in some corners or hard to reach areas, use a brush to clean the affected areas first, use dish soap and scrub the area for as long as it needs to.

Step 4 – Finish up

After brushing problem areas, give your entire camping tent a gentle brushing all over. This means paying special attention to the walls, windows and doorways of your camping tent.

– The bottom of your tent will also need a good cleaning because this is where most dirt tends to accumulate, especially if you’re using it on hard ground or sand.

– You may also want to use the brush to give zippers a good scrubbing before you zip things up again. This can help prevent future zipper issues often caused by debris stuck in the zipper tracks.

Step 5 – Dry Off Completely

Once you have finished cleaning everything of your camping tent with a good scrubbing, it needs to dry completely before folding it or storing it away. This will prevent mold from growing inside while making sure everything dries off evenly.

• If you’re camping in humid conditions, make sure to dry off your tent as soon as possible. Use the sun or set up a fan for this purpose if possible.
• You can prevent water spots from forming on the fabric by giving everything one last spray down with distilled water before letting it fully dry. This will also ensure that no leftover soap stayed on the fabric.
• Apply waterproofing solution.
• Let dry.

How To Fold Camping Tent?(To avoid mildew from growing)

Folding your tent is just as important as following through on the drying. This will help prevent it from taking up too much space when rolled up and ensure that everything returns to its proper place when you unpack again. Here are some helpful tips for folding a camping tent, so everything fits in the bag without any problems:

Steps to Fold a Tent:

1. Remove the ground cloth and spread out the bag.

2. Unfold the tent and layout in the sun for at least 1 hour.

3. Unzip all windows, doors, mesh panels to ensure that they dry completely. If you have a fly cover, leave it

on because it should be dry already from being under the sun.

4. Clean up any dirt or debris from inside the tent with a small brush. This is especially important if you’re

storing your tent in a humid environment or it’s been folded away for several weeks without being used again.

5. Zip everything, shut & turn around so you can see the backside of the tent.

6. Lay one wall flat against itself while pulling apart any canopy seams to form a diamond shape.

7. Line the tent up straight and pile on some heavy items to keep it flat while you bring it down to one single point.

8. Fold the sleeping side of the wall over first before folding it in half. So that all four corners touch each other

evenly without any excess fabric getting caught up in the middle of the fold.

9. Fold along your original creases until you can close up all four corners together with no extra fabric

hanging out. If there’s a significant amount of excess fabric, stop folding, open everything back up, and try again. If possible, get rid of as much bulk as possible before closing everything up again.

10. Once everything is folded up nicely with no excess material, roll it up into the center of the bag & zip it shut.

What Is The Proper Way To Store A Camping Tent?

• Make sure to remove all items from the inside so everything is able to dry out properly.
• Close up the windows and doors before folding to avoid wrinkles and creases from forming when it’s packed away for storage later on.
• Be careful not to damage the material while packing everything else around it. If there’s too much excess material once it’s rolled up, stop and try again with less fabric.
• Store in a cool, dry place until ready for use next time. This keeps mold and mildew from growing inside while making sure nothing gets damaged either.
• Keep both sets of poles with the bag instead of separating them. Keeping them together ensures that they aren’t misplaced while also making sure the fabric isn’t accidentally torn or damaged at any point during storage and transport.
• If possible, avoid placing it in a confined area like a basement or attic because this will prevent air from circulating around it properly.

Camping Tent Care Tips:

• Keep your tent clean inside and out to prevent mold from growing on the inside. Mold can cause damage that will require repair work from a professional if you try to remove it yourself. Make sure it is completely dry before wrapping everything up.
• Never keep anything wet for more than a few hours, as this will encourage mold growth as moisture collects in nooks and crannies over time.
• Keep things cool, dry and well ventilated to prevent mold growth on the inside. This is especially important if you’re camping in a humid environment or storing your tent away without using it for an extended period of time.
• If possible, store everything at room temperature with no humidity to avoid any damage from mold. Make sure there is no moisture leftover from rain or anything else before closing up.

Conclusion

A clean and mildew free camping tent is an essential part of any successful trip into the great outdoors! With these tips and tricks, you should be able to get your camping tent sparkling clean without doing any damage to the fabric itself. Make sure to pay special attention while scrubbing around holes and zipper tracks so they’ll rip or come apart while you scrub. Thanks for reading, if you think I forgot something or if you simply want to share a story or some advice, feel free to leave your comment below. Be safe and have fun.!