For my personal tents I have always just aired them out on a sunny day after my trip and that works just fine.

I need a some advice for my son's scout troop. We have high quality tents that get a lot use and abuse. Over the years, they have been put up wet and the boys track in quite a bit of mud and grime. They smell musty and moldy. They also look dirty. Other than that, they are in good condition. The screens and zippers work and they keep water out. We'd like to clean them and get a few more years out of them.

Any recommendations on how to clean them and what products to use would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I don't think you are likely to get a mildewy tent looking new again.


I have put a stinky tent in a rubbermaid of soapy water and then rinsed and dried it on a clothesline. Seemed to work ok, but I don't think I'd do it again.



Personally I'd probably wait for a nice week, then set up the tent, hose it off in the yard, maybe paying extra attention to any dirty spots, and leave it set up till it dries.

Wash by hand.
Mirazyme (?) works well. Hang ion the sun to dry.

For super nasty mildew a mixture of vinegar and water or bleach and water can also be used.

There is a product called Nikwax Tech Wash. REI sells and so does Campmor. I think they say you can use a washing machine, but I personally do not recommend it. Clean your tent like "delicates". I'd put it in the bath tub and wash by hand. Rinse very well.

Pick a good series of days when it won't rain. You need to set up the tents after washing to dry and make sure they dry thoroughly before putting away.

Mildew can be removed with Lysol. After it dries, deactivate the lysol with a weak solution of lemon and salt (in water). Thoroughly dry.

I've washed my tent in frontloading home washer before - only in preparation for new waterproofing.

I like the suggestion to set it up outside, hose it off, scrub the areas you are worried about, and let it dry dry dry.

I don't worry about my camping stuff being dirty, but I guess if it's bad enough to smell, probably worth some effort.

I've washed my tent in frontloading home washer before - only in preparation for new waterproofing.

I like the suggestion to set it up outside, hose it off, scrub the areas you are worried about, and let it dry dry dry.

I don't worry about my camping stuff being dirty, but I guess if it's bad enough to smell, probably worth some effort.

I would not wash in a machine, even a front-loader. I think it causes too much stress on the seams, etc. YMMV. IBFLY mentioned Mirazyme... it's made by McNett and available at REI (other places too, I'm sure). It works great to get smell out of all kinds of gear... boots, tents, clothes, etc. Soak in that stuff for 5 minutes, then just let dry. I use it a lot.

The Nikwax is good, I've used it on a few things. Pricy, but good stuff and worth it.

If I really needed to clean my tent that badly, I'd be tempted to use a weak solution of Dr Bronner's soap, and hand wash it in the bathtub. That's done a great job on a number of things, especially my neoprene (wesuits, sprayskirts, etc).

You may need to re apply the waterproofing afterward depending on the age of the tent.

I usually wash it in the laundry tub with mild dish soap, scrub everything with a bristle brush and hang it outside to rinse and dry. Has worked wonderful for me on numerous tents

I had several Timberline Outfitter 4 tents that had been abused by a resident camp. They were so full of dirt, mildew and smelled badly that I was going to throw them out if I could not get some improvement.

First, I turned them inside out and got all the dirt out. Next, washed them in a front loading washer. (They really have little or no stress on the seams because of the tumble action and no agitator.) That only produced minimal success. So - out to the yard with the hose and rag. That worked well for the actual dirt.

I then used a Mirazime soak and air dry for the mildew and smell - with no success at all. Then I tried a vinegar solution 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water - soak for 30 minutes - rinse in clear water and then line dry.

It worked!! Though the vinegar is hard on them.

I have repaired the rips and zippers and they are ready to go again - at least for one summer.

Since this was the last resort for these tents, I was braver in my methods than I would be with my own tents.

Another vote for the mild dish soap. Set up the tent on the lawn. Spray it with the hose. Scrub with a sponge and a bucket of dish soapy water. Rinse with the hose. Repeat on stubborn areas. A nice lemon scent dish soap might hide the musty smell. Let air dry completely before storage. You may want to buy a tube of tent seam sealer and re-seal the seams if the tent has a few years of usage. This is about all you can do without the risk of damaging the material. I have done this procedure a few times and it works well. I would NOT recommend a washing machine of any type. Good luck.