Washing a tent?

[cornfedkiller]

Any of you guys wash your tent? I was thinking in a tote or cooler with cold water and just agitating it by hand for a bit and then setting it up to dry.

Any suggestions on soap or detergent? The manufacturer has no specific recommendations other than "mild detergent". Is Tide Free & Gentle mild? Vinegar? Just nervous about damaging the fabric.

 

[wapitibob]

I wash my Copper Spur UL3 in the front loader.

 

[SDHNTR]

Bucket, hose and dawn dish soap.

 

[RyanSeek43]

For dirt and sand even just moving it around in a tub of warm water will get most of it off.

 

[TaperPin]

I use this awesome chemical - H2O. Dissolves sweat and condensation, rinses off without any residue. Guaranteed to not damage the material. No smell. Not everyone has one, but I ordered a custom hose and nozzle that squirts the stuff out.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

Cornfed

Your approach is solid. Just replace the idea of soap with vinegar.

What I do (my response is specific to nylon tents):

• If the tent has a floor, set it up and spray the inside/out with a garden hose. That's plenty! If stained, try to remove with isopropyl alcohol and a soft toothbrush.
• If a floorless tent (soot buildup), add a gallon of white vinegar to a plastic bucket and soak the submersed tent for 12 hours. When done, dump the vinegar and place the bucket w/tent under a hot washtub faucet. After a few minutes of submersing the tent in running hot washtub water (don't exceed "washtub" hot, which is hot), shut off the faucet and let the tent soak till the water cools. Air dry outside. Works great to minimize hot tent soot buildup and stink.

No need to add soap to a tent. Soap does not remove easy from nylon and ends up leaving a dull film.

Hope this helps!