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!

 

[CjMelendrez]

I used this

Welcome to Nikwax | Outdoor Innovation

Since 1977, Nikwax has been the global leader in environmentally safe aftercare and waterproofing solutions that extend the life and performance of technical footwear, clothing and equipment.

www.nikwax.com

in my tub with warm water. followed directions on the bottle and it worked great. I transferred it to a large tote to take outside and hang in the shade for 24 hours.

I then used this

Welcome to Nikwax | Outdoor Innovation

Since 1977, Nikwax has been the global leader in environmentally safe aftercare and waterproofing solutions that extend the life and performance of technical footwear, clothing and equipment.

www.nikwax.com

by setting up the tent in the lawn, spraying down with the hose, then applying this by the direction on the bottle. This stuff isn't cheap but neither are our tents so it's worth it to me.

 

[Jon_G]

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.

In all seriousness you really thought that was funny Hu?

 

[TaperPin]

In all seriousness you really thought that was funny Hu?

It’s the gods honest truth - it’s the only thing I’ve ever washed a tent with.

My wife loves harsh chemicals - she will work up a cloud of 409 cleaning the kitchen - enough to kill small plants on countertops. I volunteer to clean the cooktop with my favorite chemical - she rolls her eyes every time, and mumbles something when I say it’s a bottle of 4 million year old chemical - part dinosaur piss and part whale tears.

 

[BingenBongo]

H20 - underrated! actually i was wondering the same thing about cleaning our tent, thanks for the different idea s here guys.