After a lovely weekend away camping with loved ones, or by yourself, you need to make sure you have cleaned and stored your camping equipment properly.
Things like mud and bird poo can affect the flysheet (the outer part of the tent). And dirty hands can affect the inside of the tent. All of this will need to be cleaned with tent cleaning products.
If your tent isn’t cleaned properly, another issue you could face is mould and mildew. This can also stop your tent from being waterproof – which would make the tent useless!
Not cleaning and storing your tent properly can lead to long-term issues, which could make it unusable. After spending money on your own tent, having to throw it away is the last thing you want to have to do!
Here are our top tips on how to clean your tent.
Prepping the tent for cleaning
When you get back home from your time away, take your tent and lay it flat outside. Brush off and remove dirt with a dry brush or dry cloth.
We don’t recommend putting your tent in a washing machine, as this could ruin the tent fabric.
Spot clean your tent
Next is spot cleaning your tent.
This means only cleaning parts of the tent where there is a stain.
Use a damp cloth or sponge, with a specific tent cleaner, and spot clean the dirty areas.
Avoid using harsh chemicals such as bleach or washing up liquid, as these will strip the tent of its waterproof coat.
Clean the rest of the tent
After spot cleaning, you’ll want to clean the rest of the flysheet.
You can do this by filling up a bathtub with lukewarm water and adding a tent cleaning product.
Add your tent to the water and let it soak.
Rinse your tent
To rinse the tent and make sure all the soap is gone, you’ll need to empty the bathtub and refill it with just cold clean water.
Do this as many times as necessary until all the soap is gone.
Drying your tent
Let your tent dry fully, preferably outside in the shade and covered in case it rains.
How to clean a mouldy tent
If your tent has mould or mildew growing on it, don’t worry, it’s not the end yet!
DO NOT use bleach – this will remove the colour and the protective layer on the tent.
We recommend using a sterilising solution (weakened), such as Milton. This will help remove the smell and stop the mould and mildew from spreading.
To prevent this from happening again, make sure your tent is bone dry before packing it away.
Reproof your tent
After cleaning your tent, and letting it fully dry, you’ll need to reproof it.
This makes sure the protective waterproof layer on the tent is back to being the best it can be.
Extra finishing touches
Before storing your tent, give your tent a once over and look for anything that needs to be fixed or replaced.
This could include tent repairs such as patching up the outdoor fabric, repairing mesh, or lubricating the zips.
Make sure to wash and clean your tent pegs. After spending their time in the ground, they’re going to be quite muddy when pulled out!
Sumners Ponds
Sumners Ponds Fishery and Campsite in West Sussex is a unique and beautiful spot set in the tranquil countryside amongst 100 acres of lakes, woodland, and pasture.
Perfect for a family holiday, couple retreat, or a night away to recoup. Sumners Ponds has many different types of accommodation, from camping sites to pods, from lodges to shepherd’s huts, from safari tents to family fields!
The campsite itself boasts high-quality campsite facilities, acres of woodland, a working farm, and fishing lakes. All this in a beautiful and secluded setting which is perfect for just relaxing, or for the more active, exploring the many footpaths and safe cycleways within and around the site.
We also have The Cafe by the Lake, which is our restaurant and bar that is open to both those staying on-site and the general public. We aim to provide the highest standard of food and service.
See our range of accommodation and book your stay on our “Staying at Sumners” page.
