Smelly nylon tent? Not an issue anymore! In this article, we are going to give you several tips on how to clean a tent that smells and may even include mold growing on it. You’re even going to discover how you can stop this from occurring again to enjoy your next camping trip to the Mojave desert to the fullest. Why do nylon tents smell (And what to do about it) – Read on below for more information!
If you uncover that your tent stinks, the soundest way that is advisable is to clean it is to soak it in a container loaded with a mixture of lemon juice, refined white vinegar, as well as h2o. This solution will entirely destroy any nasty smells and actually kill mold and mildew too. If there are stains on your tent, a bit of scrubbing may be essential.
Trying to cleanse a tent that smells like old sneakers is no way to start your camping journey! Hopefully, the information that you learn in this article will make your stinky tent a thing of the past. Let’s dive into more!
Table of Contents
Preventing the Bad Smell
Are you sick of cleaning your tent each and every time you take it out of the repository? If yes, then you might want to think about and stop what’s rendering the odor in the first place.
Why do nylon tents smell? The most typical explanation for this bad circumstance is because of moisture. You either packed it away while it was still watery or kept it in a way that let moisture percolate inside its container.
Always understand that only because it might not have showered during you’re camping trip doesn’t imply that your tent didn’t get all soaked. Odds are that before you woke up, it was entirely wrapped in morning dew. This tiny bit of moistness, if not permitted to thoroughly dry, could be just the thing that initiates mildew or mold to begin developing on your tent. Not to say, to generate that musty scent that you absolutely hate.
Key Pointers for Preventing Bad Smell
- Buy a tent footprint. This holds your tent from acquiring damage or stops rainwater from collecting underneath your tent. This goes without saying!
- Whether the rain really appears or perhaps there’s morning dew, attempt to provide your tent a wipe down rather than waiting for it to dry. Or perhaps even worse, vacuum packing a tent up wet. If you really do pack it up wet, make sure you unpack it and leave it to dry as soon you reach your next terminus. Never overlook to let it dry.
- Have a no meals or shoes rule when getting into your tent. This holds crumbs and moistness from getting inside and you can easily forget about it. Moistness and food are the two things that would give a passage mold and mustiness to grow inside of your tent. You don’t want that to happen!
- After you get home, don’t simply place your tent away. Make certain to cleanse your tent after every long voyage. If you do mainly quick trips, make certain to clean it at least once for each season, per se.
- Smoothly spot cleanse any muddy areas as soon as you can. Do this without thinking! This will make any bad smells get in your sleeping bag and everything else. What’s more, consistently, make sure when you spot it neat, you give it a bunch of time to dry.
The Washing Machine Is a No Go
This should absolutely go without saying, nonetheless, many people attempt to was their tents simply to see what will happen. You may do your little experiment but make sure that you use the old tent for it. Why is that? It is obvious that your tent wouldn’t survive this procedure, so make sure you skip doing it!
Even though the tent that you may use for this test may be used and old or not a pricey brand, the results would be identical no matter how fine of quality the tent was. It can be old or brand new. Still, tents are just not created for plunging and spinning around in robust devices like washing machines.
Utilize Soap or Go All Natural?
There are two methods to cleanse a tent. Perhaps you were doing some research and found that you only desire to wash it with gentle detergent soap. A lot of individuals were suggesting dish soap. Yet, know that you do not have to bounce for the pricey stuff, you can always use something moderate.
If you can go for one that has a mild perfume or even one that’s fragrance-free, that is a great option. Why? It’s already a proven truth that perfumes can draw unwanted bugs and mosquitoes, which is something you absolutely want to avoid. Not to mention it can attract some even scarier habitants of the wilderness. So, make sure that you leave your best-smelling fragrance at home and you’re good to go!
Another technique is to utilize a non-chemical solution that consists of vinegar, lemon juice, and h2o as well. After cleansing your tent a lot of times, this may become your preferred approach. For some people it simply works better, not to say, you preserve a small amount of time as you don’t need to wash any suds away.
Handwashing Your Tent
Is your tent quite dirty? If so, you’re about to have to spend more time getting it clean. This signifies that you’ll have to use a little elbow grease to scrub the dirty zones with a soothing, non-abrasive sponge. For this, you may want to utilize a spray bottle.
Manually wash the outer materials and detour scrubbing the bottom of the tent fly as you can end up harming the waterproof coating. Never scrub too harshly, always be soft with it since you could end up harming your tent if you are too harsh with it. Keep in mind when cleansing, that tents are easier to clean if you’re able to raise them.
While they make chemical solutions for spot cleaning tough stains on tents, some people prefer using either soap and water or lemon juice and vinegar solution.
How to Deal With Mold or Mildew?
If your tent was kept away and it was still even just slightly damp, there’s a fair possibility that mildew, or even worse, mold has developed on it. This shouldn’t be causing much trouble!
You can utilize the exact vinegar that you employed for soaking your tent. The sole disparity is you’ll want to pour the vinegar inside a spray bottle (make sure not to dilute it) along with a bit of lemon juice and spray the trouble zones. Let it rest there for approximately an hour, then pat it neatly with a soothing sponge.
The acid in the vinegar and lemon juice will destroy the mold or mildew spores. That way your tent is safe and sound for you to utilize again. This goes without saying!
Storing Your Tent Properly
Stinky tents are a campers’ torment, particularly if they include mold growing on them. The most reasonable way that you can learn to stop this from happening, is to make sure your tent is fully dry before storing it. When you pack your tent up at the campsite and load it up, that should not be your way of storing it for the winter!
After you get home, try to give it a fine wash and let it dry in the sun. Of course, presuming the weather collaborates. If the weather is not so pleasing, try to put up the tent in your garage and let it dry for no less than 24 hours, oftentimes even longer before you pack it up for good.
Once you are convinced that it’s dry, try to pack it in a plastic container. Also, if you’re going to be keeping it in a location that’s prone to moisture, such as a loft, basement, or outside shed, it’s a suitable thought to throw in a couple of Arm & Hammer baking soda packs to help maintain that moisture.
For the duration that you are not using the tent, this will not just control it from stinking. Moreover, it will likewise help to discourage mold from developing on it. This is really crucial for your health!
Tip: It is essential to keep the water from freezing if you plan on going on a winter camping trip!
Final Thoughts
As a rule of thumb, all of the advice in this article is safe for 99.9% of all tents being sold nowadays. That’s a fact! Nonetheless, make certain that you carefully read your tent manufacturer’s cleaning teachings before cleaning your tent. Particularly do that whether you intend on utilizing any kind of chemicals!
Having to cleanse a tent that stinks is not much fun, mainly if you have to do it before a much-expected camping trip with the family or friends. You have enough to do in preparing for the expedition without this extra task.
The good notice is that with a bit of extra work after each camping journey, you can contain the annoyance of having to cleanse a stinking tent each time that you take that thing out of the depository.
Tip: How to get ready for the upcoming camping trip to Portugal and enjoy it to its fullest? Portugal is one of the best places to go camping or hiking!
