How do I get mildew out of tent?

“Houston, we have a problem, I have mildew, along with the pleasant odor it brings in my tent, any suggestions on how to get it out?”

“You can try soap and water at first and let air dry by hanging the tent. No suggestions after that except to make sure your tent is dry before storing next time.

When I was a kid, I had a tent that someone threw up in one time. No matter how many times I scrubbed clean with soap and water and dried, it still smelled like that when it got the least bit damp. I ended up tossing it.”

“Try shouting "Go away you stinky mildew!".”

“don't put it away wet!

d'oh!”

“they had tents when skiracer was a kid????”

“Uhm....be sure and set up your tent at least 200 ft. away from any mildew?”

“It was a long time ago, rad.”

“in a galaxy far, far away???”

“No, just a long time ago. Used it mostly in the Adirondacks.”

“Buddha Bear, there are household cleaners on the market that clean mildew off shower curtains. I can't guarantee that it would damage tent material. If you take the number off the bottle, you can call the company first before you buy it. Or, try calling REI or some other backpacking store.”

“I meant I can't guarantee that it WOULDN'T damage the fabric.”

“start licken!”

“Buddha Bear--try a dilution of water and chlorine bleach. Wipe it down with a sponge and then put it in the sun to dry. You might want to start with a really weak dilution and then please TEST a spot somewhere before doing the whole thing to make sure the tent fabric can hack it. I'm not sure how this might effect anything.”

“You also might try calling the tent manufacturer and see what they recommend.

BTW--Chlorine bleach is the only thing I know of that kills mildew.”

“Send it back to the manufacturer. It is obviously defective.”

“Wipe with warm soapy water, repeat with clean damp cloth. Set in sun to dry.

I wouldn't use anything other than a mild soap/detergent...


Hey! Dry cleaners?”

“I think that clorine bleach is the way to go. You don't need more than maybe a tablespoon to a gallon of water. I have cleaned shower curtains this way.”

“My green tent is now white! Just kidding. Thanks for the info. I am off to clean it in a few seconds!”

“Good luck, it doesn't sound like it's as bad as skiracer's problem. Good thing my kids sleep in the inexpensive tent. My husband and I get twin doors and vestibules.”

“STOP!!!! Here's the proper fix!!
Mix 1/2 cup of Lysol in one gallon of hot water. Wash the tent with this liquid and a sponge, and air-dry. Once dry, mix one cup of salt and one cup of concentrated lemon juice. Take the salt and lemon mixture and mix it with another gallon of hot water. Now wash the tent with this. Again, air dry. Do NOT put it in a clothes dryer - this will damage the coating. Do not use detergents, they will damage the coating as well.”

“STOP!!!! Here's the proper fix!!
Mix 1/2 cup of Lysol in one gallon of hot water. Wash the tent with this liquid and a sponge, and air-dry. Once dry, mix one cup of salt and one cup of concentrated lemon juice. Take the salt and lemon mixture and mix it with another gallon of hot water. Now wash the tent with this. Again, air dry. Do NOT put it in a clothes dryer - this will damage the coating. Do not use detergents, they will damage the coating as well.”

“That's weird, I only hit 'Submit' once. Anyway, that's the word from Rainy Pass Repairs in Seattle.”

“BenchMark here in Columbus said to use Tekwash. I am off to buy it now! Unless any of you have had bad experiences with it.”

“Ah hell. Just stuff the tent in the bag, piss all over it and throw it in the closet. That should solve it.”

“I'll bet bears will just love lemon juice and salt. Mighty tasty with nekkid backpacker!”

“Here I how I handle tent storage. I went to Wal-Mart and bought several different colored cotton laundry bags. I store my tents in them. My tents last longer and even if I were careless enough to stow a damp tent it probably would not mildew.”

“LMMFAO & Rosymonster
I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes!!!!!
Thanks for the laugh! I know who NOT to call if my tent has mildew.


My suggestion is to give the tent to some unsuspecting Boy Scout and buy yourself a new tent.”

“Leviticus 13:47-52
I guess this applies to tents.”

“You calling the Bear a leper?”

“My guess would be to air it out heavily. Then wipe it down with a damp cloth to clean the mildew. Then Airate again.”

“Guess again, Elliot Ness.”

“One more idea is a product that is a enzyme. You soak the tent in it and let dry. This will work on the smell. Buy it at a diving store or on the web. MIRAZYME.
I thought piss only worked on athaletes foot.”

“Jezz was that tent dirty! All cleaned up - I went with the tekwash. I worked pretty good, but the tent still smells a little. Thanks for the advice!”

“You know, I had an old refrigerator that smelled awful, and I put a net bag of oranges in it and after a few weeks the smell was gone. So if you try this, the mildew smell will leave but the bears will move in.”

“by the way piss works wonders if you get stung by a man of war. but I really dont think it will work on mildew sorry to ruin your fun.”

“Burn it”

“Well--I don't think you killed it. The next time it gets damp it is ready to grow again. The weak bleach solution does not bleach anything--it just kills the bugs.
Making sure your tent all the way dry when you store it is the only way to prevent mildew.”

“I think I'd test the waterproofing on that thing with a garden hose before depending on it. You can re-apply that.”