Upon returning home from your latest adventure you dream of a nice warm shower, good food, and getting your feet up and resting. It can be tempting to take your gear out of the car and let rest in the garage but taking the time to unpack and put items away properly will help ensure you get years of use out of your equipment. This is especially true for your storing tents. Improper storage can lead to mold growth and material breakdown.

To help prevent issues like these, simply follow two key steps for storing your tent:

  • Wipe your tent down and rid it of any dirt and foreign substances you found when out adventuring
  • Your Tent Inner and Fly should be Completely Dry - Air it out for a day indoors or in the garden
  • Store loosely in a cool and dry place

Cleaning your Tent

If you returned home from your outing with a dirty tent, taking the time to clean it can help improve longevity. Use cold water and mild, non-detergent soap to spot clean dirty fabric and shake out as much dirt and sand as possible.

We also highly recommend the following: 

  • Use non-detergent soap to wash the tent in a bath or tub. 
  • If your tent has mold you can use an enzyme cleaner to break it down.  It is key to follow the directions closely for the enzyme cleaner, especially with regard to how long to soak the tent. Leaving the tent soaking for longer than the recommended can cause the material to degrade.
  • If there is sap on your tent you can spot clean the tent with mineral oil, but be careful and do not scrub the fabric too hard or too much.  Other alcohol-based products such as hand sanitiser can be used but it is important that you rinse the tent off thoroughly with water once removed.
  • If Zips aren’t running smoothly, take a toothbrush and scrub out any sand, dirt, or residue that’s trapped in the teeth. For stubborn parts, rinse the zipper with water, then brush.

Staff Tip

When cleaning and caring for your outdoor gear we recommend using products from Nikwax. With their Clean and aftercare products you can wash and re-waterproof your gear - increasing their longevity and technical abilities. Nikwax Tent Cleaner can be seen here. After Cleaning we recommend also using Nikwax Tent Solarproof to add water repellency, increase fabric strength & protect against UV deterioration. You can see that here.