How to clean a wall tent of mold

[ewade07]

So, turns out the ol wall tent wasnt put away dry enough the last time i used it and it has some mold. What is the best way to go about getting rid of the stuff without ruining/damaging the tent? thanks!

 

[Beendare]

Soak in a mile bleach solution, but I can tell you from experience with a buddies tent that the mold has probably destroyed some of the fabric

 

[cnelk]

Woolite and vinegar. Scrub. DO NOT USE BLEACH.
The canvas will always be stained from the mold

 

[ewade07]

ive read that bleach shouldnt be used at all as it destroys the fabric and and ruins the waterproofness... this is more of just a spot cleaning venture

ive read that you can use a mixture of white wine vinegar and water to kill the mold, then use a mixture of lemon, salt and warm water to rinse it out. any truth to this?

 

[cnelk]

Many people dont know that vinegar is a natural disinfectant.
I use it to wipe down any meat before processing

 

[ewade07]

Many people dont know that vinegar is a natural disinfectant.
I use it to wipe down any meat before processing

interesting.... looks like i will definitely be using vinegar then!

 

[ODB]

Many people dont know that vinegar is a natural disinfectant.
I use it to wipe down any meat before processing

Correct...and it’s used when making traditional air-dried biltong.

 

[Wrench]

A trick I used with my alaknak was to close it all up and blow in one opening with a fan. It blew up like a balloon and even when I didn't have enough space for it to get full size, it took the shape of the room it was in. The open floor of the wall might be tricky....but it worked FLAWLESSLY on the alaknak.

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

The owner of Outdoors Geek wrote an "article" on this a while ago. He owns about 500 canvas tents. The link is below.

Canvas Tent Mildew | Canvas Mildew | Mildew Remover

Canvas Tent Mildew can be a big issue with glamor camping or glamping tents. We have the largest stock of canvas tents and a process for cleaning canvas.

www.outdoorsgeek.com

 

[LaHunter]

I would caution against using bleach on cotton canvas tent material. The bleach solution will oxidize (break down) the cotton fiber along with any treatment that may have been applied to the canvas. It may not result in holes, but it will likely weaken the area, if you mix the bleach strong enough to kill the mold.

 

[KClark]

RoundUp weed killer, no joke.

 

[ewade07]

RoundUp weed killer, no joke.

really? just spray it on like normal?

 

[KClark]

Yes but make sure you let it dry completely before you roll it up.

 

[Squamch]

It's worth mentioning here that the vast majority of "mold killer" products are just bleach with a fancy label and higher price tag.

 

[wytx]

Call the tent company, they should know.

 

[Beendare]

According to the folks at Reliable Canvas tents in Bozeman, MT ; use one part bleach 3 parts water.

The mold is what destroys the cotton fibers and depending on how bad it is will depend on whether you can clean and restore...if its been eating away at the tent for any length of time- its probably toast.

They have heard of some folks using other things like Oxyclean...but it doesn't always kill the mold....the mold sometimes comes back when it gets wet again.

Worth noting; Folks using straight untreated 12oz canvas will have a tougher time with mold as without the treatment they get moldy easier, Reliable always recommends going with the Treated canvas over untreated.

I just replaced my 18 yr old canvas wall tent on their 15% off sale. Mine was still waterproof, but wearing thin in places and ripped from pulling on it- it was time, its been used a lot.

_____

 

[11boo]

I would think hard on that round up treatment.

Set the tent up, bucket of simple green and water. Scrub scrub scrub. let It dry a few days, then apply canvas treatment. Might try a pressure washer on low.

 

[hutty]

We used the 1 part bleach 1 part water for our cook tent. Followed up with some oxy clean. Man it was a PIA cleaning it . We then set it up in the sun for 2 days and it is no worse for wear.

 

[T3clay]

I would think hard on that round up treatment.

Set the tent up, bucket of simple green and water. Scrub scrub scrub. let It dry a few days, then apply canvas treatment. Might try a pressure washer on low.

I have tried simple green, I wouldn't try it again....

 

[GunsAreFun]

Many people dont know that vinegar is a natural disinfectant.
I use it to wipe down any meat before processing

Vinegar is the duct tape of the chemical world.