Hi, we were camping last week, when we finally managed to get the tent up - we realised that it was a bit moudly on the inside (we obviously didnt let it dry out enough after it was saturated on our previous camping trip), what is the best thing to use to get the mould out????? I wipped it with wet wipes and antibaterial handwash - thats all we had on us, it worked a bit, but wasnt great!
If it is soap you've used you might as well use it on the whole tent as you now need to waterproof it again completely. Soap dissolves the waterproof of a tent. But there are special mould-removers. Google for them and you'll find them, even from your local grocer.
Good luck! oh, and dry your tent after it has been packed soaking, next time...
Its only the inner that has mould on, the outer is fine! The inner isnt waterproof anyway. We have a problem drying it as it is bloody huge. its 8 man, and looks like a parachute on the washing line. We hang it on the line then hook it over the frnces either side of the garden, then move it every half hour of so to try to make sure the whole thing dries!
This is a classic example of using entirely unsuitable home remedies to clean tents, argh!!! Wet wipes have alcohol and possibly lanolin in them, handwash has detergent. Mould is a fungus, not bacteria, so antibacterial wipes would do nothing to prevent the spead of mould. And if any of this lot got on the flysheet it would be damaged.
Fortunately though it's just the inner. You need to use Milton, diluted 1:20 or whatever it recommends on the bottle, to remove the mould and kill spores. Then rinse it out really well, at least six times, with plain water. If your inner is small enough to fit in a washing machine you can also wash it after the Milton on a 30'C wash using a minimal dose of non-bio powder, then put it through an extra rinse cycle to make sure all the detergent residue is out. Line dry.
Quote: Originally posted by Freebird on 02/9/2008
If it is soap you've used you might as well use it on the whole tent as you now need to waterproof it again completely. Soap dissolves the waterproof of a tent. But there are special mould-removers. Google for them and you'll find them, even from your local grocer.
Good luck! oh, and dry your tent after it has been packed soaking, next time...
Does the need to waterproof apply to all flysheet materials?