Quote: Originally posted by perdita96 on 03/8/2009
We have had out tent just over 3 years now & wondered if we needed to do anything to weatherproof it? There are a few marks on it now & I was going to just clean them off with soap & water, is this ok to do or will it damage the tent itself? I was also going to wash the inner sleeping part in the washer (hand wash cycle), anyone know if i'm ok to do this, i can find any cleaning instructions on the tent.
Thanks!
You don't need to reproof a synthetic tent at any time during it's normal lifespan unless you've done something really awful to it which has affected the waterproofing ie scrubbed it thin, or got it mouldy and had to use strong chemical cleaners on it. Synthetic tent flysheets are made of multiple layers of hi-tech fabrics bonded together. Some home cleaners will affect these layers. There are specialist tent cleaning agents availible but they're pricey and you'll need to reproof after using most of them, so don't go there unless desperate.
For cleaning the flysheet use a soft brush to gently remove any dried mud or bird poo, then sponge with plain water to remove marks. Do not use detergent or other cleaners unless absolutely forced to.
For inners, yes you can wash them in the machine if they fit. Cool wash and use non-bio detergent. Put through a second full rinse cycle with plain water to make sure all detergent residue is removed..if in doubt, rinse again. yoy don't want detergent residue getting on the flysheet by accident.
Topic: Montana 4 cleaning / weatherproofing
