Went camping last bank holiday for the first time this year and found mildew on our new last year Montana 6 inner tents. Obviously we had not dried the tent as well as i had thought last september - has anyone got any suggestions on how to deal with this - either getting rid of the mildew or stopping it getting any worse.
Also in worst case scenario does anyone know if it is possible to buy replacement inners from Outwell?
A solution of Milton fluid sponged into the affected areas will kill the mould spores and stop them spreading but this will not remove them
As it is on the inner tent and it is just fabric and not waterproof then you should be ok to wash them in a mild detergent, put them in the bath and give the affected area a good scrub and then hang out to dry
I have read on here that people have used dettol mould and mildew remover to clean mould off the fabric inner tents and they said that it works well, I have used this product on hard surfaces but never on fabric so I cant really comment on how affective it would be
Replacement inners are very , very hard to get hold of. Outwell don't sell them seperately. I had a very long search to get mine for the sunvalley.
Ebay would be your best bet, probably from shops selling spares out of ex display tents end of season , or someone selling after a tent has been damaged.
Wash the inner tent, either in the bath or a big laundrette washing machine. milton or ordinary household bleach , dettox can be used but its very strong, and should only be left on for a few minutes and rinsed immediately.
even if the black spots never come off, the inners will be usable and sweet smelling after washing.
Thanks for that everyone - did wonder if it would be possible to wash them as they are inners - lots to try there - quite like the idea of a newly fragrant tent!
Strange that it is so difficult to get hold of replacement inners, you would have thought there would be some market for them . . .
You can wash an inner if it fits in the machine, the sig is the same fabric as the sides.
Dettol mold and mildew remover does work but it smells very strong and i would only use if the mildew was really bad.
I have washed inner tents a number of times when younger members of the family have put them away damp and forgotten. If they smell musty first rinse them (or spray them whilst up) with white vinegar and leave to dry, then wash on a delicates programme with biological powder (if any bits are heavily stained with mildew try scrubbing first with dishwasher powder but this may alter the colour) Dry them erected in strong sunlight (if we ever have any) as this continues the stain removal process and kills any remaining live spores.
I bought a Outwell Idaho XL earlier this year and even though i was told it was "as new condition" upon putting it up ..to our horror the inner tents and the inner door had mildew marks...i was so dissapointed...I took the inner tents and put them in the washing machine ..it didnt remove the mildew but boy was they smelling fresher...the inner door was another story...I scrubbed with 1 part bleach 6 parts water..it made it lighter but didnt remove it....Its made me not want to use the tent and I will be selling it next spring (The tent is still fanatastic) but I will be honest about the marks on the inner door ! Im now looking for a new tent ready for next year ! Good luck !
The only mould I have ever found on my tents, has been on inners ? Tents always packed away bone dry. Then I realised that although I hang my tents to air out when I get home, the inners are presumed dry and packed away on site. My latest disaster, has mould in exactly the same place either side of the inner, Tent was dry when we broke camp, and can only assume that there must have been a wet footprint on the inner sig. Hope you get yours sorted.
------------- Canvas tent, paraffin light, petrol stove. Heaven
I'd rather be kayaking.
Spent up, not pent up, just had my new tent up.
Seems a common problem ... The tent we bought "as new" had mould... The previous owners had left a sml book in the inner tent .. It was really wet !! They wouldn't take responsibility for it .. I've cleaned it up and it doesn't compromise the tent itself , but it's not my mould .. So one Outwell Idahaho XL for sale ! So I'm going to start off next year Glamping in a new tent ! And then anything on it is mine ! Lol
You can definately wash inners in the washing machine, if they fit. The usual recommendation is to use a 30'C wash, non-bio powder and put it through a second rinse only cycle to make sure there's no detergent residue left on the fabric. If you have mould then use Milton on the marks, diluted down as per the instructions on the bottle, then wash in the machine.
I don't need to mention you shouldn't tumble dry inners, do I? Not only will this damage the SIG, it can also make the fabric and tapes shrink. Line drying is always best. .
(newbie camper) I found some mildew/mould spots on the inner of our EasyCamp Milano 500. It is a large inner, made up of opaque polyester and some net bits with one of those woven plasticky ground sheets sewn in. I followed the instuctions of using Miltons in a ratio of 1:10 with warm water, soaked the fabric part as best I could in a large bucket for 15 mins, then rinsed out the fabric bit over and over in the bathtub , keeping the plastic groundsheet out of the water (it's bulky and this was a bit tricky I have to say), and then hung it back up in the tent to dry. I was tempted to use the washing machine but a) it wouldn't have fitted in and b) even if I had not put detergent in, there is always some residue I feel in the bit running from the drawer to the machine so felt this wasn't an option for me even at a laundromat. Was delighted to see almost all the mildew spots have actually come out :) I can see some near the edge where it is sewn into the groundsheet and am concerned these have avoided contact with the solution and may therefore spread further. I will spot treat these once I get more miltons and before packing away. Lots of great useful advice on this forum and I can see if I ever buy a tent on Ebay I would ask the seller to confirm the tent is mould and mildew free first.
There is no need for milton on mildew IF you have washed the area AND dried in sunlight, the uv rays in sunlight will kill the spores preventing it spreading.