Mildewed tent

[cabinfever]

Is there a way to get mildew completely off a canvas tent? My brother-in-law was giving a large, well-made tent from someone he was doing work for and the guy had stored it improperly in a damp basement. The thing smells nasty and has visible mildew scattered through it all.

 

[Judy Ann]

I wonder if setting it up outside for an extended period of time in the sun would help. Geez, what a shame.

 

[Grandpa]

Best thing is to wash well and dry it correctly. It may take more than one washing to kill all the mildew. If the tent begins to fall apart, it was too late to correct anyway.

 

[basejump]

You can use a color-safe bleach, which kills mildew. Also the sun and dry air are hated by mildew. An alternative to bleach would be using vinegar or baking soda and peroxide to get rid of it.

 

[ponderosa]

Cleaning it very well as described by basejump and drying it completely will stop the spread of mildew and may get rid of the odor, but nothing will remove the stains.

 

[CozInCowtown]

I was given one once in such condition.
Set up the tent in a sunny location.
Laundry detergent in a 5 gallon bucket of hot water and a soft scrub brush for washing cars.
Get'er done inside and out, rinse well with garden hose and let dry all day in the sun.
DC

 

[ppine]

A weak solution of bleach and strong sunlight will do wonders for canvas.

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

You definitely need an oxidizer to do in the mildew.

Diluted bleach (5 parts water or so to one part bleach and a good wetting agent like Dawn should work. Peroxide would be my second choice, with something like a perborate colorsafe bleach being third choice.

Drying in the sun (dry one side, then turn inside out to make sure the sun hits all parts) should help too.

If the mildew has weakened the canvas, there's nothing to be done but patch the weakened part or trash the tent.

 

[carmen]

Most of the time it can be saved if it is caught early. How bad are the stains right now and how long has it been packed up (before you noticed it)?

 

[campclose]

I would suggest bleach too. I don't know if you can save it now though. It really isn't sunny here anymore (cool weather). I think you need a lot of sun to dry it quickly after scrubbing it with bleach.

 

[cabinfever]

Most of the time it can be saved if it is caught early. How bad are the stains right now and how long has it been packed up (before you noticed it)?

He was told it was stored for several years, but we believe the mildew didn't occur until a couple of months ago, when the guy had a roof leak. The canvas doesn't appear to be weakened, so I'll pass on you guys' suggestions.

 

[briansnat]

I wouldn't use bleach unless it were a very weak solution. There are non bleach,mildew killing sprays and products such as Oxy-Clean that will do the job.

 

[Campfire Girl]

After cleaning and scrubbing the tent, you may need to re-seal the seams with seam sealant. The tent may need to have more waterproofing applied.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Can't speak about mildew...but plain old vinegar is a mold killer...!! Perhaps that would work on mildew also...??