Hi, just collected son's tent, which his friends borrowed to do Duke of Edinburgh 10 days ago. Silly boys didn't dry tent out so it has lain in bag wet since then. Hubby going beserk and threatening to put it in washing machine! I'm sure that's not a good idea but what can we do to sort it out. Need help urgently as hubby about to explode!
You can wash inners in the washing machine at 30'C, non-bio powder and an extra rinse cycle at the end.
If it's the flysheet that's mouldy though, it's bad news. You can't machine wash that. If your Hubby does that it will be one dead tent.
Simple solution? Send Hubby to the bottom of the garden or something to calm down and then ring the friends' parents. Point out that their sons just ruined a £££ tent and perhaps they'd like to replace it? Shouldn't cost too much split between two or three of them. Don't let Hubby phone though!
Thanks for advice, particularly from Val about hubby!! I think we'll try the milton and see if that works for starters, but son's mates definitely going to pay (one way or another!!) Say a prayer for me whilst I tell hubby that daughter's laptop has now just died, 2 weeks after warranty ended!! Thank God sun is still shining eh?!!!!
Hi, I swear by Dettol Mould remover, removed milldew patches from the canvas roof in camper and not a mark left. Dont know how it would fare with nylon tents but worth a look - unless someone can advise further?
I have used the dettox mould remover on an inner tent, but as its very strong stuff, makes your eyes burn with the fumes off it, I sprayed it, left for about 5 minutes and rinsed it, then washed in machine immediately. USE WITH CAUTION .
I wouldn't risk using it on the outer tent in case it rotted holes in it to be honest.
This was a tent that my sister had badly neglected, the inner tent was really mouldy, I found the remains of a jam donut inside it, and the tent had also been put away in a plastic shedstore that had let rain in from under the door, so the tent was sitting in a puddle. it was on its last legs really.
amazingly, the inner tent came up pretty well clean, only a few black spots remained. The flysheet i soaked with a hose and wiped down with a new sponge and left to dry in the sun and that was also salvaged.
You cannot fully remove mildew. You can kill the spores & bleach the thing with Milton or similar, but you are likely to leave a stain & possibly stop the flysheet being waterproof. I ran a DoE unit for years & I'd have gone berserk with any kid who did not dry out their tent. They'd have been asked to do the assesed expedition again, as part of the assesment is being able to look after their kit.
Thanks for advice. Interesting post about making them do D of E again, I'm cross, but not that cross!! Am just off to Argos to purchase new 3 man tent with 3yr guarantee and probably better than one they ruined and cheaper, due to a promotion. Making the little darlings pay for it so feel a bit better about whole thing now.
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Topic: URGENT HELP - Tent with mildew!
