Saving a Mouldy or Musty Tent or Awning

If you put your tent away damp or dirty, chances are it will smell musty and likely be mouldy (very unpleasant to sleep in).

1) Pitch your tent in the  full sun to let the ultraviolet light work its magic and do half the cleaning for you.

2) Place a kilo of un-iodised cooking salt in a large bucket of water and stir until it completely dissolves.

3) Take a soft kitchen broom, stuff the head down a pair of tights and tie the excess tights around the handle to secure it.

4) Use the broom to sweep the salt mixture over every surface of the tent and leave it to dry. When dry you will find that a salt crust has formed. As the salt crystals grow while it's drying they expand in the fibres, pulling the mould spore with them and bringing them to the surface.

5) Brush the salt away with a clean dry broom and the mould will be gone too.

To prevent further mould and to keep insects at bay, place a quarter teaspoon of oil of cloves and a teaspoon of lavender oil into a litre spray bottle of water and mist it over the clean dry surface.

Rub a lead pencil across any metal zippers to keep them moving smoothly. If you zippera re nylon wipe them with a little glycerine for the same effect.

Make sure you flip the tent over and dry the groundsheet area. Groundsheets are often rubberised and the application of a good sprinkle of talcum powder swept backwards and forwards can prevent perishing.

Thankyou Shannon Lush, Queen of Clean, for this article.