ADVICE ON CARING FOR YOUR TENT
When camping, your tent is your home, and like your house, it needs looking after. Investing time in caring for your tent will lengthen its life and avoid undesirable problems when you next come to use it. |  |
|
| CLEANING YOUR TENT
The best way to clean a tent is while it is up; it is much easier to see what you are doing. Pick a dry day because once you have cleaned the tent you will need to allow it to dry before applying any proofer.
MOULD OR MILDEW - Check for any mould or mildew. Because mould is a living organism it needs to be killed off or it will spread and become worse. A dilute solution of a sterilising fluid such as Milton is ideal for this ( One part sterilising fluid to ten parts water should be satisfactory ). You should carefully sponge the solution onto the mould and then after half an hour rinse off with cold clean water. It is a very good idea to test a section of fabric that is inconspicuous before treating other areas. Never pack your tent away when it is damp; this is a classic way of encouraging mildew.
GENERAL CLEANING - Next use a General or Universal Cleaner such as Fabsil Universal CLeaner or Nikwax Tech Wash, to remove any dirt . If the tent is devided by design into sections, then it is a good idea to clean one section at a time to avoid tidemarks.
|
|
 |
Universal Cleaners For Tents
Nikwax Tech Wash and Fabsil Universal Cleaner are ideal for cleaning tents as they clean without stripping away any inherent water repellent treatment.
|
|
| Note: Never wash the tent in a washing machine and do not be tempted to use detergents to clean the fabric as these will destroy the waterproofing. |
|
| PROOFING YOUR TENT ( WATERPROOFING ) A general indication that the fabric of your tent needs reproofing is given when water either penetrates directly through the fabric or it soaks into the fabric rather than 'balling' or 'beading' and running off.
CHECKING THE TYPE OF PROOFER - firstly, you should determine whether the proofer you have chosen to use is water based or not.
- For water based proofers like, 'Nikwax Texnik Tent & Gear Proof', it is actually recommended that the tent be proofed whilst still damp.
- For non-water based proofers like, 'Fabsil Universal Protector', you must allow the tent to dry properly before proofing.
Follow the instructions provided for the product you have chosen. This is important as the application methods are different for each type of proofer.
If you only need to re-proof a small section - perhaps a high wear area, then you may consider an aerosol solution like Fabsil Gold that can also be used on Rucksacks.
Finally. leave the tent to dry for as long as possible before putting it away (three hours is an absolute minimum).
|
|
|
Water Proofing Products for Tents
Both, 'Nikwax Texnik Tent & Gear Proof' and 'Fabsil Universal Protector' are ideal for waterproofing your tent. The Nikwax is water based whilst the Fabsil is spirit based.
|  |
|
| A TENT CARER'S CHECKLIST Not a complete list by any means, but we have sought to galvanise your thinking and concentrate on the essentials. |
|
|
TENTS PEGS - knock or wipe off the worst of the mud. If necessary wash them in a bucket of water and dry thoroughly. Replace broken or damaged pegs and make sure you have some spare for next year.
GROUNDSHEET - the groundsheet will normally need to be turned over as even in dry conditions condensation will form on the bottom. It is important to give the underside time to dry otherwise you will encourage mould to grow whilst it is in storage.
POLES - Check for damaged poles. Give yourself plenty of time to obtain replacements. Putting your tent up next year is not a good time to find out you need a replacement; indeed to ensure you can get the correct length, size and type it may need to be ordered for you.
GUYLINES - check for fraying or loose knots. Replace where necessary. It is worth having spare guylines and packing them away with the tent.
ZIPS - check that the zip runs freely and that it is clean. Zips are proned to seizing up in storage. There are products on the market for lubricating zips if required. (McNett Zipper Lube)
|  |
|
|
|
