One of the many reasons for going camping is for fresh air. But did you know that your tent can have a mold problem?
It is worth checking the air quality of your tent, especially if you have a mold allergy.
How to Detect a Mold Problem
The first question to ask your self is “does this apply to me?” Allergy or no allergy, mold can cause health problems. It also causes odors.
The first thing to notice about your tent is how fresh it smells. If it has the smell of mold and mildew, then you have a mold problem for sure.
Another clue is discolouration. The inner part of most tents is white or off-white. If your tent has a grey tinge to it, especially if it is in patches with well defined edges, then you can pretty well assume you have a mold problem. The main exception to this is if you have previously had mold growth in the tent, and subsequently applied mold clean up techniques that were effective in mold control, but did not shift the stain.
How to Get Rid of Mold from your Tent
The easiest and most effective way to remove mold from a tent is to simply soak it in a mixture of water and bleach.
Use two or three caps-full of bleach in a large bucket of water, and soak for three to four hours. It may be easier to soak the tent and fly separately, unless you have a laundry sink.
Rinse the tent in a bucket of water two or three times to flush out the bleach.
Then hang the tent to drip-dry. Finally, allow the tent to dry completely before storage.
Mold Prevention
Better than mold clean up is to avoid mold growth in the first place. Mold prevention in tents is quite easy, unless you are camping for several weeks with rain every night!
When you get home from any camping trip, hang your tent in the open air to allow it to dry completely. If the weather is bad, set it up inside and allow to stand until dry, then allow it to stand over night to make sure it is well and truly dry.
It is well worth avoiding mold in your tent, for your allergies and your health.
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Quick solution to add
To those who are afraid the bleach might ruin your tent or tent fly, Tilex non-bleach (or any mildew/mold remover solution) works wonders too. Spray the solution onto the tent or tent fly, let stand for approximately five minutes, then sponge clean. It may take a couple of tries to get rid of more stubborn mold, but it does work.