How to Clean a Smelly Camping Tent

• Mild dish soap: We recommend Palmolive Ultra Pure + Clear Dish Liquid, but any dish soap works.
• A damp microfiber cloth: A soft cloth like our pick, the Fixsmith Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, should be all you need to spot-treat a dirty tent. If you’re working with more-stubborn stains, Pottinger recommends using a soft-bristle toothbrush. Avoid scrub brushes with stiff bristles and abrasive sponges, since they can ruin the tent material.
• An odor-eliminating enzyme cleaner: The funk will likely persist even after you’ve spot-cleaned your tent with soapy warm water. Pottinger suggests using an enzyme cleaner designed specifically for waterproof gear, such as Gear Aid Revivex Odor Eliminator.
• A tub or large sink: You need to soak the entire tent in warm water mixed with a few drops of the enzyme cleaner, so a basin that can accommodate the bulk of your tent is essential.

Cleaning a tent should take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Afterwards, your tent will need to air-dry overnight.

First, identify which areas of the tent are dirtiest. Using a damp microfiber cloth and a spot of dish soap, gently rub the affected areas to wipe clean.

Fill a tub, deep sink, or large basin with lukewarm water and mix in the recommended amount of enzyme cleaner. For tent cleaning, Gear Aid recommends using 2 ounces of Revivex for every 20 gallons of water. (For reference, standard bathtubs hold anywhere from 40 to 60 gallons of water.)

Unzip the doors of the tent and turn it inside out before submerging it into the tub, taking care to saturate it completely. Follow the soaking instructions on your odor eliminator—most enzyme cleaners, including Revivex, require only about five minutes of soaking time. Leaving the tent to soak for any longer than the recommended time could cause the waterproof coating to break down.

When the soaking time is up, remove the tent from the tub. Gear Aid recommends that you don’t rinse the tent with fresh water afterwards; a representative explained that the microbes in the enzyme cleaner continue to eat away at the odor-producing bacteria as the tent air-dries. Wring the tent gently to squeeze out excess water, then hang your tent outside, in your garage, or in another dry space until the tent is completely dry.

• Bleach and other harsh cleaners: Such chemicals can deteriorate the tent’s waterproof coating and make it less effective over time.
• Abrasive brushes or sponges: Avoid using stiff brushes or scrubbing sponges that could tear, puncture, or scratch the tent material.
• Top-loader washing machines: The tent fabric can get bound up around the agitator and rub up against itself, becoming damaged. Pottinger recommends only hand-washing tents, though he says you may be able to get away with running a tent through a front-loader washing machine’s most gentle cycle.

• Spot-clean it after a camping trip when needed. Give your tent the attention it needs before packing it away by using warm, soapy water and a soft washcloth to wipe it clean.
• Wipe down the zippers and tent poles. Use soapy water and a soft cloth to wipe down zippers, especially if you’ve been camping in a sandy area. Tent poles, on the other hand, should be wiped down with a dry, soft cloth.
• Never put away a wet tent. Always make sure your tent is completely dry before storing it, otherwise it could grow foul-smelling mildew and mold.
• Store it loosely. Most tents come with a storage sack, but Pottinger recommends storing it in a larger bag that allows the tent to breathe.
• Store it somewhere with a controlled climate. Try not to keep your tent in areas of your home that can get extremely hot, cold, or damp, like garages, attics, or basements.

This article was edited by Christine Ryan and Catherine Kast.