How to wash the tent in the washing machine?

It often happens that outdoor recreation does not end too smoothly. We have to get home in the rain, put a wet and dirty tent and other things in the car. Further, if the tent is not dried out, it will soon begin to smell of damp and mold, and the next vacation in such a tent will be very unpleasant. Many tourists have the idea of ​​washing the tent in the washing machine, is it possible to do this or is it better to use other care methods? Let's talk about this in more detail.

If the tent is dirty and smells?

If you have unfolded the tent and made sure that it is completely covered with dirt and smells unpleasant, you cannot do without full cleaning. At first glance, it seems that the simplest and most reliable way to clean in this case is washing. Having washed the tent, you will also get rid of the smell, and wash away the dirt. But the trouble is, along with dirt and smell, you risk washing off the protective layer - a special chemical treatment, due to which the tent does not let water in and is not blown away by the wind.

Tent manufacturers do not recommend washing their products and subjecting them to any intense mechanical stress in order to avoid damage to the protective layer. Experienced tourists are also skeptical about washing the tent, advising it to be washed only in the most extreme case. What about automatic washing the tent in the washing machine?

A tent of good quality is quite capable of surviving one wash in a washing machine, unless of course everything is done correctly. The maximum that she faces is washing off the protective impregnation on the folds of the fabric, but this does not matter, it can be restored using a special spray.

rules

How to wash the tent in a typewriter?

1. Make sure that the tent is placed in the drum of the washing machine and its weight is less or corresponds to the maximum load of the machine.
2. Lay out the tent somewhere in a clean, dry place, such as grass in the yard.
3. Sprinkle the tent fabric first on one side and rub it with a piece of laundry soap, and then do the same procedure on the other side.
4. The tent rubbed with soap, without folding, cram into the drum of the washing machine.
5. Set the washing mode without heating and spinning, while the drum should not rotate at a speed of more than 500 revolutions. Do not use powder and gel.
6. Wait until the wash is finished, then pull the tent out of the drum, let the water drain and dry the tent. It is very important that the tent is completely dry.
7. Carefully inspect the tent, all suspicious places need to be treated with a spray that restores the protective layer of tissue.

Important! Even a very high-quality tent can be machine washed, only once or twice during the entire period of operation. If you wash it more often, then it will most likely go bad and even a spray will not help.

Now let's figure out what compounds can restore the protection of the tent in case you still damage it during washing. There are many options on the market, but only a few of the best compositions:

• Nikwax One of the best impregnations for tents. It must be used carefully away from sources of open fire. Nikwax can be applied to the damaged area even with a spray gun, at least with a cloth or sponge. By impregnation Nikwax can restore awnings, backpacks, overalls, jackets, gaiters and the like. The average cost of 700 rubles per bottle in 500 ml, enough to soak about 7 m² material.
• Mcnett Tentsure. Very good impregnation to restore the damaged protective layer on the tent fabric. Impregnation can be applied to damaged areas with a brush or a small roller. Impregnation should be applied with a thin layer on the fabric, let the layer dry, and then apply a second layer and allow to dry again. It is not necessary to apply impregnation with a thick layer - this is ineffective.
• Waterproofing spray.Universal silicone impregnation, which is great for restoring tent tissue. The only negative is that the impregnation leaves pretty quickly, and the capacity of the spray can is small only 300 ml. Enough to cover about 2 m² damage. The average cost of a 300 ml can is 470 rubles.

Manually

It is possible to erase a tent in a car either very rarely or not at all. What to tourists who actively use the tent, what to do if care of the tent is required quite often? Experts advise resorting to dry cleaning or, in extreme cases, to hand washing.

Note! It is necessary to wash the tent by hand very carefully and extremely rarely, about 1 time in two or three tourist seasons.

If you want to save a thing, it is better to do without washing at all, but if it is impossible, we will do the following.

1. We spread the tent on the grass.
2. We water the tent with water, and then rub it with a piece of laundry soap without unnecessary mechanical stress.
3. Then you need to use someone’s help, one person will water the tent with water, and at this time you rub it with a sponge.
4. Next, turn the tent over to the other side and do the same, rub it with soap and wash it off with dirt.
5. Dry the tent, and then carefully treat it with an odorless spray.

Odor sprays are sold quite a lot, you can take any, for example Toko Proff. It will save the tent fabric from the smell of mold and laundry soap, but if you do not bother with such smells, you can do without a spray. Also remember that to wash the tent is not so bad, you also need to check its protective layer after washing and if you need to restore it.

Dispense with washing

If you care about the safety of your tent, it is better not to wash it, but to clean it. Dry cleaning without unnecessary mechanical impact is the safest, but it does not remove dirt and odor like a wash. What should be done?

After the hike, you should hang up the wet and dirty tent in a dry, ventilated place and allow it to dry well. The fabric of a good tent is covered with sunscreen and moisture-resistant impregnation, so you can dry it even in direct sunlight, but it is better if you find a shaded place for this.

So, the dry tent needs to be straightened out and inspected. Stains of dried dirt and debris must be shaken off using a very soft brush or cloth. If spots remain in several places, you can treat them with a sponge dampened in soapy water. After such procedures, the tent is again thoroughly dried, and then put away in the pantry until the next trip.

So, it is theoretically possible to wash a tent in a car, while it may not suffer from one wash. But you must remember that when washing a tent, you are at great risk. Washing can ruin the protective layer of the fabric, after which the tent will become unusable. So decide whether to wash or not to wash, our advice should be washed only as a last resort, after dry cleaning did not produce results. Good luck