How to Clean Your Tent (bird dropping, mud/dirt, dog pee, etc.)

At some point, every camper out there will encounter some stain on your canvas tent – whether it’s mud, or bird droppings or even a dog that couldn’t resist lifting a leg on the corner of your tent. We get a lot of questions on how to best clean a stain on your canvas tent.

It’s always best if you can clean the spot with just water and a microfiber cloth. This will preserve the water-repellency that is already in your canvas fabric material. If you only use water and a rag, there is no need for additional water repellent treatment after you clean.

For those more stubborn stains like bird droppings or mold and mildew, you might try a cleaning solution that is 1 part vinegar, 5 parts water, and maybe a ½ teaspoon of liquid dish soap. Mix that up and use it to clean those tougher stains. Specific to mold and mildew stains, we recommend a product called IOSSO Mold & Mildew Stain Remover – available on Amazon.

PLEASE NOTE – when using any kind of detergent to clean your canvas fabric, you will need to re-treat the areas you cleaned with a silicone-based water repellent material like Kiwi Camp Dry®, Atsko Silicone Water-Guard®, 3M Scotchgard Outdoor Water Shield®, or Sofsole Heavy-Duty Silicone Waterproofer® – also available on Amazon.

Also note it is always best to limit your cleaning to spot-cleaning only. When using detergents, the more areas you clean, the more areas you’ll need to re-treat with water repellent.