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Similar to this question, but mildew tends to be very resistant to removal. I sadly failed to keep my tent dry enough, and now it has a couple of mildew spots. They're not bad, but I would rather not replace my entire tent.

What's the best way to remove mildew from a tent?

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The best I've found for this sort of thing is normal household bleach - you can dilute it to start with and try it on a small area if you're scared of wrecking the tent. In many cases, working diluted bleach into the fabric is enough and I've personally never had any issues with it removing the waterproof coating.

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  • 2
    and the more nervous you are, the more you can dilute :)
    – Ryley
    May 11, 2012 at 18:20
  • A weak solution of bleach to water, such as 2 oz bleach per gallon of water may be ok to apply sparingly. However bleach damages and weakens the synthetic materials that make up modern tents. But if you're tent is badly mildewed, then what's worse: The damage from the mildew or the damage from the bleach?
    – montane
    Dec 10, 2012 at 2:45
  • bleach will weaken and eat holes in fabric so I would say damage from bleach.
    – Charlie Brown
    Oct 1, 2013 at 7:04
  • @CharlieBrown - It was a bit of a rhetorical question but I'm glad you agree!
    – montane
    Apr 15, 2014 at 0:57
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I just couldn't bring myself to bleach my tent. I was too worried it would damage the material. In the end I used Mirazyme and a bathtub. The Mirazyme removed the mildew and airing it out removed the smell. We just mixed it in the ratios listed on the bottle.

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  • This is the best solution in my opinion. Most good tents are expensive pieces of technology. Bleach, while great for disinfecting hard surfaces or your white laundry, isn't really good for the fabrics that comprise modern tents. (Neither is mildew for that matter.) But Mirazyme is great stuff and it's quite effective, albeit more expensive. I've used my fair share of it on smelly gear.
    – montane
    Dec 10, 2012 at 2:32
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The famous mildew cleaner:

  1. Add 1 quart of liquid chlorine bleach to 3 quarts of warm water.
  2. Add 1/3 cup of powdered laundry detergent.
  3. Mix thoroughly and place in a spray bottle.
  4. Spray the mixture onto the mildewed area. Let it sit until the black mildew turns white. Rinse and scrub with fresh water, then let it dry in the sun.

Good luck!

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  • I have used a similar solution, I also apply a waterproof coating after it's dry, mostly because I water proof my tents once a year anyway.
    – MaskedPlant
    May 24, 2012 at 20:13
  • This is quite a strong bleach solution to use on a tent. I personally wouldn't recommend it unless maybe it was an old canvas-type tent, but to each his own.
    – montane
    Dec 10, 2012 at 2:36
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I have found I had a similar issues with a couple backpacks this past damp winter. I was told Chlorine bleach but did not like the idea of a white or discolored backpack.

Someone also told me vinegar although I never got around to trying it.

What worked for me was just leaving my backpacks outside in the sun on hot DRY summer days. I did very little cleaning, it was as if the sun burned it away. I hope you have some hot dry sunny areas and this works for you. I'd be interested to know!

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    Yes the UV in sunlight as well as warmth and air circulation are an effective way to kill mildew
    – Chris Johns
    Feb 23, 2016 at 21:06
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There's a product called X-14 that is the best mold remover I've ever used. Much, much better than bleach.
Make sure you try it on a small area as a test first. I have used it on many materials, but not nylon (assuming that's your tent type).
However, as of this writing, all smaller bottles have been recalled in the US. You can only buy it in the gallon size.

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