Expert Maintenance & Repair Guide (Spring 2026)

Key Takeaway: Contrary to what most campers may think, you can actually wash your tent. To clean and waterproof your tent, hand-wash it in a tub using cold water and tech-specific soap. Then, apply a new DWR coating while damp. Avoid top-loading washing machines with agitators, which destroy seam tape. This washing method helps remove mildew and restore waterproofing, extending your tent’s life for years.

Are your tent zippers getting stuck? Is the floor brown with dust? It might be time to learn how to wash your tent.

When you’re shopping from any reputable gear brand, a tent’s body and fly fabrics are plenty strong to endure being rolled and stuffed into your pack, battered by wind, soaked by rain, and bleached by sun. But to keep your tent lasting as long as possible, it deserves a bit of care, rather than being tossed in the garage and forgotten about upon your return.

After talking with gear repair experts as well as learning the hard way, here’s how we’d recommend tending to your tent, both while out in the woods and back at home.

Air It Out

Whether or not you got stuck in the rain, your tent probably accumulated some condensation over the course of several nights and mornings. After every trip, give it some more fresh air—but keep it out of the sun—so it can dry fully before you pack it away. Stake it out in the backyard, pitch it in the garage, or hang it in the shower to let it air-dry. As with your sleeping bag and rain jacket, letting your tent dry prevents mold and the ugly damage that follows.

Watch Where You Pitch

You don’t want to sleep on top of rocks or sticks for the sake of comfort, but it’s bad for your tent, too: Sharp debris can easily poke holes in your tent floor. Spreading out a footprint or tarp before pitching your tent can prevent abrasion—in addition to protecting you from moisture seeping through.

We also recommend pitching somewhere with tree cover. Too much sun exposure can seriously degrade rainfly coatings and fabrics, especially in ultralight tents. Seek shady spots but avoid handsy brush and branches that can snag and tear mesh windows.

How to Wash Your Tent

Washing a sleeping bag or rain jacket makes sense, but a tent? Yup, your shelter could use a scrub, too. Matt Menely of Mountain Soles and Outdoor Threads in Portland, Oregon even recommends tossing your tent in a front-loading washing machine (without an agitator, which can damage your tent). Turn the washer to a cold, gentle cycle. Before tossing in the tent, spray on a tech detergent like Nikwax Tent & Gear Solar Wash or Storm Care Tent & Gear Wash.

If you don’t trust the washing machine and you’re afraid of damaging your tent, you can also hand-wash your tent in a big bucket or tub. Use a tooth brush to thoroughly clean the zipper teeth (fitting, right?), and then rinse under the hose or faucet to remove dirt and soap.

“Fine dust gets embedded into the teeth of tent zippers and can wear out the zipper sliders and the teeth over time,” Menely says. “Dust and debris are the real enemy of zippers.”

Unlike with rain gear and sleeping bags, Menely doesn’t recommend tossing your tent in the dryer. Instead, hang up the tent and fly to air-dry completely before putting them in storage.

If you accidentally folded up or stored your tent while wet and it’s beginning to mildew, submerge it in a bath of Lysol Multi-Surface Cleaner and let it soak for a few minutes. Pull it out, rinse it off, then scrub it with a mixture of one cup salt, one cup concentrated lemon juice, and one gallon of hot water. Air dry.

How to Fix Your Tent Yourself

Here are a few more serious fixes that you can tackle at home:

Tear a hole in the floor or sidewall? Keep a set of Tear-Aid Fabric Repair patches in your kit, which you can apply at home. With an iron on a low setting, smooth out the tent fabric before sticking on the patch to ensure a tight bond.

Is your tent’s polyurethane coating wearing off or peeling after improper storage, UV damage, or old age? Restore it by removing the old coating, cleaning the area with water, then applying an even coat of Aquaseal Ply Coat. Let dry and then sprinkle with talcum powder (to prevent sticking) before packing.

Lastly, seam tape is another common failure point. Clean the seams with an alcohol prep pad, let dry, and then use Gear Aid Seam Grip to seal the seams back together. Make sure to let it cure overnight.

For any other tent fixes, like UV degradation, large tears, mesh panel and floor replacements, and major zipper issues, reach out to your local gear shop.