Resin stains are common. If you are camping in a wooded area, you will often be under trees and they can produce resin. Resin stains on your tent canvas are persistent. Fortunately, you can treat these stains well with the right knowledge and products.
We tell you how to remove the resin from your tent, what resin is and which trees produce resin. So you can strategically choose your next camping spot. You can use these tips if you:
- want to remove resin from a cotton tent
- want to remove resin from a polyester tent
- remove resin from your awning or awning
Important tips to remove resin
Resin stains are difficult to remove. But with the right approach and with the right resources, it is possible.
Before you start with the tips below, it is good to first check whether it is really about tree resin stains. Honeydew from aphids can look a lot like resin. But honeydew is easy to remove from your tent.
Is there a sticky layer on your tent? Then there is a good chance that it is honeydew. First try to clean the stains with warm water and a soft brush. If it is aphid, you can brush it away fairly easily. Does this not work? Then it is tree resin and you can use the tips below.
Tip 1: don't try to remove the resin right away
Most stains should be removed as soon as possible. With resin it is slightly different. If you discover resin stains, we recommend waiting a while before cleaning. Resin becomes hard over time. When the resin has cured, you can remove it more easily from your tent canvas.
Tip 2: Do not use soap or solvents to remove resin
A special tent cleaner will help treat most stains. In the case of resin stains, this is not directly recommended. Resin does not dissolve in an emulsion of water and soap, even if the cleaning agent has been specially developed for tent cloth. Have you removed the resin and is there still a stain in the cloth? You can treat that stain with special tent cleaner.
Tip 3: leave resin untreated
Resin is not a fungus or algae and in principle it does not affect the tent canvas. It may not be a pretty sight, but if it doesn't bother you, you can leave it alone. It has no adverse effect on your tent.
Tip 4: remove resin with an ice cube
A well-known tip among seasoned campers: remove resin with an ice cube. You use the ice cube to make the resin drops cold and hard. Once the resin has hardened, you can easily remove it. You can then carefully scrape it off with a spoon.
Often a stain remains where the resin adhered to the cloth. This is due to the dye in the resin. You can treat this stain with tent cleaner.
Tip 5: do not use aggressive cleaning agents or greases to remove resin from your tent cloth
Resin is not soluble in water, but it is soluble in alcohol, white spirit and fats. These are great solutions if you want to remove wax from your hands. These solutions are less suitable for your tent: aggressive agents affect the coating of the tent fabric and do more harm than good.
What exactly is resin?
Resin is an organic substance. It is often pale yellow and translucent, tough and very sticky. Because resin is not soluble in water, it is very difficult to clean resin stains. Resin is secreted by coniferous trees. In contrast to other types of trees and woods, softwood contains resin channels. Some tropical tree species also produce resin.
Campers may sometimes find resin annoying, but conifers can't live without it. Resin performs a number of important functions for the tree:
- It allows a tree to seal its wounds.
- If branches fall or break from the tree, it will seal the cracks.
- Resin protects the tree from fungi, infections, viruses or parasites.
Examples of trees that produce resin
- Give
- save
- juniper berries
- The
- Lariks
Where do you put the tent?
It is nice to put the tent in the shade. If you pay attention to the tree under which you set up your tent, you can prevent resin or honeydew from getting on your tent canvas.
Most conifers can produce resin, so it's best to avoid them. Linden and maple trees are susceptible to the aphid that produces honeydew. It is therefore better to avoid those trees.
