When the camping season is over, you want to keep your tent clean and tidy. Are you going to clean your tent with a pressure washer? You can, but there are a few important points to keep in mind.
For example, a cotton tent cloth is quite vulnerable and can easily be damaged if you use the high-pressure cleaner incorrectly. For example, spray streaks can occur. This also applies if you are going to clean your party tent, groundsheet or awning with a high-pressure sprayer.
In this blog we share tips and a step-by-step plan if you want to use a high-pressure cleaner to clean your tent cloth, party tent, groundsheet or awning.
1. Set the pressure washer on the softest setting
Once dirt has had time to adhere to a tent canvas, rinsing with water is not enough. That is why many campers take the high-pressure sprayer with them when they get home.
If you use a pressure washer, it is attractive to set the jet to maximum volume. By keeping the powerful jet close to the canvas, the dirt disappears like snow in the sun. But this is very bad for the tent canvas. A strong jet close to the canvas can cause the following problems:
- Clearly visible spray marks.
- Poorer, weakened stitching.
- Degraded coating.
Spray streaks are common on cotton tent canvases. Deteriorated coating and weakened stitching are most common when cleaning synthetic cloth, such as a marquee, awning or groundsheet.
To avoid these problems, it is important not to set the pressure washer on the most powerful setting and not to spray too close to the cloth.
2. take your time
If the high-pressure sprayer is not allowed on the most powerful setting, how do you get the dirt out of the canvas? The answer is quite simple – the dirt simply needs time to soak off. The best way to do this is this way:
- Brush off the loose dirt with warm water.
- Brush off the dirt with a good tent cleaner.
- Give the tent cleaner time to soak off the dirt.
- Rinse away the dirt and tent cleaner.
- Let the tent dry.
- Protect the tent by impregnating the cloth.
With this step-by-step plan you take the best care of your tent canvas and the tent will last the longest. Would you rather be ready quickly? Then we give tips below on how to best clean the tent with a high-pressure sprayer.
3. Step-by-step plan for cleaning a tent canvas with a high-pressure cleaner
- First clean the tent with lukewarm water and a soft brush. The dirt that comes off the canvas in this way is the first gain.
- Spray a good tent cleaner on the still wet tent cloth. Because the tent cloth is still wet, you can foam the cleaner well and brush off the dirt. Use a firm but soft brush.
- Give the shampoo about 15 minutes to soak in. The reaction time always depends on how deep the contamination has penetrated the fiber and the overall condition of the tent cloth.
- Now rinse away the dirt and shampoo. Set the high-pressure cleaner to the lowest setting and make sure to keep a distance of at least half a meter between the cloth and the high-pressure cleaner.
- The spray jet should not be harder than the jet from a shower head. The jet should wash away the dirt, not blow it away.
- Now let the tent dry.
In most cases, the tent is now clean. Is there still dirt to be seen? Then proceed with the steps below:
- Spray the remaining pollution with an extra strong tent cloth cleaner.
- brush the Power Cleaner good in the spots. Let it act until you are satisfied with the result. If the tent is very dirty, this may take a few hours.
- Is the dirt gone? Then rinse the tent again with the high-pressure cleaner on the lowest setting.
- Now let the tent cloth dry thoroughly.
- Protect the tent canvas again with a good and strong impregnating agent.
Tip to prevent damage to the tent
Many high-pressure cleaners have a nozzle where the jet is not evenly distributed. This can quickly cause sharp stripes in the cloth. That's a shame for the canvas, and not just because the stripes aren't pretty; the hard jet also affects the coating. So always keep at least half a meter away.
As long as you keep your distance and set the pressure washer to the lowest setting, you can use a pressure washer to clean your tent, party tent, groundsheet or awning.