How to Clean a Smelly Camping Tent
First, identify which areas of the tent are dirtiest. Using a damp microfiber cloth and a spot of dish soap, gently rub the affected areas to wipe clean.
Fill a tub, deep sink, or large basin with lukewarm water and mix in the recommended amount of enzyme cleaner. For tent cleaning, Gear Aid recommends using 2 ounces of Revivex for every 20 gallons of water. (For reference, standard bathtubs hold anywhere from 40 to 60 gallons of water.)
Unzip the doors of the tent and turn it inside out before submerging it into the tub, taking care to saturate it completely. Follow the soaking instructions on your odor eliminator—most enzyme cleaners, including Revivex, require only about five minutes of soaking time. Leaving the tent to soak for any longer than the recommended time could cause the waterproof coating to break down.
When the soaking time is up, remove the tent from the tub. Gear Aid recommends that you don’t rinse the tent with fresh water afterwards; a representative explained that the microbes in the enzyme cleaner continue to eat away at the odor-producing bacteria as the tent air-dries. Wring the tent gently to squeeze out excess water, then hang your tent outside, in your garage, or in another dry space until the tent is completely dry.
