tent care

[eisely]

Two weekends back I set my tent up on a patch of something that adhered to the bottom of my tent. Further I had left my plastic sheeting ground cloth at home. When we broke up camp I did not want to roll up the tent with this stuff on it. I think it might have been some pitch off of the pines.

 

Anyway, yesterday I used one of several competing products to gently remove the stuff. I used a product called "Goo Gone" which is a petroleum based product. The tent itself seems to remain unharmed.

 

What other approaches have people used to deal with this kind of problem? Any problems with damage to the tent itself?

[Gunny2862]

I used Goo Gone in the Corps for years.

It's a great product and I've never once had a problem from using it. Of course it helps to know what you are using it on won't dissolve by being covered by the solvent. Always test in a place you can afford to lose if it does eat it.

[Gold Winger]

WD-40 disolves most sticky things too.

[CalicoPenn]

I know it might sound whacky but I've used Coca-Cola with success on getting rid of sticky gunk from my tent, then followed that up with a quick spot cleaning with a diluted mild detergent. I should mention that I specified a brand name for a reason - I've had better luck with Coca-Cola then with any of the other colas (Pepsi, RC, etc) on the market - and I think it's because Coca-Cola has a higher carbonation than the other colas. But don't quote me on that.

 

Calico

[Gunny2862]

Coca Cola is also reputed to have a fairly high ascorbic and phosporic acid content.

Guess that depends on your definition of what a high acid content is.

While your stomach is usually around a ph of 2, Coke is usually a 2.5 - other coke pruducts run from around a 2.5 to 4.5 ph.

 

I wouldn't let a spilled carbonated drink stay on a tent - finishing off with the detergent and a rinse is a great idea!