Tent Window Cleaning (Really?)

Tent window cleaning?  Yeah, right!  Who cleans their tent windows?   Probably not very many people.  But in reality there is something to be said about cleaning the windows in your tent.  Dirty windows can inhibit your view and, if it is the screens that are dirty, will also reduce air flow.  If they get stained by sap or spilled foods they might attract insects or vermin that can do additional damage.  Some stuff, like bird droppings and sap, might even rot the screen fabric.

Many tents may only have screened windows, so cleaning them is a matter of removing the dust or other stuff that might have accumulated on them.  Sometimes you can blow off the dust with an air hose or simply wipe it away with a damp cloth.  If it isn't loose enough for that or you need to remove sap or bird droppings, you may need to wash it off with warm, soapy water Take care not to drip or spill water inside the tent or allow it to run down the rest of the wall.  You might want to lay the window down flat on an old towel to wash the screen.  If you have difficulty removing tree sap, be very careful what kind of solvents you use as many solvents may damage the screen fabric.  One of the weird camping tips I picked up says you can use mayonnaise to remove tree sap from your hands and I suspect it could be safely used on tent screens as well.   Make sure to wash the residue off with warm soapy water and rinse and dry it thoroughly or the mayonnaise may attract bugs and/or leave an unpleasant smell as it deteriorates.

A few tents have flexible plastic windows.   These require careful  wet cleaning to prevent accumulated dust from scratching the plastic as well as to keep them optically clear.   If your tent has plastic windows, the owners guide should include instructions for caring for the windows.  Lacking an owner's guide, wash them gently with warm, soapy water using a soft cotton or microfiber cloth. Then rinse them until all soapy reside is gone and dry them with a soft cotton or microfiber cloth.   If the windows also have screens, wash them as described above too.  NEVER rub plastic windows when they are dry. even to remove light dust.  Any dust will act like a rubbing compound and put micro-scratches in the plastic and the once clear plastic will soon be cloudy and then it will difficult if not impossible to make the clear again.  If plastic windows have become cloudy or yellowed you may be able to clean them with a good plastic cleaner for motorcycle windshields such as Novus.   I have a 3-stage Novus cleaning system that can remove fairly deep scratches from plastic windows, Goggles, etc.

While you're at it, clean all the zippers.   The zippers are usually made of plastic and any dirt or debris can damage them or cause them to malfunction.   Use a soft brush like an old toothbrush. A little dry teflon or silcone lubricant may also help keep them working smoothly.  I would avoid oily lubricants because they will stain the tent fabric and may collect dust and make things worse.  There is a product called EZ-Snap that is a non-oily lubricant for snaps and zippers.  I have tried it with great success on zippers on tents, gear bags and boots.

See out!