BY Nick Bulanda
Published January 19, 2021
How to Clean Mold Off Camping Chairs
For our money, there’s nothing better than a few days spent in the great outdoors. The air is fresh, hopefully the sun is shining, and you’ll be able to rejuvenate both your mind and body. However, if you want your trip to go as well as it possibly can, it’s important to properly prepare. Camping chairs are among the most common and important accessories and equipment you can bring with you. Whether you’re going out into the wild, to a family campground, or even staying at a cabin or cottage, it won’t hurt to have a good piece of outdoor seating. It pays off to check ahead of time to make sure your chairs are in good shape.
If you’ve gone out to the garage or shed and pulled out your camping chair to find it reeking of mildew and mold, that’s a problem. While your first instinct might be to toss the chair out and buy a new one, there are other options you might want to consider. With this brief guide, we want to show you how to clean mold off camping chairs. The process is quite simple, and you should have your chair back into shape in no time. If you do decide you’d like to opt for a new chair instead, we can help you find the best camping chair available today! However, we think it’s definitely possible to get your current chair looking (and smelling) as good as new.
Step One: Brush Time
The first thing to do once you pull your camping chair out is inspect it closely. Look for any mold, dirt, stains or anything else you’d want to remove. If you need to, start by wiping the chair down with a rag or paper towel to get any major contaminations out of the way. From there, use a soft-bristle brush and start getting into those dirty spots. A toothbrush is a good choice, especially if you don’t have too much space to cover. Start by doing this dry, so you can get the easy-to-clean mess off without getting any of it unnecessarily wet. For example, if your chair has dirt all over it, you don’t want to splash it with water, as that will just make more of a mess. Clean it off first!
Step Two: Wash with Cleaning Solution
The choice of cleaning solution is up to you. There are a number of different options out there, from at-home remedies to stuff you can buy online and in stores. Some people recommend starting with water, then moving to a heavier-duty cleaning solution. Others say you should start with a mix of water and vinegar, while others say you’ll be find with good old soap and water. A lot of this may depend on the material your chair is made out of. We suggest doing a tiny bit of research to see what solution works best for your chair’s material. For the standard Oxford fabric found in most camping chairs, a mix of two-thirds vinegar and one-third water should do just fine.
Spray the chair with this solution, let it set for a brief time, and then use your brush from before and get to work. You can also use a soft cloth or rag if you prefer. Work the solution into the material of the chair and focus in on spots that have been affected by the mold. This is perhaps the most important step on how to clean mold off camping chairs.
Step Three: Rinse the Camping Chair with Water
After that, it’s time to clean the solution off your chair. Some good old water will do well in this situation. Spray the chair thoroughly and then wipe it down briefly. Make sure you get all of the soap off here. If you allow the soap to dry onto your camping chair, that’s not too much better than your original problem! Once all of that soap is gone and your chair is damp but not soaking wet, you’re ready for the next step.
Step Four: Let It Dry Out in the Sun
This is the easiest step, mostly because you don’t have to do anything! Take your chair out into the sun and let nature do its magic. After an hour or two, you should find your chair dry and smelling great. That means you’ve learned how to clean mold off camping chairs, and you’re ready for your next trip!
Additional Cleaning Options
Lastly, before you leave, we want to share a few more tips about how to clean mold off camping chairs. If our steps did not work for you, don’t give up hope yet. We recommend trying a stronger cleaning solution, such as a water and alcohol mix or something you purchase from a store. Additionally, you could always just pick up a new camping chair. There are all kinds of styles and price ranges available, even something like a pink camping chair you could buy!
At the end of the day, the most important thing is making the best of your trip. A good camping chair will be able to help out in this regard. Make sure to let us know if you have any questions by commenting down below. You should also feel free to share any camping chair cleaning suggestions with our readers! If we lift each other up, we can all live a better life.
