Michigan is an amazing place to go camping in and the memories you make will last a lifetime. Your camping gear is an investment and you depend on it to last a long time so you can continue to camp with family and friends for as long as possible. One of the things that can hamper the life span of your equipment is mildew. We live in a humid environment and mildew thrives in humidity.
The most effective thing you can do to win the war with mildew is to keep it from taking hold in the first place. You can do this by never packing your gear away when it is even slightly damp. When you are home and have unloaded your gear from the car, lay your gear outside in the sun or hang it over something in the house until it is completely dry. After that, it is safe to fold and pack it away.
If you do find areas of mildew you can kill it by scrubbing with a solution of bleach and water. You can use a soft scrub brush or a toothbrush will do, too. Take the time to make sure the gear is good and dry after this so you don’t start the mildew process all over again.
Mildew will try to find its way into any of your canvas made gear and you may find it in towels and swim suits. Dry, dry, dry is the key to a mildew-free camping trip. Your camping gear can last for many years as long as you take the time to perform proper maintenance on it as we have suggested here. We wish you happy camping and look forward to seeing you in a Michigan campground this summer.
