It is very important for all Scouts to learn how to care for a tent. Scouts are responsible for rotating and sharing tent cleaning responsibilities among tent mates.
Tents need to be taken home and cleaned as soon as possible in order to prevent mildew. A basement or lawn clear of debris are the best places. Make sure not to scuff or tear the tent floor if a concrete surface such as a driveway or garage is used for cleaning.
The tent should be set up without the rain fly. All grass, leaves, dead bugs and other material should be removed from inside the tent. The inside floor of the tent should be wiped thoroughly with a damp cloth. The exterior walls of the tent should be spot cleaned as necessary. Rub gently with a wet cloth on one side while holding a hand on the inside of the tent for support at the spot of the stain. Leave the tent assembled long enough for the floor and walls to dry. If the tent bottom is wet from dew or rain, lay the tent on its side to allow the bottom to dry.
The ground cloth and rain fly should be laid out flat, separate from the tent. Wipe down and spot-clean the outside of the rain fly, paying particular attention to animal droppings, squashed bugs, etc. Both sides of the ground cloth should be scrubbed with a wet cloth to remove all dirt.
Wipe excess dirt off the tent stakes. Make certain all of the tent stakes are accounted for. Gently straighten bent stakes to the best of your ability.
After thoroughly drying, replace all of the tent parts in their stuff sacks. Please include a note in the tent bag if stakes are missing or there is damage to the ground cloth, rain fly, or tent.
Return the tent to the Quartermaster at the next meeting following the campout. Inform the Quartermaster if there are repairs to be made or parts to be replaced. Tents which are not thoroughly cleaned will be returned to the Scout.