Just like the rest of your outdoor equipment, you should perform periodic maintenance on your pop up canopy tent. Sun shelters are easy to maintain, and with a little bit of extra effort, you increase the lifespan and durability of your EZ-up significantly. The good news is that you don’t have to perform maintenance often. Once a year should be enough. The main goals of the maintenance is to prevent the frame from rusting, and to keep the entire frame and canopy clean.
Rust
Canopy tent frames are often made with aluminum, which is resistant to rust. Even steel frames are coated with a rust resistant coating. Aluminum frames and coated steel frames are still susceptible to rust, though. So you should take proactive measures to prevent the rust from starting at all. Rust spreads like a virus and can be very destructive to metal. It will actually eat away the metal, resulting in a brittle frame. Most of the frame failures that we see, that aren’t the result of human mishandling, are the result of rust.
When you use your shelter, trusses rub together at joints. This friction scrapes off the protective paint coating, exposing the bare metal to the elements. These are the areas you want to focus on. If you go to your local hardware store, you will find that they sell products in the paint section that seals exposed metal and prevents it from rusting. Start by cleaning the exposed metal and letting it dry. Once it has dried, apply the sealant to all bare metal. Make sure you let the areas dry thoroughly before handling your frame again.
You should apply a thin coat of oil to the entire frame once you are done. Apply a little oil lubricant to a rag and wipe down the whole frame. This will clean debris and spread a thin rust-protective coating over your frame.
Dirt
All of the rust preventative measures should have been performed while the canopy was off of the frame. Once the frame is rust free, it is time to work on the canopy. If you grill under your canopy or even picnic, the material may become saturated with the odors of smoke or food. This will attract bugs, so we want to make sure that these odors are removed.
Start with a sponge soaked in soap and water. Use the sponge to scrub the stains and any caked on dirt. Make sure you get the underside as well as the top of the canopy. Check the cleaning instructions for your specific canopy. Some canopies are able to be machine washed, which makes life a whole lot easier. If this is the case, remove any straps and guy lines and follow the instructions for washing.
If your canopy is not machine-wash safe, you can use a hose to make the process easier. It is easier to hose down your canopy while it is on the frame, so wait until the sealants dry on the frame and then put the canopy back on. With the canopy spread out, use soap and water to wipe down the entire surface and then use the hose to rinse.
It is important that your canopy fully dries before you pack it away, or else it could grow mold. Chances are you won’t be able to machine dry the fabric so your best bet will be to take the clean canopy and spread it back over the frame. Leave the shelter in the sun for a while and periodically check on it to see how dry it is. Once it’s completely dry, pack it away.
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