White marks on tent fabric

[XRV John]

I am utilising an unexpected day off work (poorly 6 yr old) to clean my camping gear from this weekend's bike rally.

Can anyone tell me what this white frosting is on my tent and an awning we have?

I've always wiped and dried my tent on getting home so it's never knowingly been stored away wet. It's not on any groundsheet material (shinier material) just the fabric.

Can I clean it off with somethjng by wiping and drying or putting through the washing machine?

Thanks for any help

John

 

[baggins]

Hey John,
what material is the tent made from? and the poles? if you don't think it's mildew, are the poles aluminium?
where do you store the tent?
sorry for the questions, just want to get an idea what could be causing it.
a mild detergent and warm water should clean it off, just go gently.

 

[XRV John]

I asked on my adventure bike forum and they reckon it is the water proofing breaking down as it looks like tie dye or white crackling

So it's off to get some water proofing product