Date:         Sun, 24 Mar 1996 20:24:35 +0000
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Harry Yates" <hyates@bcit.bc.ca>
Subject:      Keeping the Poptop Tent Clean

Hi Everyone.  I thought I would pass on a little tip as to what I do 
to keep our poptop tent clean as the camping season is 
here/approaching for a lot of us.

I keep a chamois in the van that I use exclusively for wiping down 
the sides of the roof where the canvas will rest when the roof is 
down.  Just before we fold down the tent, I spend about 60 seconds 
wiping down this area with a damp/wet chamois.  You can easily do the 
piece behind the luggage rack on a Vanagon Westy by stepping on the 
front wheels.  

This 60 second procedure really helps maintain your canvas in *new* 
condition as there is no dirt to rub into it when it is folded.  
Regularly waxing this area also helps keep it clean as most dirt just 
blows off the van.

Today I also cleaned the inside of the poptop... the grey fuzzy 
stuff.  I used a bucket of warm water with Woolite soap and a car 
wash brush (that I use for my house.. not my van!!).  This is fairly 
soft, long bristled brush.  I scrubbed the top with the soap, and 
then used a bucket of water and that brush to "rinse" the soap.  I 
then used a chamois to remove the excess water.  This really cleaned 
up the roof.  This is the first time I've washed down the fuzzy 
stuff, but it's vacuumed regularly.  Tomrrow I'll ScotchGuard the 
fuzzy stuff. 

Harry.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Harry Yates, Burnaby, BC, Canada
'90 Syncro Westfalia  email:hyates@bcit.bc.ca
'87 Golf Diesel         WWW:http://www.bcit.bc.ca/~hyates