So I've recently discovered the joys of using a tarp as a backdrop/protection during indoor filming. I haven't quite mastered it yet - I still have some mess running off the edges and onto the floor - but it's way better than filming in the bathroom or freezing to death outside.

My question is - how do you clean a tarp? I presume they're too large to fit in a washing machine - is there any other method other than hosing it down? Alternatively are there any cheap(ish) disposable plastic sheets I could use? Ideally opaque, as the only ones I can find are akin to Poundland see-through "dust sheets" and they're just terrible.

Any other tips to do with tarps? Best way to hang them up? I'm just weighing them down and letting them drop from on top of the kitchen cupboards, if I'm honest. I'm not a studio, I'm a single person with a small budget and I want to do the best with what I have.

I stopped doing it Mog, it wasn't worth the aggro. I use to hose them down, but they never got 100% clean. Also, they start to wear and rip. My advice - visit B&Q and see what tarps they have in. I use one for the floor that costs £10. Walls, I visit Wilko's and spend £1 per side and door.


regards

Andy and the team.

I don't - get either the good, thick 'adorn' gold (not bronze or silver) dust sheets - cheaper than a tarp but just as effective

or, get yourself a big long roll of 125 gauge polythene - search that on ebay and spend about 40 quid but it's disposable, thick, doesn't flap about or get stuck to you and you cut off what you need per session. depending on the splosh area size, should last at least 4 or 5 goes out of a roll. It's also fairly mouldable and can be used to line a pool without sticking to you. Be sure to fully unfold it as it can be a bit deceptive and you think it's small but then realise you've got another layer or two to unfold doubling the size

Now I did use one of those cotton dust sheets once, but the gunge just seeped straight through it and I ended up having to mop the floor anyway. I suppose it would need a 2nd layer of something waterproof beneath it?

I'm intrigued by the polythene though, I shall go and have a mooch on eBay methinks.

the adorn gold ones are not cotton - they are quite hard to find sometimes but they are my fave ever

125 polythene is perfect for wam

a bit more expensive but you can get those cotton ones with a waterproof backing. I kept one on the floor the whole time during the last mariafest where we sessioned and filmed every day. It was awesome and worth the price as it got so much use but probably not great for a one and done type thing

ohhh I forgot this til i saw your other thread, shower curtains are also awesome and they look nicer than tarp or plastic which may solve your background conundrum too

poly for the floor or pool, shower curtain background

the smartprice asda ones used to be the impermeable plastic type... I think at some point they changed them but not sure.. go to asda and sneakily open a packet to check that's the type you want. usually under £2 each

also the b&q value ones are the waterproof/impermeable type. I got a load of those for 99p each once in their sale.

Also, in the North American market, its also commonly known as vapor barrier, used in home insulation. There are usually about three varieties of thickness or gauge (I prefer the thickest, but a medium-grade isn't bad either), and a 500 square foot roll can run about $30-$40 - it's well worth it.

Ordinary bedsheets make great backdrops.... and don't reflect light like tarps.... and can be easily washed.
Dropcloths are easily found at Home Depot for the ground. Roll 'em up and throw 'em away after the scene. $10 for a pack of 6.

I actually did that exact thing in my last video - and I just threw them away afterwards. Oh, it was absolute bliss. Quickest and easiest cleanup ever.

Problem there is they're not waterproof - I used a cloth sheet before and the gunge just seeped straight through and I ended up having to scrub the floor anyway.