How to wash up in the wilderness

[redcollective]

Thought you folk might be interested in this article (with links to the relevant published papers at the end):

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060826/food.asp

Dunno if I could be bothered.

Personally I put my trust in a liberal application of fire to the aforementioned utensils and waste as little water as possible washing up - that's the beauty of metal pots and utensils (and one pot cooking). Put some water in your pot, boil it up, swill it around, wash it out, a bit of clean water to rinse, dry it off near the fire (Hot!).

Anyone made themselves ill from poor camp/cooking hygiene?

 

[JonnyP]

Well I certainly would not bother with all that, even if I had plenty of water.
I tend to scrape off and wipe with kitchen roll and dry over the fire to sterolise (sp?). Not ever been ill through that............

 

[bloodline]

Many years ago a friend an I washed our pots in a stream I put mine over the cooker to dry and sterilise them he just let his dry on their own I was fine he was ill with an upset stomach and cramps !

 

[Toddy]

Wayland's fires ashes+ water + greasy dishes = soapy water and clean dishes, works very well too
It's amazing what soap kills or at least removes. If there's nothing for bacteria to live on, or the conditions (pH, etc.,) are wrong for them to thrive, there's no problem.
It'll be interesting to get input from folk like Stuart ( lots of jungles and the like) and the services folks on this thread too. How do they manage? Steritab the lot?

Never been ill away on my own or with family & friends. Was really ill once at a Cub camp though, and I've been on a couple of digs where latrine trenches were a health hazard and folks developed lurgies

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[mealex666]

Well I certainly would not bother with all that, even if I had plenty of water.
I tend to scrape off and wipe with kitchen roll and dry over the fire to sterolise (sp?). Not ever been ill through that............

thats just what i do,and i havent been ill

 

[spamel]

I bung a bit of water in, grab a bit of moss and scour out my billy can, empty and wipe with a bar towel, then I also hang it over the fire. Fire is our friend!!

 

[Simon E]

I usually wash it with dirt or sand from a pond of stream/river and rinse. The grit does a great job on stainless and gets rid of stubborn food bits. If I am going to use it, it will be hotter than most nasties can stand anyway.

 

[pierre girard]

Thought you folk might be interested in this article (with links to the relevant published papers at the end):

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060826/food.asp

Dunno if I could be bothered.

Personally I put my trust in a liberal application of fire to the aforementioned utensils and waste as little water as possible washing up - that's the beauty of metal pots and utensils (and one pot cooking). Put some water in your pot, boil it up, swill it around, wash it out, a bit of clean water to rinse, dry it off near the fire (Hot!).

Anyone made themselves ill from poor camp/cooking hygiene?

Never been ill on the trail. Use wood ash and boiling water to clean bowl and kettle when I'm alone, scouring pads, such as Brillo or SOS (US brands) and rinse with boiling water, when I'm with the Mrs. Seems to work fine.

 

[Wayland]

I also have a problem with the amount of chemical contamination caused by such methods.

I've used the wood ash method for years and catered for large groups in historical field kitchens many times without a single case of stomach upset.

I see little reason to change it.

 

[gregorach]

Man, what is it about the Appalachian Trail? Those illness stats are appalling!

I notice there's absolutely no mention of using heat to sterilise your dishes - but again, it's the AT, so I guess no fires. And I hate to think of the cumulative environmental impact of god-know-how-many hikers dumping bleach every time they wash up...

 

[The Joker]

I use one of those jif lemon things, a bit of water in the pan a squirt of lemon juice and boil it up............Sorted.

 

[scanker]

I suspect bad toilet hygiene / hand washing would be a more likely cause of stomach upsets in hikers/campers than poor washing up routines.

 

[The Joker]

I suspect bad toilet hygiene / hand washing would be a more likely cause of stomach upsets in hikers/campers than poor washing up routines.

I reckon your right............I all ways use a bit of dry wash for the hands. And every night before getting in to the sack I have a wet wipe (the're great) wash

 

[JohnC]

I wonder if a change in diet (for example, switching to dehyd rations) may account for some of the gastro upsets mentioned. Also lightweight backpackers may use plastics for utensils and plates which are more difficult to clean thouroughly in the field.
Hand washing is a must.

 

[moko]

I agree, its not grubby cooking pots which makes you ill, its not washing your hands after you have been to the loo. I only take a metal cup when bushcrafting just to make hot drinks - and cook everything over, in or around a fire. I wash my hands in the anti bacterial gel like you fine in Hostipals after Ive feed or watered the horse, so to speak. Oh, and I always burn my bog paper although I dont use both sides unless its an emergency!

Opps, I may have gone alittle of topic. Sorry

Moko

 

[wildfood junkie]

Horsetail ( a prolific weed where it grows ) contains large amounts of silica so is good for scrubbing pots. Pine needles also work quite well. I also use sand or grit from a stream bed but I always end up wth very dry hands after a weekend of this.
a big handfull of crushed older birch leaves contain saponins and can also be used, but they are more fragile than the above so tend to make it a bit messy and you'll need to rinse out your pot after.

 

[pothunter]

OK how do I get three 5 ltr buckets in my rucky and who is going to carry the water.
I would like to see the author meticulously following his own procedure after a week 'backpacking and hiking'
Metal utensils, fire and elbow grease every time.

 

[gregorach]

I think that the advice is aimed at "expedition providers", which in the context of the AT these days seems to mean the people who truck all your gear between stops and provide food, water, shelter and sanitation, whilst you bimble the trail along with your daysack congratulating yourself on what a rough, tough outdoorsman you are...

 

[addyb]

I take either a small bottle of biodegradeable (did I spell that right?) camp suds with me or a bar of soap and a kitchen brillo bad. When I finish cooking a meal with my Trangia, there's usually enough fuel left in the burner for me to heat a small amount of water to a nice, hot temperature. Two drops of camp suds is enough soap because it's very concentrated, or I dip the brillo pad in the water and scrub it on the soap. Voila! Suds!

The best part of doing dishes on a climb or hike is the fact that it's the nicest way to get clean hands.

Adam

 

[EdS]

lick clean and slap some alcohol gel hand sanitiser on the stuff.