washing up

[BILLy]

Do you have a wash kit to wash your pots and pans? if you where doing a weekender there will be a fair bit of washing to do after your cooking / friying, what do you all use / take with you for these tasks, I know you can use ash and water, using moss or similar but i like my stuff squicky clean and take some scotchbrite fairy and a foldable bowl, i would like to use something more natural if you know of something that would take the place of washing up liquid
Cheers
Bill

 

[Harvestman]

Bit late in the year now, but horse chestnut leaves will give you a thin soap if crushed with water.

 

[cranmere]

I use ordinary soap - which quickly biodegrades in the soil - and a sponge scourer. I make my own soap without any perfume or colour, and if you use a high % of coconut oil it lathers even in salt water and is an efficient cleaner of post and people. Old fashioned laundry soap would work too if you can find it.

 

[ozzy1977]

Normal fariey and a sponge scourer for me, no need for a separate wash bowl

 

[shaggystu]

Bit late in the year now, but horse chestnut leaves will give you a thin soap if crushed with water.

Birch leaves work in the same way, in fact they're even more "soapy", they do tend to break up and leave little bits of green all over whatever you're washing though

 

[mountainm]

Washing up demands too much water so I generally just wipe it out until I get home.

 

[ocean1975]

A bit late in the year,but mares tail is good for cleaning pots out as It contains a small amount of silica in it.

 

[pysen78]

I find the "don't bother"-approach will give me the runs sooner or later especially on summer trips.

I take ordinary kitchen scotch-brites and cut them up with scissors into cubes about the size of ice cubes.
A few drops of washing up liquid goes on each cube, leave over night to dry, then pop them in a zip-loc bag with my cook kit.

In the field, I scrub/wipe the pots with whatever is at hand (grass, twigs..), until pots are "mechanically clean", then use water and scotchbrite suds to really make them clean.
I also make sure to always pour the dirty water out on the ground and not back in the water.

One sud will last you at least a day (three meals) this way. Make sure to squeeze most of the water out of it before putting it back in the bag, otherwise you get a mess, that will also freeze and become unmanagable in winter.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see the "more natural" part of your original post. If you like, do the "two stage" washing up and use birch for the latter part. It has worked for me in the past. Bring a few suds in a small zip-loc as a backup for when birch isn't available. Weighs nothing, and still saves you the bother of bringing a bottle.

 

[cbr6fs]

I absolutely hate washing up when camping, so mainly i eat boil-in-the-bag of rehydrate in the bag type food, i'll then just throw the eaten packet into my rubbish bag and throw away in the next village, so no cleaning up.

If i do cook something in the pot though i have a small pan scourer and use a bit of water.

Personally i don't use any soap as i don't see any need, if some grease is left on the pot after the last meal then it provides some lubrication for the next meal, if i heat the pan up before i cook then it'll burn off any nasties.

I'm also concerned about the environmental impact if i use soap.
All because it says "biodegradable" on the packet it doesn't really mean anything, even mountains are "biodegradable" given enough time.

On some of my hikes/camps it's unlikely that spot will see another camper within my life time, so the cumulative effect will be inconsequential, if i'm camping somewhere like Angle tarn or Red tarn though these places see campers pretty much every day of the week, often it's difficult to find a decent camping pitch because they're so busy.
So in these areas even a mild detergent will have a cumulative effect, PLUS many hikers use these tarns as a water source so it's even more important to keep out any detergents.

I also never wash near any water source.
I always take exactly the same precautions with my dirty water as i do my bodily waste.

The ideal though is always to try and avoid washing up.

 

[petrochemicals]

Eco frendly washing up liquid, and a scourer as I have non stick, or wire wool for stainless steet titanium,

 

[Teepee]

Ash from the fire and a little water, Sphagnum moss, grass, heather. All work well as long as sfood isn't 'welded' on.

Stews are always easy to clean up afterwards, usually only a rinse and wipe are needed.

 

[Ruud]

I also use ash, even seems to polish your pots (which is bad for those who like years of sooth on their pots)

 

[Goatboy]

Another handy tip when disposing of waste water is to fill a plastic carrier bag or cloth bag with grass or bracken and pour the waste water through it. This removes most of the food waste for easier disposal or removal from the site. That way you don't invite rodents of other animals into the camp by polluting the area.

 

[Mike313]

If I'm frying using either my non-stick Teflon-coated pan or my Tatonka pan (provided the food didn't stick to the latter) I just wipe it clean on the basis that pots get sterilised by heat next time you use them. For stubborn cooked-on food and for washing plate/mug eating tools I take a 50ml plastic bottle with some Ecover wash up liquid, a J-cloth and Spontex metal scourer.
In the past when I was wild-camping near a beach, I just used sand and sea water.

 

[BlueTrain]

My only additional suggestion is something to make up for the lack of a sink. I can't take credit for this but I don't remember where I read about it first. In fact, it's two suggestions.

I found at home a plastic container (that kitty litter came in) and cut it in half, leaving it about five inches deep. It makes a good dishpan and wash basin for all purposes. I also habitually carry a lunch bag, one of those insulated bags that holds a six-pack of beer. I use it to keep everything "kitchen" related in, and anything else to make it full. It fits inside the basin that I created from the plastic container, so there's no inefficient use of space. For detergent, I buy the kind that is supposedly good for washing anything but I'm not completely sold on it.

But I will second the motion about pot-less cooking.

 

[11binf]

hi all..for me I don't get to exotic when it comes to cleaning my pots and pans etc..I use a wee bit of campsuds and a small cut down scotch brite pad and a little water..then clean out with a little more water..and let air dry...vince g. 11binf

 

[sandbender]

I like to make bread and usually have enough left after the meal to wipe my pots clean of any sauces and fatty remains, after that I'll boils some water in them and that usually does the job.

 

[Big Stu 12]

One question, how can a drop of soap be more environmentally unfriendly then the plastic bags you get the Boil in bag food in....

I just use a bit of boiling water and a scotchbright if the food is stuck on

 

[garethw]

Hi there
A packet of kitchen wetwipes does it for me.. far lighter than any soap and sponge, and means you don' t need extra water..
cheers
Gareth

 

[xylaria]

Each to their own here is my method:
Serve grub. Put one cup of water and a spoonful of ash in pan. Put pan on fire. Eat and enjoy grub. Clean pan with leaves. Dispose of water in little hole in ground. Put another cup of water in pan and heat, then wash cutlery and bowls with the hot water. Dispose of water in same hole then cover hole with washing leaves and soil. Job done. If it is really greasy I have used homemade hand soap, but generally if the water is hot enough it isn't necessary.