How to Clean Dishes While Camping

Camping is a great experience, not only do you get out and into the wild, but you get to have fun shucking off all the modern debris we deal with every day. Some of those modern appliances are handy though, and the one usually missed most of all is a sink. Most people have no clue that a sink is so important until they have to deal with a pile of dirty dishes and have no running water, no sink basin, and no clue on how to juggle cleaning dishes without having them touch the dirty ground. There are a few tricks that will make your camping experience a little more enjoyable though, and this article will tell you how to clean those dishes without a normal sink.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wash basin(s)
• Dish soap
• Container for dish soap
• Scrubby or rag
• Dishcloths or towels
• Folding table (opt)
• Water jug (opt)

1. 
   Water jug for camping

   Plan ahead. There will be dishes to wash while camping, even if it’s only pans, it’s better to plan out how you are going to clean those dishes before you go. Ask yourself these questions and do a bit of research if necessary:
   
   Is there going to be running water available? Some campgrounds are dry, so in that case you’ll need to bring water with you.
   
   Do you have a big pan that you are planning on bringing? Perhaps you can use that as a sink to wash dishes in.
   
   Do you need a table? Some campgrounds have them, others don’t. You may need to bring a folding table to eat on and then use it to hold the dishes while you wash them.
   
   Planning ahead will keep you from getting out at the campsite and realizing that you’re missing something you need and with no way to get it.

2. 
   Table/sink camping kitchen

   Purchase anything you need to wash dishes without a sink. These may include:
   Plastic basins, in the household/dish drainer section of many stores. You may want two different colors so you can tell which is the wash basin and which is the rinse.
   A small container to put dish soap in, any small, cleaned, watertight bottle works fine. The regular bottle most dish soap comes in will leak all over everything and make a mess, so you’ll want to put a small amount in a good bottle. Most stores have an area where they sell sample size containers and they usually have little bottles that work well.
   Biodegradable dish soap, if you can find it. Most often there won’t be a drain to dump the dirty water into and you don’t want to pollute.
   A scrubby or rag to wash the dishes with
   A couple of dishcloths or old towels, you will want one to set the clean dishes on and another to dry at least.
   Other items such as a folding table and a large water jug depending on what is available where you will be camping
   
   Another possible purchase is the folding table/sink setup available at many camping stores. These are units that fold out to form a place to set a stove and usually have a sink setup attached. They’re great for camping, but are fairly expensive.

3. 
   Chuck box at camp

   Pack your dishwashing supplies into a plastic tote box or whatever you are using for cooking supplies. Many people have a chuck box with all their “kitchen” equipment in one place, but tossing all stuff into a plastic bag in the back of the car works fine too.

4. If you plan on cooking over an open flame using nice pots and pans, you may want to protect them to make it easier to get the soot off after they’re used. Some people have a dedicated set of pots and pans to camp with, and in that case you may want to allow the soot coating to build up since it helps the pans heat quicker, but nice pots that you want to stay nice will require a bit of care. At home, before packing the pans you will take, coat the outside of the clean pans with a bit of soap. A hard bar soap works fine, or you can use liquid dish soap and let it dry. This will form a protective shield over the pan, so while soot may build up when the pans are exposed to the fire, it will wash right off when you go to clean the dishes. Reapply each time you wash the pans.

5. 
   Wash station circled

   If you can, at the campground, before sitting down and eating, set up a little wash station. Set out a basin with water in it; add a dollop of soap and the scrubby. Set the rinse basin next to that and if on a table, lay out a towel for clean dishes to rest upon. If the wash station has to be setup on the ground, look for something clean and flat to set the clean dishes on, a plastic tote lid works great or a cutting board. Lay a towel nearby and when each person is done eating, they can each easily wash and rinse their dishes, saving a big bother. Either have them lay the dishes out to dry, or they can dry them and put them back in the box where you’re keeping your dishes. Not having a pile of dirty dishes to have to set somewhere and then try to clean and set somewhere prevents the dishes from ending up in the dirt. Most kids will be fine washing their dishes if they know they don’t get smores until they do. Actually, most adults too.

6. You will also want to make it easy for yourself when it comes to cleaning the pots and pans, remember, this is your vacation too, don’t spend all your time cleaning. If the pans you cooked in are empty, add a handful of wood ashes from the campfire to the pan and then a bit of water. Set that over the fire to simmer while you eat your food, and they’ll be super easy to clean out when you’re done. The lye in the wood ashes and the grease in the pans combines and makes a natural soap that takes the gunk right off the inside of the pans.

7. 
   Enjoying a relaxing evening at camp

   Hopefully, by the time everyone is done eating and cleaning their dishes there isn’t much left for you to do. Wash your own dishes, clean up any cooking tools used; finish washing the pans and you’re done. No mess, no fuss, and no trying to clean the dishes without dropping them in the dirt. Remember to toss out any water used to clean the dishes far away from camp, preferably strained of any food particles, and at least 200 feet away from any running water. You don’t want to attract wild animals to camp or pollute the nearby streams. If there are flush toilets at the campground you may want to toss any cleaning water down there. If there are bear boxes at the campground, put any items that have been around food, or have food odors attached to them into the boxes for the night, this includes the clothes you cooked in since smell clings to clothing very well. And most of all, enjoy your camping trip, it is supposed to be fun, not more household drudgery.