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How to Wash Dishes when Backpacking: without soap or water
Sometimes washing dishes is unsafe when in areas that are known to attract wildlife. Sometimes water is scarce and washing up is not possible. In winter, when it is snowy and frigid, it might not be necessary. In these circumstances, the best thing to do is to remove food residue from all your dishes, utensils and cooking pots before packing them up. The best way to do this is to consume all those bits of foods (you need the calories anyway). Wipe the sides of your dish with tortilla, bread, spoon or finger. Some other possibilities –
Olive oil added to cooking water makes clean-up a breeze.
Add a single packet of olive oil or 1 TB when you boil your water. This provides extra fat calories to the meal and the oil makes it easier to clean up if you do not have a coated pan. We have tried this with a non-coated aluminum pan from an old Boy Scout mess kit and food sticking was minimal.
Drink it or Sip it.
Add some water to the pot, swish it around and drink. Soup! Seriously, this works fine if you are low on water or not near a source of water. Why waste food calories or water for cleaning when your body can use it?
Dip it, but don’t Lick it.
Have some spare bread or tortilla? Wipe the pot clean with a chunk of bread and you’ve got an instant dip. No bread? Some people may lick the pot clean (or let the dog), but we don’t recommend doing this since the mouth contains a lot of bacteria. Instead of licking the pot, wipe any excess food residue with a clean finger, spoon, or bandanna, and then air dry the pot or dish thoroughly.
If you have a camp fire, use what is already available from nature – wood ash.
Ash and water combine to make a mild alkali, and when combined with any leftover fat present from the food particles you want to eliminate, it becomes the basic composition of soap. Place the ash in the cooking pot and add enough water to make into a paste. Use the paste like you would soap to clean all your pots and utensils. Use a small sponge or cloth and rinse with clean water.
If you do not have a sponge, use what is available on the ground.
A handful of grass works well. Pine needles, leaves or pine cones can also work. If you are camping on a beach where sand is abundant, use the sand as an abrasive to clean dishes.
Clean your cook pot with plain water and a small sponge.
Dried meals are already pre-cooked and should not leave much residue since you are only reheating them. Pour ¼ C of water into the dish and swoosh with the small scouring sponge you made from home (as shown above). Make sure you boil the water for the next meal and dip any utensils into the boiling pot of water for a few seconds to kill any standing bacteria.
Wipe dishes dry without soap or water.
Consume as much of the leftover food as possible by scraping your spoon/spork around every nook and cranny and inserting into the mouth. Now wipe everything clean. If you dry the cooking pot thoroughly by wiping it down with a bandana or camp towel, it will remain relatively hygienic based on the fact that most bacteria require moisture to multiply. Be sure to wipe everything clean and allow to air dry before packing it up.
Use pot liners to keep the pot free of food.
Although this option is slightly more eco-friendly than the stand up pouches some backpackers use to rehydrate food and eat from, we mention pot liners last. Pot liners are our least favorite option because it creates extra waste and can leak. The idea of a pot liner is to place the bag inside of your cooking pot with the edge folded over the side. Similar to an oven bag, but designed for pots, it is made of a thin, food safe plastic (PTFE or nylon) that is manufactured to withstand high temperatures. You are using the liner to boil water and cook (i.e. rehydrate) your dried food so that your pot does not contact water or food directly, and thus stays clean.
Here is how it works:
1) Put the cooking liner in your pot & boil water 2) Place dry food in the lined pot 4) Eat & remove the liner 5) find a place in your gear to stow the dirty food liner.
We’ve tested this one thoroughly thinking it might be a solution for those of you that absolutely REFUSE to allow food to come in direct contact with your cooking pot. As much as we like the idea, it didn’t work for us after multiple tests. Backpacking pots are made to be lightweight from metals that are designed to heat up fast. This creates hot spots which can cause the high-temperature bags to develop small holes. Even though the bags we tested were designed to withstand up to 400 degrees F, it seems this rating is applicable for radiant heat rather than direct heat. When the bags are exposed direct heat (even at much lower temps) they can warp and tear. Another disadvantage is that the liners can tear when you are scooping out your food with a spork or fork. Anyone else have any better results with this option?
How to Wash Dishes when Backpacking: without soap or water
Sometimes washing dishes is unsafe when in areas that are known to attract wildlife. Sometimes water is scarce and washing up is not possible. In winter, when it is snowy and frigid, it might not be necessary. In these circumstances, the best thing to do is to remove food residue from all your dishes, utensils and cooking pots before packing them up. The best way to do this is to consume all those bits of foods (you need the calories anyway). Wipe the sides of your dish with tortilla, bread, spoon or finger. Some other possibilities –
Olive oil added to cooking water makes clean-up a breeze.
Add a single packet of olive oil or 1 TB when you boil your water. This provides extra fat calories to the meal and the oil makes it easier to clean up if you do not have a coated pan. We have tried this with a non-coated aluminum pan from an old Boy Scout mess kit and food sticking was minimal.
Drink it or Sip it.
Add some water to the pot, swish it around and drink. Soup! Seriously, this works fine if you are low on water or not near a source of water. Why waste food calories or water for cleaning when your body can use it?
Dip it, but don’t Lick it.
Have some spare bread or tortilla? Wipe the pot clean with a chunk of bread and you’ve got an instant dip. No bread? Some people may lick the pot clean (or let the dog), but we don’t recommend doing this since the mouth contains a lot of bacteria. Instead of licking the pot, wipe any excess food residue with a clean finger, spoon, or bandanna, and then air dry the pot or dish thoroughly.
If you have a camp fire, use what is already available from nature – wood ash.
Ash and water combine to make a mild alkali, and when combined with any leftover fat present from the food particles you want to eliminate, it becomes the basic composition of soap. Place the ash in the cooking pot and add enough water to make into a paste. Use the paste like you would soap to clean all your pots and utensils. Use a small sponge or cloth and rinse with clean water.
If you do not have a sponge, use what is available on the ground.
A handful of grass works well. Pine needles, leaves or pine cones can also work. If you are camping on a beach where sand is abundant, use the sand as an abrasive to clean dishes.
Clean your cook pot with plain water and a small sponge.
Dried meals are already pre-cooked and should not leave much residue since you are only reheating them. Pour ¼ C of water into the dish and swoosh with the small scouring sponge you made from home (as shown above). Make sure you boil the water for the next meal and dip any utensils into the boiling pot of water for a few seconds to kill any standing bacteria.
Wipe dishes dry without soap or water.
Consume as much of the leftover food as possible by scraping your spoon/spork around every nook and cranny and inserting into the mouth. Now wipe everything clean. If you dry the cooking pot thoroughly by wiping it down with a bandana or camp towel, it will remain relatively hygienic based on the fact that most bacteria require moisture to multiply. Be sure to wipe everything clean and allow to air dry before packing it up.
Use pot liners to keep the pot free of food.
Although this option is slightly more eco-friendly than the stand up pouches some backpackers use to rehydrate food and eat from, we mention pot liners last. Pot liners are our least favorite option because it creates extra waste and can leak. The idea of a pot liner is to place the bag inside of your cooking pot with the edge folded over the side. Similar to an oven bag, but designed for pots, it is made of a thin, food safe plastic (PTFE or nylon) that is manufactured to withstand high temperatures. You are using the liner to boil water and cook (i.e. rehydrate) your dried food so that your pot does not contact water or food directly, and thus stays clean.
Here is how it works:
1) Put the cooking liner in your pot & boil water 2) Place dry food in the lined pot 4) Eat & remove the liner 5) find a place in your gear to stow the dirty food liner.
We’ve tested this one thoroughly thinking it might be a solution for those of you that absolutely REFUSE to allow food to come in direct contact with your cooking pot. As much as we like the idea, it didn’t work for us after multiple tests. Backpacking pots are made to be lightweight from metals that are designed to heat up fast. This creates hot spots which can cause the high-temperature bags to develop small holes. Even though the bags we tested were designed to withstand up to 400 degrees F, it seems this rating is applicable for radiant heat rather than direct heat. When the bags are exposed direct heat (even at much lower temps) they can warp and tear. Another disadvantage is that the liners can tear when you are scooping out your food with a spork or fork. Anyone else have any better results with this option?
its all good
