Just wanting to know what others do about washing dishes while camping. I currently take a large plastic container which I use as a sink. For transporting I pack other things in and and around it but still its quite bulky. Just wondering what others use? Also is it necessary to use filtered or boiled water to wash dishes. I'd never drink water from the lake but what about for washing dishes, is it safe?

James, the best thing is to keep it simple, so that's why I bring the minimum of dishes, I'm in Algonquin to get away from the "regular life". I usualy bring a bowl with lid, a coffee cup with lid and a few ustentils, first I rinse with HOT water to get most loose particals out and then add some soap in with new hot water. Put the lids back on and shake for 30 seconds then rinse again...if done minutes after eating, this should get it clean enough.

I also bring a large margarine bowl for hands and face washing, it is light and I pack in it the dish cloths, small towels and soaps. As for the lake water, it should be ok to use when cleaning dishes as long as you use soap, but will need "clean" water to rinse it...to be on the safe side.

I know some of you out there don't mind cooking up a real meal with all of the trimings, but you still have to clean all of the pans, plates, bowls, cups, etc. That's just some of what I want to get away from. As long as we go there to enjoy the parc, well, it's all ok.

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You can get them cheaper at other places and they all work.

Hey James. Great topic. One of the best acquisitions I've added to my camping gear warchest is the Coghlan Folding Bucket. I have two, one for washing and one for rinsing. Besides doing dishes, they are useful for getting water to put out the campfire and good for having a back woods wash (i.e. keep the soap away from the lake by bringing the water to you). When filled with water, the water pressure helps the thick plastic walls to keep their shape. When done, you twist and compress flat and pack away. They are cheap and light and low volume and multipurpose.

You can have a look at: http://www.sunnysports.com/Prod/CLNFB.html for an example, though I'm sure they're available from other places if you do a google search.

Cheers,
Thomas.

We use a collapsable sink to wash in. We use only boiled and filtered water to wash and rinse dishes. The essence of the cyst type bateria is their ability to form a cyst and then to survive in otherwise inhospitable conditions. I don't want to remove cysts from my drinking water with a filter only to pick one up off my fork or mug because my wash water was not "clean". Yes, it is more work. Yes, you use more fuel. But who needs a bout of some delightful intestinal bug?

Both the collapsable sink and the collapsable bucket seem like good ideas and I'll pick one up. Just out of curiosity Thomas does the bucket stay standing when filled with water or do you just hang it from somewhere?

I've used boiled lake water for over 48 years to wash dishes and rinse dishes in cold lake water.

It hasn't made me any stupider; however, I do communicate, in my own way,
with my "supernatural friends"!!!


Bo

The Coghlan bucket will stay standing for a while, long enough to wash dished, etc. The cold water actually stiffens the plastic. If you fill it and walk away, eventually you'll have a collapse.

Can't speak for the hot water method, but it appears to work for some. I know that if I wash my clothes in cold water with soap they come clean... whereas hot water without soap doesn't sound too appealing to me. For dishes, I guess boiling water is a good method for getting rid of the microscopic bugs, but I couldn't justify the fuel useage considering your hands are touching everything anyway and you don't boil them.

Try both ways... if the bucket doesn't work for you, at least you're only out 10 bucks.

Cheers,
Thomas.

P.S. Remember to use bio-degradeable soap and dump it far back from the water line.

I usually try not to use any soap at all. Just leave all the dishes submerged in the water using some rocks and let the fish clean em out. It also makes for a wicked nightime feeding frenzy. Just use a cloth to wipe em off in the morning. Gotta be carefull where u put them though, definatly not in the waves!!
Soap is only required when girls are around.

So is that dangerous/bad in any way? Has anyone ever gotten sick?

Technically you should use boiled or treated water though I never do. Many would argue that disposing of food waste in water is bad so that could be frowned upon.

I just take lake water and scrub with pine needles until clean, then empty into the lake. I'm pretty good at making sure there is only the smallest amount of residue in my pot before cleaning so I'm not really concerned about what I'm putting in the lake.

I use 2 galvanized #10 buckets, one to wash, one to rinse. They nest together, so they take up virtualy no space in the pack, as other stuff is easily packed in and around them. Lake water is easily retrieved, heated over the fire and the resulting "Grey" water disposed of well away from the lake. Packing these in a small plastic/burlap feed sack keeps the fire soot off of my pack and eliminates any need or desire to wash the buckets. The wash water is warmed to aid in cleaning, the rinse water is heated to a boil, so I'm not concerned with micro-organism contamination of my clean dishes and cookware. The boiled rinse water also eliminates the need to dry the cleaned dishes (after a dip rinse, the water rapidly evaporates off of the dishes). These buckets are also useful for drowning the camp fire each evening as well as for "bucket baths" again well away from the lakes.

I lug this thing called a Kenmore and just load it up and push a button. It even drys them!

Or I bring my wife Laurie!!!!

Nooooooooooo seriously,

I take water from the lake and clean away and dump gray water into unwalked areas. I rinse just with cold water. I always thought a drop or 2 of bleech in the rinse water would be a godd idea...never have.

Cheers
Mike

I second the collapsible sink. Served me well from here to Gros Morne, NF!

We have started to try and do many boil in bags
dinners (eg frozen meals in 1 litre milk bags)
and now use paper plates as liners on the real plates.

Many such meals ( including teriaki meats and roasts are
readily available in the regular grocery store

Both the plastic bags and used paper plates make great
fire starters later on so there is no extra garbage

That way any dish washing water is minimized and remember that it should be disposed of far from shore . We always use the largest pot as our dish pan



HTH
Racoon

The boil in bags sound like a good idea, but how does the food stay frozen beyond the first day? I could see this working for the first day dinner and maybe lunch the next day but what about day 3?

I'm normally against paper plates but given they have a second purpose as fire starter, maybe not such a bad idea. I normally go solo or go with one other person so for a 3 night trip this wouldn't take up much room.

Thanks for all the tips so far! Very helpful!