FeatherSticks · Water

Washing Dishes Camping: How to Clean Pots Outdoors and Leave No Trace

The cleanest camp kitchen uses one drop of soap – or none.

Quick facts

Distance: Wash at least 60 m (about 200 ft, roughly 70 steps) from lakes and streams
Water: Rule of thumb: 0.5–1 L per person and meal if you scrape first
Soap: One drop of biodegradable soap or none – never into water
You need: Pot or folding bowl, bandana or small sieve, cloth, rubbish bag

1 Scrape and wipe first

Scrape every scrap into your rubbish bag with a spoon or spatula, or wipe the pot out with bread. Less food in the pot means less water and no soap.
2 Carry water 60 m away

Fill a pot or folding bowl at the source and carry it at least 60 metres, about 70 steps, from lakes and streams. Never wash at the bank.
3 Hot water, one drop of soap

Warm the water, scrub with a cloth, sand or a twist of grass, and use at most one drop of biodegradable soap – often none at all.
4 Strain out the scraps

Pour the dishwater through a bandana or a fine sieve. The food bits go into the rubbish bag and are packed out, not buried.
5 Scatter the grey water

Fling the strained water in a wide arc over soil, away from camp and paths, so it soaks in without a puddle or smell.
6 Rinse, dry and store

Rinse with clean water, let everything air-dry in sun and wind, then pack it away with the food, out of reach of animals.

Washing pots in the stream or at the lake shore – "biodegradable" soap included.
Pouring all the dishwater in one spot, leaving a smelly puddle that attracts animals.
Burying food scraps or throwing them into the fire instead of packing them out.
Using sand or scourers on non-stick, hard-anodised or enamel pots.
Too much soap – it needs extra water to rinse and residue can upset stomachs.
Packing damp dishes and a wet sponge, or leaving dirty pots out overnight.
Soaking cast iron or wooden spoons, or drying wood next to the fire.