How to Wash Dishes While Camping

What you need

• Two basins. One for washing, one for rinsing. A pair of collapsible tubs like the MontNorth Collapsible Wash Basin, 9L fold flat in the bin and stand up on the picnic table.
• Biodegradable camp soap. A few drops is enough. Concentrated camp soap such as Sierra Dawn Campsuds Biodegradable Camp Soap, 4 oz rinses clean with much less water than kitchen dish soap.
• A scrubber and a small strainer. A non-scratch sponge for most things, and a mesh sink strainer or a scrap of window screen to catch food bits from the gray water.
• Something to dry on. A quick-dry towel, a mesh hanging bag, or just a clean dish towel spread on the table.
• A pot for heating water. Whatever you cooked in works. Warm water cuts grease far better than cold.

Scrape and wipe before anything gets wet

This step does most of the work. Scrape every plate into the trash bag, then wipe pans, pots, and greasy plates with a paper towel. The less food that reaches the wash basin, the longer one basin of water stays usable and the less there is to strain later.

A good trick for pots with stuck-on food: as soon as you serve, pour an inch of water into the pot and set it back on the warm stove. By the time dinner is over, the crust lifts off with a spoon.

The two-basin method, step by step

1. Heat the water. Warm a pot of water on the stove while you eat. It does not need to boil for washing; comfortably hot to the touch is right.
2. Fill both basins. Warm water and a few drops of soap in the first basin. Clean water, warm or cold, in the second.
3. Wash from cleanest to dirtiest. Cups and utensils first, then plates and bowls, then the cooking pots and pans last. The water stays cleaner longer.
4. Rinse in the second basin. Dunk and swish so no soap residue is left, which is what gives camp cooks an upset stomach the next day.
5. Air dry. Set dishes upside down on a towel or hang them in a mesh bag. Air drying is more sanitary than wiping with a towel that has been used all weekend.

Some campers add a third basin with about a tablespoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water for sanitizing, which is worth doing on longer trips or if anyone has handled raw meat. For a weekend of family meals, hot water and a good rinse are usually enough.

Where the dirty water goes

Gray water is the part people get wrong most often. Pour the used wash and rinse water through your strainer into an empty bucket or onto the ground, and put the caught food bits in the trash. Then:

• Use the campground drain if there is one. Many state parks and some national forest campgrounds have a gray water drain or a utility sink. Check the campground map or ask the host.
• Otherwise, scatter it. Broadcast the strained water over a wide area at least 200 feet (about 70 big steps) from any lake, stream, or spring, as Leave No Trace recommends.
• Never in these places. Not in a restroom sink, a vault toilet, the fire ring, or any body of water. Biodegradable soap breaks down in soil, not in water.

Bear country and critters

Food smell on dishes is just as attractive to raccoons and bears as the food itself. Wash up right after dinner rather than leaving a stack until morning, and store clean dishes, soap, and the scrubber with your food in the car or a bear locker. If you camp where bears are active, the bear country guide covers the full food storage routine.

Fall camping: when the water is already off

This catches families every October. Many campgrounds shut off their water systems weeks before the gates close to keep pipes from freezing, so you can arrive at an open campground with no working spigot. Check the campground page or call ahead, and read when campgrounds close for the season for how to find the real date.

If the water is off, bring your own. Plan about a gallon per person per day for drinking and cooking, plus 1 to 2 gallons per meal for dishes. A pair of rigid jugs like the Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon Water Container, 2-Pack covers a family weekend: one jug for drinking water, one for washing, so nobody fills a water bottle from the dish jug by mistake.

Cold weather changes the routine a little too. Grease sets up fast in cold water, so heat the wash water hotter than you would in summer and wipe pans while they are still warm. Dishes take longer to air dry on a chilly evening, so give them a quick towel dry before packing them away. One-pot meals from the cold-weather camping meals guide mean fewer pots to wash in the first place.

Ways to make less to wash

• Plan one-pot and foil-packet dinners. Foil packets leave nothing to wash at all.
• Give everyone one plate, one bowl, one cup for the weekend. A strip of colored tape on each one ends arguments about whose cup is whose.
• Prep at home. Chop vegetables and mix pancake batter before you leave so the cutting boards and mixing bowls stay in your kitchen. The cooler packing guide covers how to pack prepped food so it stays cold.
• Give kids a job. Drying and sorting utensils is a perfect task for a five-year-old, and kids who help clean up waste less food the next meal.

Frequently asked

Can you wash dishes in the campground bathroom sink?

Usually not. Most campgrounds prohibit it because food clogs the drains and draws animals to the buildings. Use a designated utility sink if there is one, or wash at your site.

Where do you dump dish water when camping?

Use the campground gray water drain if one exists. Otherwise strain out the food, then scatter the water widely at least 200 feet from any lake, stream, or spring.

Is biodegradable soap safe to use in a lake or stream?

No. It breaks down in soil, not water, and still harms aquatic life. Use it in a basin and dispose of the water well away from the shore.

How much water do you need to wash dishes while camping?

About 1 to 2 gallons per meal for a family of four, less if you scrape and wipe first. If the campground water is off, bring that on top of a gallon per person per day for drinking.