PDA

View Full Version : washing clothes on the trail



squeezebox
03-21-2015, 22:06
How have you washed clothes while on the trail? I've heard of using a zipplock with soap and water, squishing it around a while, empty, rinse. I plan on bringing the bottom 1/2 of a 1/2 gal milk jug to use for bathing and a bit of laundry.

MuddyWaters
03-21-2015, 22:18
I have never washed clothing on a trail with soap.
I rinse socks out as needed, other stuff too if get food on it or excessive mud.
Soap is for towns, imo. I carry enough soap for washing my hands, not much else.

Walkintom
03-21-2015, 22:27
Laundromats in town are where my washing gets done almost always.

Wear wool. It naturally decreases odor.

I have used Dr. Bronners soap to wash clothes on extended outings where no town runs are possible. Haul water away from the source - I go 200 feet. Wash and rinse such that you disperse the soap a bit instead of pouring it all out in one spot. A few drops will do the job.

I have an inline filter on my water bladder so it's perfectly fine to haul 'dirty' water in. Sounds like your milk jug solution will be a lot more work.

12trysomething
03-21-2015, 22:30
I embrace the funk! I have rinsed socks a time or two. I use wet wipes to "clean" myself.

BirdBrain
03-21-2015, 22:39
I clean mine often in my Sea 2 Summit 10L bucket using unscented Dr Bronner's. My wife says it does not help though and that I still stink.

2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
03-21-2015, 22:50
“Profanity is the effort of a feeble brain to express itself forcibly.” - Spencer W. Kimball.

Off topic but you used a version of one of my favorite quotes I used on my kids when they were growing up :) The version i read was "Profanity is the feeble-minded person's way of trying to sound important"

We now return you to this evening's program

2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
03-21-2015, 22:55
How have you washed clothes while on the trail? I've heard of using a zipplock with soap and water, squishing it around a while, empty, rinse. I plan on bringing the bottom 1/2 of a 1/2 gal milk jug to use for bathing and a bit of laundry.

I plan to use the ziplock bag method to keep fresh underthings available (heard about it at the Kick Off) and use a smart water bottle with sport top for washing up/rinsing off in the evenings. At least that's the plan right now :)

BirdBrain
03-21-2015, 22:57
Off topic but you used a version of one of my favorite quotes I used on my kids when they were growing up :) The version i read was "Profanity is the feeble-minded person's way of trying to sound important"

We now return you to this evening's program

My mother used soap on my mouth at an early age. I am not sure what kind she used. I doubt it was of very high quality. We were very poor. I believe the key is to cleanse it at an early age and it will stay clean for life. Now if we can only solve the issue of the OP, we would really have something.

Maui Rhino
03-21-2015, 23:40
Like BirdBrain, I carry a S2S 10L bucket. I use it to haul water to camp for filtering, as well as washing myself and my clothes using Dr Bronners.

squeezebox
03-21-2015, 23:41
Birdbrain: I'm also going to start with a bucket. I'm concerned about soap contaminating the water I want to filter. so therefore the 0.5 oz milk jug. If I have to do a large volume of soapy water I'll turn the bucket inside out.

squeezebox
03-21-2015, 23:48
So does the Sea to Summit free stand fairly well? Durability? only weighs 1 oz!!! I bought the 2.5 oz version.

Siestita
03-22-2015, 00:50
" A few drops will do the job." I agree. A tiny amount of either Dr. Bonner's or some other biodegradable soap, used away from the water source, is enough to clean either oneself or a few small clothes items. I carry with me a five liter Platapus plastic bladder or two (old school type, not for drinking from a pack), to conveniently carry water from its source to wherever I choose camp. If I wash clothing items on the trail , its just small items, socks or underwear. My one liter cook pot is just the right size for handling that cleaning job. Needless to say, I rinse the pot out very well afterwards.

BirdBrain
03-22-2015, 03:04
The sea to summit bucket does free stand. I also am concerned with soap in water. Does not matter if it is justified. Better safe and all that. Slowly pour dirty water on rocks at least 200' away from nearest water source. I have a cut down water bottle I use for a scoop. It is used to gather water for filtering. That scoop can be used to get enough water to rinse the bucket. Again, done well away from water source.

fastfoxengineering
03-22-2015, 04:45
On the AT no real reason to clean clothes on the trail. However, I've rinsed really wet and muddy socks out. Still wet in the morning but "clean" ... My long underwear rarely gets hiked in so its clean and dry for camp. I have however just jumped in a river/swimming hole with all my hiking clothes on. Clean enough. Not gonna lie. If my shirts dirty but dry, I'd rather keep it that way than have it wet in the morning. Furthermore, you don't get that dirty unless you have a few muddy days in a row. And if you want to wash clothes for sanitation concerns... I think its not worth your time. Washing clothes and not your body is pointless. I carry a very small dropper bottle with dr.b's... For all purposes. Can't say I've never done laundry on the trail but its not a regular thing. I do like to take a bandana and some steaming hot water and give myself a good scrub down after wet/muddy/buggy days though...god bless my wood stove. If I wanna heat up water for a good banadana sponge bath, awwww yeahh

nuknees
03-22-2015, 06:28
I embrace the funk! I have rinsed socks a time or two. I use wet wipes to "clean" myself.

Wet wipes? Heavy, heavy, heavy!
I ziplock bag rinse socks and underwear, generally in warm water, to get grit and sweat out. The salt in sweat will crystalize in fibers of clothes and will cause chaffing as well as get stiff after a while. Then I'll warm up some water for a bandana wipe down of myself to remove salt and grit from my skin...lets my body breathe easier and I stay more comfortable at night.

Lyle
03-22-2015, 10:39
On the AT, with the frequent availability of laundry facilities, the most I occasionally do is rinse out socks or maybe a t-shirt. Other trails, where laundry facilities are few and far between, or entirely non-existent, the ziplock bag method works quite well for socks, shorts, base layers.

Deadeye
03-22-2015, 11:05
I use the half milk jug for lots of things, including rinsing socks & underwear between laundry opportunites.

Nooga
03-22-2015, 11:13
On hot weather hikes, I will rinse out my shirt (no soap) if a suitable lake or stream is available and wipe myself down with a bandana.

Slo-go'en
03-22-2015, 12:00
During the summer it can be nice to rinse the salt and sweat out of your t-shirt and underwear every couple of days. Although not too durable, if your careful plastic grocery bags work well, don't weigh much, don't take up any space and are free with purchase.

12trysomething
03-22-2015, 13:35
Wet wipes? Heavy, heavy, heavy!

The day 2 wet wipes a day become too heavy I will hang up my pack. :)

I like to keep areas fresh and clean . . . . Every morning and night.

Hangfire
03-22-2015, 17:06
I went with the ziplock method, worked fine to get the grime loosened up a bit. Remember not to dump your water out near the spring, nothing pissed me off more than seeing people washing their cloths at the water source.

squeezebox
03-23-2015, 06:25
But wet wipes are just not as good as soap and water.

Hangfire
03-23-2015, 18:13
But wet wipes are just not as good as soap and water.

Yes but wet wipes do work better than hand sanitizer.

BirdBrain
03-23-2015, 18:18
I am confused. Are hikers washing clothes with wet wipes and/or hand sanitizer? ;)

msumax1985
03-23-2015, 18:34
How have you washed clothes while on the trail? I've heard of using a zipplock with soap and water, squishing it around a while, empty, rinse. I plan on bringing the bottom 1/2 of a 1/2 gal milk jug to use for bathing and a bit of laundry.

I never wash clothes on the AT. I wash everything in town, which comes along at least once/week. I once had socks so filthy that they stood up on their own and the grit was chaffing my skin. A thorough rinsing in a stream returned them to "useable" and I washed them at the next town.

Slo-go'en
03-23-2015, 21:49
I am confused. Are hikers washing clothes with wet wipes and/or hand sanitizer? ;)

I hope not, that wouldn't work very well. Expanding the discussion to "washing xyz on the trail" would include the body and therefore wet wipes.

I've taken a few "shopping bag" showers on the trail. Well, at least to wash my hair and face.

The Cleaner
03-23-2015, 22:09
Washing clothes using various methods is no problem. Getting them to dry is another thing. The forecast for east TN and NC mountains this weekend is for high temps in the 30s w/snow flurries. A bit warmer next week with highs near 50*. It was 72* here in Greeneville TN today but only 46* @noon just north of Camp Creek Bald firetower. Some hikers determine the temperature by how much they're sweating. You can work up a good sweat on an arctic expedition. A thermometer is a good investment but few hikers carry them....

2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
03-23-2015, 22:19
I've taken a few "shopping bag" showers on the trail. Well, at least to wash my hair and face.

How does that work Slo-go'en?

Maui Rhino
03-24-2015, 02:50
Since we're expanding the discussion a bit......For a light weight field shower, I will carry an extra cap for my Gatorade water bottle. The cap has several holes drilled in it like a shower head, which makes it nice to rinse off.

misprof
03-24-2015, 03:34
for socks and undies I use my cooking pot. It is the right size for the job. Yes I too rinse it out afterward.

Slo-go'en
03-24-2015, 09:19
Showering with a plastic shopping bag:


How does that work Slo-go'en?

I fill the bag with water and hang it from a tree branch, then tilt it to pour some water over my head, wash with some liquid soap and rinse.

I don't use water bladders, but they make good showers too. If you have some time to kill you can lay the bladder in the sun for a few hours and have warm water to wash with.

It's a good idea to carry a little liquid soap, a hunk of bar soap and a small towel. Sometimes these are not available at the community shower and sometimes you can score a shower at campgrounds. And of course, the wilderness shower during the summer when you just can't stand sleeping with yourself anymore.

Havana
03-24-2015, 10:52
To lighten the load on wet wipes I read an article that recommended drying them out then just refreshing them with water. I'm going to try that this year. That said, I can't see washing anything unless you're more than a week from civilization. As one poster said, I'd rather have something dirty and dry than clean and damp.

Also, if you have a dry bag, say for your sleeping bag, wouldn't that suffice for washing machine? Fold it inside out, fill with water, wash, and then reverse to dry and use the next day for your bag.

tim.hiker
03-24-2015, 10:57
I jump in a nice water hole with my clothes on and soak for a while and then twist them out and hang them on my pack to dry, I don't use soap I don't think it is needed, If you a nude hiker you don't need to worry about cloths lol Joke....

saltysack
03-24-2015, 21:52
The day 2 wet wipes a day become too heavy I will hang up my pack. :)

I like to keep areas fresh and clean . . . . Every morning and night.

Haa...honestly u can let em dry out then just put lil water on them before use...works good...they rehydrate well...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

squeezebox
03-24-2015, 22:34
Do not spoil the water source for any reason, bathing, washing, you or your dog. If I dumped my dirty socks in your pot of Ramen, how would you feel? Just don't do it. Ever.
I see your point of using your cooking pot for washing yourself or clothes. But my 0.4 oz bottom half of a half milk jug means I don't have to wash out the cooking pot all the time. And I'm not boiling water after I just washed my butt.

Dr. Professor
03-24-2015, 22:52
Regarding laundry:

You can pretty much always do it in town on the AT. When hiking in true wilderness with bear canisters, the following works well --
1) Fill two bear canisters with water.
2) Carry canisters away from water source.
3) Add a few drops of Dr. Bronner's to one canister.
4) Wash clothes in soapy canister.
5) Rinse clothes in second canister.
6) Hang clothes on line or else spread on rocks to dry.

Regarding personal hygiene: I have three luxury items that I carry despite weight. The first is a toothbrush that holds a charge for a week and a half (I also floss, but I don't consider that heavy enough to be a luxury item). The second is biodegradable wet wipes (not dried out) -- I use and bury two to three a day to clean myself as much as possible. The third doesn't involve hygiene -- I like to carry some scotch.

perrymk
03-30-2015, 06:11
This washing machine (http://laundry.reviewed.com/news/this-washing-machine-fits-in-a-purse)fits in a purse

handlebar
03-30-2015, 17:41
No need for milk jug basin. I use a gallon ziploc freezer bag. Fold down the sides about 3 inches and it'll hold water fairly decently for a "bucket bath". When done, you can add socks and briefs, close the bag and agitate. All this is done well away from water sources. If they don't dry overnight, they are safety pinned to the back of the pack the next day to complete drying.

BirdBrain
03-30-2015, 18:05
Be careful about drying clothes on the back of your pack. You can't see them as they fall off. Others see them on the trail. The mesh pocket on the back of your pack or in your pants may be a better idea.

dangerdave
03-30-2015, 20:14
Use large safety pins to attach your wet clothes to the back of your pack. Holds them securely against loss. I'm with the zip-lock crowd, for basin and washing machine. Always doing my dirty business well away from water sources, trails, and shelters.

LNT

WingedMonkey
03-30-2015, 20:53
I saw this a couple of months ago on "Ask This Old House", the part of the show where they try and guess what some odd object is.

http://thescrubba.com/

Scrubba Wash Bag. The inside of the bag has a "flexible internal washboard". I might consider such a toy if the bag could be used for other purposes, but it seems kinda prone to leaks.

I usally use a large Ziploc if I really need to wash something.

I already have a water bladder bag with a shower hose that has about 5,000 miles on it for tree hanging showers.