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sellme69
06-01-2006, 23:56
...just wondering the way everyone "properly" washes dishes after cooking & eating. I know it shouldn't be done in streams, etc. Do you just use some water carried in with you and dump it away from water sources, the trail, etc?

Do you wash them with a packtowel then rinse it out with your water?? I'm just trying to get an idea so as not to contaminate water sources, yet keep myself from getting sick! Thanks in advance for input.

SGT Rock
06-02-2006, 05:36
Depends. Sometimes I just add some water, rinse the pot a little, and then drink the water and leftover food. Good tactic in a dry camp where the mess factor from the meal is low.

With a bad mess I normally just take some water and rinse it out and dump it at about the same place I would go to pee. Far from water and campers.

jigsaw
06-02-2006, 06:01
use a ziploc and eat out of the bag. no pot to clean this works for me as im to lazy to wash dishes. just ask my wife

Frolicking Dinosaurs
06-02-2006, 06:29
I do pretty much what SgtRock describes. Adding a handful of the sandy substance from the bottom of a stream works sort of like using cleanser (Comet) to clean a tub if scrubbing is needed. As SgtRock says, always dump the water away from the water source and try to LNT. I have been known to dig a cathole away from from the stream or camping area if there is a lot of residue in the pot.

wilderness bob
06-02-2006, 07:28
Sellme69,
To help remove left over food from your cooking pot, I recommend adding a small spatula to your kit. The kind that looks like a fat flat knife, not the egg flipping type. Use this to scrape and consume leftover residue. Works great for meals like oatmeal or instant potatoes. As far as doing dishes goes, heat a small amount of water. If your pot's lid can be used for heating water then do so after the meal is cooked while you are eating. Use some of this water to wash your utensils in your cooking pot when finished, then wash the pot. Left over hot/warm water can be used to rinse all when done. Practice this technique a few times to help figure out the right amount of water needed. Finally I recommend you carry a small scrungie (sponge with pad on one side) and keep it in a small plastic bag. Get a large one and cut it to a smaller size. Keep the remainder to switch out when the one you carry gets to funky. Perhaps place a piece in to your resupply packages for further on "up the trail". Good luck, WB

Gray Blazer
06-02-2006, 07:39
use a ziploc and eat out of the bag. no pot to clean this works for me as im to lazy to wash dishes. just ask my wife

I thought I was lazy.....I cook and eat out of one large cup. Then I clean it with an alcohol wipe. No water involved for clean-up and it's sterilized. Now, if they just made those wipes so I could suck on them in an emergency.:rolleyes:

fivefour
06-02-2006, 08:32
i mostly use ziplocks these days but if i have to clean a pot, i keep a small piece of cloth in the jetboil (which also elminates any rattle) and use that to wipe out any residue.

i often hike with dog people which makes clean up even easier. i just give the pot to the pup and let him/her lick it clean then rinse it with water followed by alcohol.

Peaks
06-02-2006, 08:44
Gee, maybe I'm an exception.

I use a small sponge/scrubber. I'll heat (warm) up a little water, add a drop or two of soap, and scrub my pot and spoon. Then toss the water into the bushes, and rinse.

bigcranky
06-02-2006, 08:52
I mostly eat out of a bag, too. For those times when I need to clean my pot, I carry a tiny bottle of liquid multipurpose soap and a piece of mesh from an onion bag. The mesh is great -- it weighs nothing, scrubs well, shakes dry with two flicks of the wrist, and doesn't get all stinky like a sponge. Also, it was free with a bag of onions.

Alligator
06-02-2006, 09:12
I have a really small eye dropper bottle of soap and bring 1/4 of a green scrubbie pad. I don't generally bother with hot water unless it's a real mess or I'm out for several days. Then I boil the scrubbie. A drop of soap, scrub and rinse. I take a short walk away from camp to clean up. I also have drilled a soda cap with small holes. I put this on my platypus and use it to rinse. Makes for a good shower once and a while too.

Lilred
06-02-2006, 09:14
Sellme69,
To help remove left over food from your cooking pot, I recommend adding a small spatula to your kit. The kind that looks like a fat flat knife, not the egg flipping type. Use this to scrape and consume leftover residue. Works great for meals like oatmeal or instant potatoes. As far as doing dishes goes, heat a small amount of water. If your pot's lid can be used for heating water then do so after the meal is cooked while you are eating. Use some of this water to wash your utensils in your cooking pot when finished, then wash the pot. Left over hot/warm water can be used to rinse all when done. Practice this technique a few times to help figure out the right amount of water needed. Finally I recommend you carry a small scrungie (sponge with pad on one side) and keep it in a small plastic bag. Get a large one and cut it to a smaller size. Keep the remainder to switch out when the one you carry gets to funky. Perhaps place a piece in to your resupply packages for further on "up the trail". Good luck, WB


For cooking oatmeal, I pour the water right into the oatmeal's bag. You'll need a bandana or something to use to hold the oatmeal bag as it does get hot. Most times to wash my pot out I just rinse with a tiny bit of water then drink it down. Otherwise, I'll use a wide arc to distribute across bushes. I don't worry about sanitizing, because I'm just gonna boil water in it the next time I cook, and that kills all bacteria.

Ewker
06-02-2006, 09:34
washing pots:eek: freezer bag all the way

fivefour
06-02-2006, 10:06
a little side question here ... but do you guys trim the top of freezer bags after rehydrating ? i find it hard (or messy) to eat from the bottom of a full size freezer bag. and do you reuse freezer bags ? i sometimes reuse my cereal freezer bags or other no greasy meal bags.

Footslogger
06-02-2006, 10:20
I'm right there with Rock on this one. I plan most of my meals a little "runny" with the idea that I need the extra fluids anyway. I eat directly out of my cookpot and scrape it was well as possible with my spoon. I then add a little water and put it back on the stove for a bit. Most often I add a coffee/tea bag or a cider packet. I scrape the sides and bottom of the pot while on the stove and then when the water is warm I pour it into my cup and drink it.

The pot can then be wiped out with a small bandana (that I keep in the cookpot).

'Slogger

Just Jeff
06-02-2006, 11:08
No need to cut the freezer bag - just fold the top down (sarbar says it's like cuffing socks)...that holds the top open and makes the bag short enough to get to the bottom with a normal length spoon.

If I'm using a pot near a stream, I use the sand thing that Dino posted. Works great.

I've also used dead/dry leaves to get the grease out of a pot. Just stick them in there and wipe, and the grease sticks to the leaves. Throw them out at the same place you'd dump your cleaning water. Some of the leaves will break into small pieces and stick to the bowl, but swishing a bit of water takes care of those.

Ewker
06-02-2006, 11:11
I usually reuse a freezer bag twice

TN_Hiker
06-02-2006, 11:12
I'm going to get blasted by you ultralighters......I boil water, add a little dr. bonner's, scrub using a plastic long handled dishwashing brush, and let air dry. The scrub brush is nice to have and prevents burnt fingers.

Amigi'sLastStand
06-02-2006, 12:53
I carry a little multi-use camp soap. I clean with leftover water and sand then dry it out with a shammy. I dump the residue same as Rock, where I'd go pee, or, if I feel lazy and dont feel like walking, in a NOBO's sack right before I leave.:)

Blissful
06-02-2006, 14:08
Gee, maybe I'm an exception.

I use a small sponge/scrubber. I'll heat (warm) up a little water, add a drop or two of soap, and scrub my pot and spoon. Then toss the water into the bushes, and rinse.

Me too (I used to be a nurse).

The one thing I don't want to get is sick, if at all possible. Yeah, it's a hassle. I may do something different on my thru though. Or just eat a few uncook meals if it's been a tough day and I know a town is coming in my future so I have a good meal to look forward to.

Nightwalker
06-02-2006, 14:26
If it needs scrubbing, I use sand, leaves or pine needles. If I scrod up and got something stuck on the bottom, a small amount of water, steamed with a little cooking and left to soften for 5 minutes does the trick. I then use the first method listed above.

I try to tap loose and dump out any leftover sand/whatever right before I cook again, and wipe it out with my potholder/cleaning bandana (1 of 3 distinct bandanas).

As to cleanliness, the first thing you're gonna do is boil water in it, right? Should be clean enough! :D

sarbar
06-02-2006, 16:53
I avoid dishwashing if I can :D

But what I do carry is papertowels, and wipe everything out when done (since I carry my stove/fuel in my GSI pot). If one actually cooks, papertowels come in handy, they can be used to get all the food out of the pot before washing.

Then again, I haven't washed a pan on the trail since..um....September 2005!

sellme69
06-02-2006, 17:10
Thanks to all for the replies. It should help out!!

mweinstone
06-02-2006, 17:11
cook all food watery so chease is finger lickable.this gives you more to eat and easier dishes . wash with your finger only and a small amount of cold or warm water, warm for butter, swish and drink your dish water. never use soap,never use a scrubbie, wash your hands each nite as you make dinner and there should be no problems. dont put dish water on ground or anywhere else . drink it. its cooler, its better, and its right.in the oppinion of leave no trace its the only way.this year on my failed thru hike of 622 miles i saw 100 thruhikers ,not one left no trace. not a one. and its just so so easy. start counting toothpaste water as pollution and stop using it if you want to truly leave no trace. forget about size when it comes to litter,sock fuzz diddnt grow there so it doesnt belong. nut shells you brought might look natural but its trash and its cool to have a trash bag in your pack. my trash bag is my proof i havent littered. so many were without this coolest of peices of gear. im a trasher and im a minnimum impact camper also. picking it up is a detective game i play. not putting it down is a law i follow.

sarbar
06-02-2006, 19:49
"start counting toothpaste water as pollution and stop using it if you want to truly leave no trace."

Yikes! How about nooooooo thanks? Leaving teeth behind is not LNT ;)

C_Brice
06-02-2006, 21:11
For short trips I use a paper towel to wipe them mosly clean (or the dog). Then I follow it up with a disinfecting hand or baby wipe follow by drying it with a second paper towel. If anything is left I'd be suprized. If there is it'll be killed by cooking the next meal. If on a longer trip I would just take a small "scubby", wash in hot water and as little soap as possible (nomad stove, unlimited stove fuel). Air dry.

CB

Nightwalker
06-03-2006, 02:04
not one left no trace. not a one.
I ALWAYS take out more trash than I bring in. If that ain't enough, well...

Peaks
06-03-2006, 07:42
"start counting toothpaste water as pollution and stop using it if you want to truly leave no trace."

Yikes! How about nooooooo thanks? Leaving teeth behind is not LNT ;)

But, if you think about it, you don't really need teeth to eat most trail foods. And it's another way to reduce weight! http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif
:)

wilderness bob
06-03-2006, 09:07
It seems all have a unique way of cleaning their cooking items that suites their needs. The things to remember are obvious no matter how you go about it.
Coserve waterconseve

wilderness bob
06-03-2006, 09:08
I goofed, to continue,
conseve

wilderness bob
06-03-2006, 09:10
Man I am an idiot,
Once again,
Conserve water
Conserve fuel
Avoid getting sick and most of all HYOH (Hike your own hike)
peace WB

Sir-P-Alot
06-03-2006, 09:26
I use leaves, sand and dirt. If there is enough refuse left (never, I finish most of my meals), I dig a cathole. The next time I boil water in the pot it is sterilized. Easy, lightweight, and convenient. I don't ziplocs or plastic bags because they are difficult to clean and become heavy trash as well as creating more plastic trash.

Lilred
06-03-2006, 11:41
I quit cooking in plastic because I kept tasting plastic in my food. I must have a high sensitivity to the taste, because I can't drink water out of a camel back either. Something about that taste.......:-?

Just Jeff
06-03-2006, 11:56
I think Camelbaks can lose that taste after a while. At least it decreases some, or maybe I just got used to it. I don't taste it anymore, but my wife says it's like drinking from a garbage bag. :eek:

Cookerhiker
06-03-2006, 17:18
Gee, maybe I'm an exception.

I use a small sponge/scrubber. I'll heat (warm) up a little water, add a drop or two of soap, and scrub my pot and spoon. Then toss the water into the bushes, and rinse.

Hey Peaks, you're not the only one. I use hot water and biogradable liquid soap along with a small scrubber. At breakfast, I heat enough water for oatmeal (from scratch), cocoa, and dish-washing. At dinner, I boil a small pan for dish water and after-dinner tea while eating from my main pot.

So I'm a reactionary! Except now that I've just bought an alcohol stove, I may have ot change my technique.:o

Amigi'sLastStand
06-03-2006, 17:38
I think Camelbaks can lose that taste after a while. At least it decreases some, or maybe I just got used to it. I don't taste it anymore, but my wife says it's like drinking from a garbage bag. :eek:

My platypus tasted like crap:eek: for the first month I had it. Then it went away. :)

fiddlehead
06-04-2006, 00:45
I use my finger to clean the cooking pot and then usually make tea for an after dinner drink. After that, it's as clean as it's going to get.

Amigi'sLastStand
06-04-2006, 01:37
I use my finger to clean the cooking pot and then usually make tea for an after dinner drink. After that, it's as clean as it's going to get.
Yummy, can I have some?:rolleyes:

Uncle Silly
06-05-2006, 07:14
The one thing I don't want to get is sick, if at all possible. Yeah, it's a hassle. I may do something different on my thru though. Or just eat a few uncook meals if it's been a tough day and I know a town is coming in my future so I have a good meal to look forward to.

I almost never used soap on the trail, but I'd wash the pot real good during town stops. I used dirt or stream sand to scrub out any solids, dried leaves and leaf mould to get anything greasy, and I always started cooking by boiling water. Gotta agree with Sgt Rock and others -- if your washing only involves rinsing, you can drink the dishwater; otherwise, dump it in about the same places you feel comfortable peeing. And dig a cathole if your dirty dishes are more like "leftovers".

snowhoe
06-05-2006, 09:28
washing dishes are for people who are chumps. Freezer bag cooking is way better. No washing dishes here.

Cookerhiker
06-05-2006, 16:46
washing dishes are for people who are chumps. Freezer bag cooking is way better. No washing dishes here.

Let's not get personal or judgemental on what amounts to a individual preference. What ever happened to HYOH?

Spock
06-05-2006, 17:04
1) Real backpackers drink the dishwater. Obviously they don't use soap.
B) If you are really hungry you will lick everything so clean only a rinse is needed anyway.
3) Heat another pot of water - without cleaning the pot up - and make tea or cocoa or such - and use the hot drink to rinse the pot prior to a final rinse (which you drink).
D) At next meal, make sure to bring the water to a boil to kill any nasties that have grown in the meanwhile.
5) Best of all, do all the cooking in freezer bags and a cozy. Just zip the bag closed when done. No washing, no food residue, no salmonella. Heat only water in your pot.

Make sure, if you actually cook food in your utensils to leave no residue in cracks, flanges, anywhere. Most of the gastrointestinal unpleasantness on the trail is due to either poor dish cleanup or failure to wash hands.

Amigi'sLastStand
06-06-2006, 15:48
1) Real backpackers drink the dishwater. Obviously they don't use soap.

I use soap and still drink it all, what's that make me?:rolleyes:

No, not really. I guess I'm not a real backpacker since I practice hygiene and sanitation.:cool:

fiddlehead
06-06-2006, 23:47
:rolleyes:

I guess I'm not a real backpacker since I practice hygiene and sanitation.:cool:

Let us know what you think you smell like after 1,000 miles or so. (and then let us know what your friends think)

Amigi'sLastStand
06-07-2006, 05:45
Let us know what you think you smell like after 1,000 miles or so. (and then let us know what your friends think)

:-? Not that bad actually. I just wipe myself down with a shammy, kinda like my truck, with some warm water each morning as company permits. I brush twice a day, wash my 1/8" long hair once a week. But again, I do now realize that after all these thousands of miles I just will never be a true hiker since I bathe regularly and use soap to clean my pots. And I was trying so hard to...:rolleyes: I missed the "What it takes to be a real hiker class". I think I was fishing at the time.....

peter_pan
06-07-2006, 07:28
Mostly I boil water andadd it to someting in a bag...no clean up, bag goes in the carry out trash.

When i cook...put in rinse water...warm, make thin soup, drink...repeat....repeat....pot clean, no mess, no waste....next meal, boil water, pot sanitary...

Pan

Frolicking Dinosaurs
06-07-2006, 12:06
A question: What do couples who use the freezer bag method do? Fix one large bag and both eat from it or fix two?

SGT Rock
06-07-2006, 12:08
I make leftover soup all the time. Cleans a pot without wasting water or food. Mmmmmm Goood Eating.

Amigi'sLastStand
06-07-2006, 12:23
A question: What do couples who use the freezer bag method do? Fix one large bag and both eat from it or fix two?
My now exwife and I used to use two one quart bags. At the time I had a Jet Boil....the one with the pot. Worked great for us. Eating out of the same bag....I know where she's been...No way....I wouldnt touch it.... and NO PICS!!!!

Ewker
06-07-2006, 12:27
A question: What do couples who use the freezer bag method do? Fix one large bag and both eat from it or fix two?

I would say fix two dinners for these reasons: One person may not like or want what the other person is having, may not want to eat at the same time, one may eat more than the other, like it a little more spicy or bland than the other.

Pennsylvania Rose
06-07-2006, 12:37
A question: What do couples who use the freezer bag method do? Fix one large bag and both eat from it or fix two?

The kids and I tried out freezer bag cooking on our last trip. Four hands reaching for the same bag didn't cut it. What worked best for us was for three of us to dish our food into bowls (4 for $.88 at Wally World) and the fourth ate out of the bag. Kinda defeated the purpose of no cleanup, but it's easier to lick the bowl than to get the stuck gunk out of the bottom of the pot.

When there's just two of us, we both eat straight out of the pot, so I think we'd share the bag, too.

Just Jeff
06-07-2006, 13:09
Eating from separate bags means you can get comfortable and don't have to be climbing all over each other to get to the food....sitting on the same log or stump or rock or whatever. LAYOT (Lean against your own tree).

LostInSpace
06-07-2006, 13:09
A question: What do couples who use the freezer bag method do? Fix one large bag and both eat from it or fix two?

On a recent week-long trip in the Grand Canyon, we used gallon size freezer bags, but we ate from our bowls. Cleaning a bowl is a lot easier than cleaning a pot. If the bowl is the right size and shape, you can lick the bowl clean! :D

Skidsteer
06-07-2006, 18:06
A question: What do couples who use the freezer bag method do? Fix one large bag and both eat from it or fix two?

When my wife or son comes along we each have our own ziploc. I simply boil enough water for both at the same time.

sarbar
06-07-2006, 19:14
Yep, that is what we do-we all have our own bags. Sometimes I am known for taking a Rubbermaid Take-A-Long sandwich holder for eating out of (since it has a lid). But usually we do seperate bags. Really, really works if we have all 3 of us!

gumball
06-07-2006, 20:18
We have our own bags too--that way, if I want chili and hubbie wants ... chicken something-or-other, we can both have what we are hankerin' for. :)

Pennsylvania Rose
06-07-2006, 20:34
We have our own bags too--that way, if I want chili and hubbie wants ... chicken something-or-other, we can both have what we are hankerin' for. :)

To clarify: you're saying that at home you package each person's meals individually in single serving bags?

Skidsteer
06-07-2006, 21:00
To clarify: you're saying that at home you package each person's meals individually in single serving bags?

Yep. A quart size ziploc. The meals may be different or the same. Main point is boiling enough water for both at the same time-if you like to eat at the same time. Or you can boil water separately and eat when you prefer.

Here's the beauty part: All you do is boil water, eat, and throw the quart ziploc in your trash bag. No dish washing.

Ewker
06-07-2006, 21:21
my Freezer Bag Cookbook just came in the mail today. There is more info in the book than on sarbar's website. I will try out some new stuff this weekend

gumball
06-08-2006, 06:20
To clarify: you're saying that at home you package each person's meals individually in single serving bags?

Yes, I make an array of meals and then he and I pick what we want, in single serving bags for each of us, and we share nothing!!! :) Food is food, every man for himself...we both are light packers, but in this arena, we each carry our own Pocket Rocket and fuel, and everything else we need for kitchen and eating.

Pennsylvania Rose
06-08-2006, 15:27
Yes, I make an array of meals and then he and I pick what we want, in single serving bags for each of us, and we share nothing!!! :) Food is food, every man for himself...we both are light packers, but in this arena, we each carry our own Pocket Rocket and fuel, and everything else we need for kitchen and eating.

What a great idea! I think I stuck with the same meal for everyone at the same time because I'm so used to cooking in a pot (and I have the "Mom is the trail boss" mindset). I could even make the kids their own alcohol stoves and they can boil their own water - I've been too afraid they'll blow themselves up with my Whisperlite. Independence! Freedom! No dishes! for all of us.

I love this site. Even though I've been backpacking since I was 18, I find new ideas here all the time.

Ewker
06-08-2006, 16:18
Penn Rose, go to sarbar's website http://www.freezerbagcooking.com (http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/) and a whole new world will open up for you.

LULU
06-08-2006, 18:22
Are You Crazy!! I Was There For The First Time, Last Weekend And I Don't Think I Can Drink The Water From The Dirty Dishes.
Lulu

StarLyte
06-08-2006, 18:29
Gee, maybe I'm an exception.

I use a small sponge/scrubber. I'll heat (warm) up a little water, add a drop or two of soap, and scrub my pot and spoon. Then toss the water into the bushes, and rinse.

This is exactly what I do.

However 2 weeks ago I lost my scrubber and made scrambled eggs in my pot. I found 2 thick twigs, put them together and used them to scour out the pot. Worked fine.
Rinsed in water.