Doing the dishes...

Andy

Andy

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How do you clean up the kitchen in camp? Any secrets you are willing to share? Obviously paper plates can help a ton and taking pans home works on short trips but what about longer trips?

I usually fill my big pot with water to rinse and a small pot is the sink filled with hot soapy water. Works good but uses a lot of water. Alternately, I fill my helio shower and use it for rinse water when staying out for a few days. I always did out a sump to dump water into and fill it as I go.
 
I hate doing dishes. That's the main reason I got a skottle. Very minimal clean up that can be done before eating. Then its paper plates into the fire. My dad likes to use folding wash bins made of PVC lined fabric. They break down and store easier than regular plastic tubs.
 
I use paper towels to wipe out any dirty dishes/pots/pans after meal prep/consumption, then heat some water on the Camp Chef.

Take the hot water and fill my Byer Tri-Lite dish station with a little Dawn on one side, and plain water for sanitizing on the other.

I keep a two sided Scotchbrite sponge for cleaning harder to scrub grub, and often soak my utensils while washing the pots and plates. I did puncture the bottom of one of the sinks by accidentally dropping my knife into the water, but a strip of Gorilla tape saved the leaky day.

Toss the paper towels into the fire, dry the dishes and use the water to extinguish the campfire later.

The Byer Tri-Lite packs up very small, and I keep mine stored inside my Camp Chef stove's travel bag.

byerlite 1.jpg



Unpacked from stuff sack
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Tri pod frame deployed

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Unfurl the green wash tub/mesh portion and clip each end over the red frame horns...ready for use!
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Side profile

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Simple and effective...I've owned mine for about three years, and other than the self inflicted knife wound have never experienced any issues.

:camping
 
We typically just eat right out of our pots/pans but may use the cups to eat out of as bowls. It has us eat quick since the metal gets cold really quick. For cleaning the pots/pans, we'll boil water in the pot to remove any burnt food and grease and then use a plastic spatula to scrape off the stubborn grime. If there is no burnt food residue, we'll use the camp dish soap with sponge/scotchbrite surface to do regular cleaning. Rinse and hand dry with paper towels and pack away. It is a PITA, but it's part of the system that we've come up with. Like Andy mentioned, this method uses a good amount of water, but we usually overpack the water supply anyways: 5 gallon water drum (no matter the duration) +individual Costco water bottles + (if it really comes to it) the melted cooler ice. It's just all about management.
 
We usually just wipe it down to get most of the big stuff and then a wipe with some lysol wipes before its stored.

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Xpedition Outfitters said:
We usually just wipe it down to get most of the big stuff and then a wipe with some lysol wipes before its stored.

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Click to expand...

I've utilized that method a few times Raul, but if you think about it, you're somewhat ingesting the disinfectant/cleaning residue from the wipes... May just be my paranoia kicking in, but a quick wipe from a towel may take care of that.
 
Use my Jetboil to heat water. A little gets poured in a dirty pot with suds. Wash everything and use the hot scalding water poured from Jetboil to rinse and sanitize. Usually use paper plates and plastic forks so cleanup is minimal. Jetboil is so handy!


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I use either my largest pan or a plastic Rubbermaid dish basin. I cut a scotchbrite sponge in half and have a small squeeze bottle of dish soap. In the rockies, water isn't hard to find, so for dishes and anything I'll heat, I just use lake or creek water and let it boil a bit. If I have lots of water on hand I'll use it, but I don't hesitate to use whats available. Not much reason to fear pollution in most places I camp, other than bugs like giardia that may be in the water.

A canvas bucket is handy at times, for fetching water, and for putting out fires if need be. In may places having a bucket and shovel I believe, is required to have a fire. Cant believe the number of times Ive found camps that retards have abandoned with fires still burning.
 
I have no idea why this is in my head (lots of stuff in there that I wander around and find in there time to time), anyway, I thought all dish soaps were biodegradable these days. Anyone know for sure?

Edit: Truck is going in for new batteries today, POS won't start this morning, put the charger on it, so I decided to surf the interweb on my question. WRONG, even the soaps that claim to be natural have this stuff in it...methylisothiazolinone. Now the real issue is, my brain is full, whenever I learn something new, it means I forgot something else...hope it wasn't important.
 
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Old fashioned Boy Scout 3 tub method. Three small plastic tubs, boil water in large pot on Camp Chef and split it between tubs - add water until you can take the temp - soapy water, dirty rinse, final rinse. Quick, easy, efficient and you get clean dishes.
 
I currently use the Coleman collapsible dual sink. This will probably be switched to a couple of the plastic medical basins they use in hospitals as im updating my kitchen. I have a few of the basins as my mom got one every time she was admitted to the hospital several years back.
 

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