Camping Dish Washing Tips
Worried that hand washing camping dishes is not getting them clean? Below we show you how to set up a proper camping dish washing station.
This post was sponsored content when originally published and has since been updated and moved here to Let’s Camp S’more.
When we are camping, my husband does all the cooking and cleaning up afterward. I am not sure how it worked out that way, but I enjoy it. I do not want to be critical of how he does the camp dishwashing, but I worry that the dirty dishes are not getting properly cleaned. He also does the laundry with our DIY Washing Machine.
He uses boiling water to make sure it kills any germs, but then he burns his hands. I did some thinking about how we could avoid burned hands and make sure the dishes are clean, and I remembered the old scout way of doing dishes.
Camping Dish Washing The Right Way
The key to clean dishes is to use three three-wash basins, biodegradable camping dish soap, and a disinfectant. We have detailed this process at the bottom of the post.
Cleaning Tips
A key to making dishes easier to clean is to scrap them as clean as possible right away. Use a rubber spatula to scrape food from dishes into a garbage container. Since friction is an excellent sanitizer (if not the best — surgeons scrub their hands) use a sponge and/or scrub brush repeatedly, especially on forks, spoons, cups, and glasses.
For greasy pans and dishes wipe out with newspaper and then spray with full-strength vinegar and allowed that to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, scrub and rinse, preferably in warm or hot water. For more cleaning power, use baking soda and vinegar together for an all-natural, inexpensive, and minimal environmental impact!
How to Dispose of Dishwater When Camping
It is important to properly dispose of the dirty water created by doing dishes. Many campgrounds have regulations on how they want you to get rid of this water. If no rules are posted, please check with the ranger or camp host.
Some parks have a utility sink marked for dishwater disposal. Please be mindful that doing dishes at that sink might not be allowed. If pouring dirty water on the ground is allowed, please make sure it is at least 100 feet from a water source or body of water.
How to Wash Dishes While Camping
Use this old scout method for washing dishes camping style
Materials
- camping dish soap
- disinfectant (vinegar or bleach)
- water
Tools
- three dishpans
- drying rack
Instructions
- Heat the water up.
- Set up your camping dishwashing station with the 3 dishpans and a drying rack.
- Fill the first dishpan, which is used for washing with warm water. It should not be scalding.
- We like to put in the water out of the tap and add in some hot water to make a warm. We use a higher temperature if our dishes are really greasy.
- Add a small amount of dish soap to the first pan.
- Fill the second dishpan with hot water to rinse dishes. The water should be warmer than the first pan.
- Fill the third dishpan with water. The temperature of this water doesn't make a difference. It can be a temperature that is comfortable to the touch.
- Add a capful of vinegar or bleach to the third pan. This is the sanitize dishpan.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the food from dishes into a garbage container. Use a brush on utensils.
- Wash your dishes by first scrubbing clean with a sponge or scrub brush in the first washtub.
- Rinse the soap off the dishes by dunking them in the rinse tub.
- Sanitize the dishes by dunking them in the third tub.
- Finally, air-dry the dishes in a drying rack.
- First, properly dispose of the dishwater. See notes below for instructions on water disposal.
- Then use the water from the second tub to rinse out the first.
- Finally, use the water from the bleach tub to sanitize the wash and rinse tubs.
This is the proper way to clean up the camping wash basins.
Notes
If you are at home, just pour the dishwater down the drain. When camping, dispose of it in a marked utility sink or as stated in campground rules. If pouring on the ground is allowed, make sure it is at least 100 feet from a water source or body of water.
Funny, I do the dishes like this on a daily basis. And clean the kitchen right away. So relaxing.
Cold water is best with bleach for sanitizing per department of health. I have worked in the restaurant biz and a member in Boy and Girl Scout programs. For laundry it doesn’t matter as much. Great article easy to follow and great tips from your readers
Thank you!
Thanks so much for these awesome tips! I have a great spatula packed for this weekend’s trip.
Sorry -but we use mostly paper plates and cups when camping…..but we do have to wash some things….great tips that I will use….Happy Camping !!
We too use mostly paper now when camping, but we still have those pots & pans!
You could use white vinager as a disinfectant instead of bleach as a safer option.
Great idea that is less harsh!! Going to try this next time.
In addition to a biodegradable soap. You should also be filtering the food particles.
With our scouts we use a piece of cheesecloth to catch all the food particles
Other wise you will attract animals to your campsite and they will become use to human food.
Always remember to leave no trace.
Thank you, Mellisa!
My son went to a scout jamboree in Denmark Summer of 2017, they also use the 3 bin system, but slightly different. The 1st bin is a rinse bin to get everything off, the 2nd bin has hot soapy water and because all the food particles have already been rinsed off it stays soapy, the last bin is a capful of bleach to rinse off soap and sanitize. It works great and our scout group now uses this method
I love this idea!
Good tips for home or for longer trips, but like another poster said, for trips with just the family, I don’t expect sparkling clean dishes while camping. The camp soap does a decent job, but won’t cut grease the way Dawn would. When we get home I run everything through the dishwasher (including the sponge) and scrub the storage bins before packing away so that everything is ready to go for next time.
Great idea, Kelly!
We teach our Scouts to use a cup and pour the rinse water over the dish while holding it over the wash basin. This keeps the soap suds in the wash tub and after all the suds are off the dish, a quick trip to the rinse tub removes any residual. This method also keeps adding warm water to the wash tub (ambient dishes cool it off quickly) and keeps the rinse water from becoming really soapy. When the wash tub water gets too dirty to clean dishes, the second (rinse) tub moves over to become the wash tub.
Excellent tips! Thanks for sharing, Bill.
Not a good idea to use bleach and non biodegradable soap in our beautiful forests. If you are camping in the woods than get used to a little dirt and grime on your dishes. You are allowed to use camping soap, sold in the camping section at Walmart and many other places. That’s biodegradable,environmentally friendly soap and water for ALL your cleaning needs.
Thanks for the tip! I will be going to Walmart tomorrow to pick some up.
Thanks for the post. I’m stumped as to how to heat up the water when you do not have access to a stove. We tent camp and still learning. Thanks!
Dana~ I recommend heating up water over a campfire. It can be done in a kettle or pan. We have a kettle that we use when we don’t have electricity. Good luck and happy camping! Please check out our Let’s Camp S’more camping blog.
@Dana, you can purchase a shower bag, fill with water and put it out in the sun to heat up. Then, if you want, you can use the shower hose to rinse the dishes while holding them over a dish pan with your soap in it. Scrub them clean. Use the rest of the water in the bag to rinse off the soapy dish, while holding it over the dish pan.