How to Wash Clothes and Shower While Primitive Camping and Backpacking

It is essential for good health, not to mention for the sake of your nose, to maintain good hygiene while camping. Unfortunately, there is no running water in the wilderness (unless you count springs). You can't just hop in a lake and pull out a bar of soap, because that soap will contaminate the water and make animals sick when they drink out of it. The same applies for washing your clothes. How are you supposed to wash clothes and take showers then? It is actually quite simple with a little planning.

Step 1

Take a solar water heater. No, I'm not talking about those big box contraptions that are heavy and cumbersome. The ideal solar water heating to take with you is an gallon jug spray-painted black. When empty, the jug will only weigh a few ounces and can be strapped to a pack. A gallon is usually enough to wash over or do a load of laundry.

Step 2

Fill the jug with water and put the cap on tightly. Place the jug in direct sunlight and let it stay there for an hour or two depending on how strong the sun is and how hot you want the water to be. For washing clothes, the water doesn't need to be as hot as for showering.

Step 3

Now that the water is warm, you can shower or wash laundry. To wash laundry, follow this method:

- Put the clothes in black trash bag. Put in a scoop of laundry detergent, then pour in a gallon of hot water. Tie the trash bag tightly, making sure that all of the air is out, and shake it and squish it in your hands for several minutes, alternating directions and twirling occasionally if you get too tire. Once finished, you can either rinse immediately, or let it rest in the sun for a while, where it will get very warm (if not hot).

To take a shower, follow this method:

- Before leaving, you can attack a tube to the solar water heater that can be attached and used to shower. If you don't want to deal with that hassle, then simple pour enough water to make yourself wet, lather on soap and shampoo, then rinse with the remaining water. It is usually better to rinse off with cold water, as the soap will get off better, and you can use more hot water for scrubbing.