by jimqpublic » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:09 pm
Here's what I do. Call it "Camp dishwashing 101".
Get four plastic dishpans from the housewares section of any discount store- they're cheap. Make sure they're big enough for your camping plates and pots but don't go overboard- bigger means more water and they take up more space. Also get a synthetic dishcloth and a plastic scrubbie. I don't like sponges for camping because they don't dry out and can get rank. For dishtowels grab the two most worn out ones from the kitchen at home or else from the rag bag. Paper towels work fine too. I used to carry a little tiny container of dish soap but always forgot to fill it before a trip and it would run out. Last trip I got a big container of biodegradable "7th generation soap" which should go at least a year of frequent camp trips before I have to start scrounging off my neighbors again.
Keep the dishpans stacked together so they basically take up no more room than a single pan. Put dirty dishes in the top pan until every dish you have is dirty and you absolutely have to wash dishes. First have an adult beverage of your choice. Now unstack the dishpans. If the restroom has hot water carry one empty dishpan over there and fill it to the rim, then carry back to the site. If not then fill a pot with water and heat it using a convenient method. While waiting for the water to heat have an adult beverage of your choice. Put some dishsoap in another empty pan and pour half the water to that pan, so you have a half-full pan of soapy wash water and a half full pan of clean rinse water. Line the four pans up on your counter or campsite table: dirty dishes; soapy water; rinse water; empty. Now wash dishes and stack the clean ones in the last pan. If you have children along they can do the washing while you enjoy an adult beverage of your choice.
After the dishes are clean find an appropriate place to dispose of the dirty wash water. If the restrooms have a big sink or drain outside you can dump it there. Otherwise you can dump it down the toilet. This is appropriate if you're in a closely packed urban type RV park. If you're out in the woods then just get a good ways away from the nearest site (50' or 100') and dump it in the bushes. Watch out for poison oak/ivy/sumac, rattlers, copperheads, cliffs, mud, sharp sticks, etc.
Now take some of the rinse water and rinse out both the washing pan and the pan that previously had the dirty dishes in it. This water is almost clean so it can just be flung on a bush or the grass in your campsite. Use some more of the rinse water to clean the table, trailer counter, etc. and finally rinse out the dish cloth. Might be good to shave or wash your face while you're at it.
Now you're mostly done and it would be a nice time to enjoy an adult beverage of your choice. The clean dishes stacked up in the last dishpan are probably almost dry so you can give them a quick dry-off with the dish towel and put them away, unless of course you knocked the whole panful off into the mud in your drunken stupor. In that case it's time to start over.
This method evolved for me from just a single dish pan to my current use of four pans. I've tried a folding dish rack from Camping World but like using an extra pan instead. The dish pans also come in useful for transporting fruit, veggies, kids' art projects, etc.