20 replies to this topic

[Quint]

I was doing some camping recently and still haven't found an effective way to wash the pots/pans in the camper. I don't have a hot water heater nor a sink, just a shell model. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can disinfect the cookware. I usually use paper plates/plastic but obviously the cookware is metal. Thanks.

[chnlisle]

Quint,
We cook almost exclusively out doors. We heat the water on the camp stove and and use it but now there are any number of anti bacterial dish soaps available so even river water could be used if necessary.

[kcowyo]

I just pour some water in the dirty pots & pans, heat them up on the stove and when the water is hot, I add dish soap. Scrub and rinse away with more water. Simple and quick.

Without a stove, you could still purchase some small Coleman propane bottles and a single burner that screws onto the bottles and do the same process out on a picnic table or the ground. They're cheap, small to pack & lightweight.

[Mark W. Ingalls]

I love this guy's website...

Cheap RV Living

He has some useful, matter-of-fact things to say about many topics, including cleaning pots.

[erod]

cool site mark, looks like there is some interesting infor there...as for dishes, we take care of them similar to kc, we use a large tupperware as a wash basin, put the dirty dishes in there, warm water, soap and scrub. dump the water (always using ecofriendly soap) and rinse with clean/frexh water. usually do all this outside but have done it in the camper as well. these tupperware basins (basically a larger container) work great because you can also put you dishes in it when your done and use the lid as a cutting board!

[Mark W. Ingalls]

After I wipe the munge off, Edna has me wipe down the utensils with
Disinfecting Wipes.

[jimjxsn]

We have the sink but hardly ever use it for doing dishes.

We carry two plastic tubs that happen to be exactly the right size to nest and fit in the camper sink for storage. As soon as dinner is cooked we put a pot of water on. Then, when we are ready to do dishes we have hot water. We put biodegradable soap in one and fresh rinse water in the 2nd. We usually do our cooking and cleanup outside. Then, dispose of the grey water away from camp. We carry a small strainer so as not to leave any chunks behind.

The Boy Scouts teach a 3 pot method where the 3rd basin has rinse water with a little bit of bleach mixed in to disinfect. I usually don’t bother with that step myself.

If we have a really grungy pot we will use that pot to boil the water in and loosen up the crud.

[flinchlock]

I love this guy's website...

Cheap RV Living

GREAT SITE!

I find "Where To Park" is very helpful.

Mike

[davinski]

wow, a lot of good ideas....
May change the way I do things....

Here is what I do....
For myself in the shell without sink and running water, I usually use baby wipes to clean most things. If I have a really dirty pot (stew or curry...) I will use some hot water and soap to wash. Of course, scrub and rinse outside the camper. Dry with a quick-dry cloth.

If I am at an organized campsite or if I have tables and such set up, will wash in a folding bucket. Rinse with water. May spray with a water bleach solution and let air dry. Since it rains a lot up hear in WA state, sometimes can't do this.

Keep it simple, don't get a lot dirty you don't need to, and clean as you go. Amazing how simple things can be if I think ahead.....

Every now and again, I wish I had a sink with running water. This is true when my bro is using his and it is raining outside......

But then, hey, where is the fun?

dave

[Sam]

I bought a set of Teflon pots/pans just for the camper, when done cooking I wipe them out with damp paper towels. They end up clean as a whistle but I don't know about dissinfected:o