Washing your clothes when you are camping can be confusing and frustrating. No one likes to feel filthy when they’re out in the great outdoors. However, it’s also not easy to bring a lot of clothes with you when you’re camping, especially if you’re on a backpacking trip. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can wash your clothes while you’re camping.
There are many options for campers to stay clean well on the trip. Please continue reading to learn how to wash your clothes while camping and all the helpful tips that go along with it.
How Do You Wash Your Clothes While Camping?
Washing your clothes while camping can be easier than you would expect it to be. You can use a portable washing machine, dry touch-up methods, a washboard, or the water from a lake to clean your clothing when you’re camping.
Make Your Own Washing Machine!
If you want to make your laundry cleaning machine that doesn’t use electricity for camping, follow the steps below.
- Before camping, acquire a large bucket with a lid and a durable stick that uses finished wood or metal.
- Use a large drill bit to drill a hole into the lid that’s large enough to put your stick through. You can use a strong knife to cut the sides of the hole if you don’t have a drill bit that’s large enough.
- Buy camping laundry detergent for when you’re ready to wash your clothes.
After it’s done and you’re ready to bring it on your next trip, make sure of the following:
- Make sure you have access to enough water because you’re going to do several cycles before you can clean your clothes.
- Put your clothes in the bucket and fill it 3/4 of the way with water. Then, add your laundry detergent.
- Put the lid on the bucket and use the stick that you got through the lid’s hole.
- Use your stick to stir up the water in your clothes and maneuver it to get your clothing thoroughly washed.
- Repeat this cycle three times to ensure that your clothes are clean.
- Hang your clothes up to dry.
This process can take a while but is the cheapest and most efficient way to clean your clothes while camping. Just be mindful of where you dump your water and ensure that the detergent you use is safe and environmentally friendly.
There are plenty of methods that you can use to get your clothing clean while you’re camping. However, the method listed above is fantastic when you’re in a pinch and don’t have many supplies available.
Bring a Portable Washing Machine Camping
There are a lot of options for a portable washing machine while camping. Some require electricity, and some don’t. The washing machine you get will depend on if you have access to electricity on your campsite or not. Non-electric portable washing machines will rely on you to power them with your body which may not be ideal for people who are not able-bodied.
Wash bags are a portable way to wash your clothes while camping, making cleaning clothes without electricity easy. Keeping a wash bag on you during camping can be handy in many situations.
Electric Portable Washer
If you have electricity at your campsite, getting an electric portable washer would be the easiest way to clean your clothes while camping. This will also give you more time to do activities you want to do while camping instead of washing your clothes. There are tons of brands out there for portable electric washers to choose from. However, it would be best if you kept an eye out for a portable washer that is light and easy to carry.
Manual Portable Washer
While many people are familiar with washboards, there are also other types of non-electric portable washers that you can use while camping. For example, there is a bucket method, a hand method, and a turn crank method. Picking the right manual portable washer for you depends on which method you would find easier because using a manual washer can be tiring.
The main thing you need to know when using a manual portable washer is to thoroughly integrate your clothing with the water and detergent you use. For example, some portable washers use a crank so that you can twist it and move your clothing around that way. In other manual portable washers, you have to shake up and maneuver your clothing yourself to get it clean.
Use a Camping Wash Bag
Campaign wash bags are also a popular way to clean your clothes while camping without electricity. These wash bags are also fantastic for backpacking trips because they are lightweight. The following are the stuff you need to follow when washing your clothes in a travel wash bag.
- Add your detergent, clothing, and water to the wash bag.
- Close up your bag and deflate it.
- Once deflated, roll the bag around to get your clothing thoroughly washed. This bag will clean an article of clothing at a time, depending on the size of the bag.
- After rolling it around a bit, re-inflate it and shake it up as hard as possible.
- When you’re satisfied with the lodge pole your clothing out of the bag and squeeze out the excess water.
- Hang your clothing up to dry.
Wash bags are super convenient for traveling since you need to carry lightweight. However, the downside of using a camping wash bag is that you can’t fit many clothes in it. Often, a camping wash bag will only wash one article of clothing at a time, depending on the article of clothing.
Camping Laundry Detergent
When camping, it’s essential to carry things lightweight, especially if you’re on a backpacking trip. In addition, you should seek an environmentally friendly and portable laundry detergent for your trip. Try avoiding laundry detergent detergents. I have a lot of chemicals because you’ll have to dump the water out eventually.
You can often find one-load travel packets of laundry detergent for your trip that can make things more convenient for you.
How do You Wash Clothes in a Lake?
Using a camping wash bag is the most popular way to wash your clothes with lake water. However, you don’t want to just put your clothes directly into the lake water and then put detergent on because that won’t get them clean. Lake water is dirty, but when handled right, you can still use it to get your clothes clean. You should take the following steps when cleaning your clothes with lake water.
- Acquire either a camping wash bag or a bucket for your clothing.
- Add your clothing, detergent, and lake water to the bucket.
- Mix everything in the bucket or wash bag as thoroughly as possible.
- Repeat the above steps two more times
- Remove your clothing from the bag or bucket and squeeze the water out of your clothes.
- Hang your clothes up somewhere safe to dry
Using a separate container to wash your clothes when using lake water is essential. It would be best if you did not wash your clothes directly in the lake because your clothes will not get cleaned this way. Washing your clothes directly in the lake is counterproductive to your end goal of having clean clothing.
Can You Wash Your Clothes in a River?
You should never wash your clothes directly in a river because you shouldn’t wash them in the lake. However, you can use the river water the same way you can use lake water to clean your clothes.
Rivers are pretty dirty, so washing your clothing directly in the river will not be beneficial when you want to feel clean. However, using detergent, you can use river water in the device you choose to clean your clothes with. The laundry detergent will clean and disinfect your clothing despite the fact you’re using river water.
How do you Wash Clothes Without Water?
Sometimes when you’re camping, it can be not easy to come across any water, which means you’ll need to find a way to wash your clothes without it. Washing your clothes without water is a great way to ensure that You have enough water to drink while camping or on backpacking trips.
Even though you can’t always get a thorough clean without using water, you can at least freshen your clothes up to feel more hygienic while you’re out in nature. Follow the steps below to wash your clothes without water while camping or backpacking.
- Use baby powder to touch up sweaty spots and dry them out. Baby powder is an excellent way to soak up your sweat so that you can wear your clothes for longer and feel less grubby.
- If you have a cooler that you are not using for food, you can put your clothes in the cooler to help make them feel fresher. However, this is not recommended if you already have food in the cooler.
- You can use rubbing alcohol to remove spilled items that might stain your clothes. Rubbing alcohol is especially useful for removing Coffee, ink, or makeup.
These simple touch-ups can help you feel fresh while you’re camping without having to waste your water. While you won’t feel clean like you would from washing your clothes with water, applying these methods to your clothing when you don’t have access to water help you feel a little better.
What Did They Use to Wash Clothes in the Olden Days?
Depending on the period, there have been many different people who have cleaned their clothes and history. The following are just a few ways people used to clean their clothes before washing machines existed.
- Before the creation of laundry detergent, people used animal fat and wood ash to clean their clothing.
- People used to boil their clothing in a large pot and stir them to get them clean.
- To dry clothing, people would beat their clothes on a flat surface with oars and paddles to get all of the water out of them.
- When washers were still new to the market, many people used washboards to clean their clothes. Many people still use washboards to clean their clothes, which is a really popular method for people who go without electricity or try to minimize their use of electricity.
- Drying clothing out on a clothing line was also common in the olden days. Many people still choose to dry their clothes on a clothing line to save on electricity. However, many people have access to a drying machine now and don’t have the time to adjust their clothing cleaning schedule around the weather.
Before the creation of washing machines, people had to work hard to clean their clothing. People also would take hours to clean their clothing before modern technology came into play. Fortunately, new technology can be used while camping so that cleaning your clothes is not a hassle anymore.
Conclusion
There are many methods people use to wash their clothes while camping. Some of these methods are easy and convenient, while others are a little more difficult. Unfortunately, you don’t always need electricity to wash your clothes efficiently. However, if your campsite has electricity, you can get a portable washer and make your cleaning even easier.
There is no right or wrong way to clean your clothing outside, so choose whichever method works the best for your camping situation. The different methods available will benefit different people depending on finances, portability, and the amount of clothing that they plan to wash.