Camp dishes.

[Rogue Beardsman]

I hate doing dishes. I hate dishes even more when camping.

I was wondering what everyone does with dirty dishes.

I am trying to smooth out my camp set up and keep organized better. But dishes.

For short overnights I have been just putting them in a bag and washing them when I get home but then I have trouble keeping organized and fitting things back in their totes. Longer trips I rinse and scrub but haven't found a solid way to get things back to organized.

I ordered a collapsable dish bin to help conserve water and soak dishes that are extra gross. I have camp dish soap and cut up scrubby pieces I have gather also.
Next thing I need is a good drying towel.
I also have been trying to meet an adventurous girl that would like to help with dish duties but no luck yet. Haha


Anyone have tips or tricks that work well for them? I realize it may never be as smooth as doing dishes at home, but I'm gonna try!

 

[Barton Fink]

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[expeditionnorth]

I'm frugal, we opted for cheap plastic dinner ware, if something is lost its no big deal

& everything fits into a storage tote that rides in the M416 trailer

 

[Scott]

I'm lazy.. Generally speaking after dinner I rinse everything with water and wipe down. Reuse the following day. I then wash everything when I get home. Its been working for me so why ruin a good thing.

 

[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

I'm a fan of using the dish tote (Pelican case, Action Packer, etc...) as the basin. I have a smaller basin that fits inside the big box, and I use that as a rinse basin. So, 2 tier system- wash and rinse. When the wash water is too filthy to reuse, I dump it (appropriately) and rotate in the rinse water. I also have a fold flat dish rack for easy drying...

This system works well for multi day group camps, but if you move daily, or are solo, it's not as helpful.

Another great method is the 2 spray bottle approach- one spray bottle filled with soapy water for washing, one with fresh for rinsing. It allows you to tightly manage your water usage, and you never use more than you need.

 

[Barton Fink]

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[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

Brilliant. If there's one thing I hate about my set up is trying to dump the water without chucking my Pelican case. I may borrow that spray bottle idea.

Strictly speaking, you can even do without the soapy water bottle, just one for rinse. Little soap on a sponge, spritz, wash, and rinse. Works pretty well...

Someone else mentioned bringing a small garden pump sprayer, which also seems like a cool idea.

 

[Rogue Beardsman]

I like the bottle idea. I like all the ideas I will have to try some out and see what works for me. Thanks for the tips everyone!