It's always interesting to read about what other's use/do when camping.

I've never brought along any kind of "sink."  We wash the dishes in the old pot that cooks the food; then hand rinse the plates, etc, and let them dry on a rock or log. 

Not saying this method is better or worse.  It's just the way I learned back in the day. 

puckster

Our method of drying dishes is to give them a good shake or two and put them in a nylon mesh bag which is hung on a nearby tree.

zski wrote on Apr 17^th, 2014 at 4:01am:


I think you've managed to avoid some serious intestinal issues using one pot to cook/wash dishes in.
Depending on who's doing the pot cleaning, you could have left over food particles or soap residue which could cause some serious problems, especially on a camp trip.

When I was in the army, I saw first hand what can happen when your field sanitation/cooking gets a little slack.

Might be the way the old timers did it, but unless you trust yourself/tripping partners, I don't think the risk is worth it.

As noted by Old Salt, no need to buy a collapsible sink.  I use a small Sterilite storage box with no lid for a kitchen sink.  Something in the 10-15 qt range is perfect.  It's long enough and wide enough to allow at least partial immersion for all but my biggest cooking pot in my jumbo cook kit.

When packing up camp, I put my stoves and other potentially breakable items in this box along with small odds and ends which then goes into my gear pack.  The box protects these items and since it is full it takes up no extra room in the pack.  Also helps provide a bit of shape/structure inside the pack and keeps things organized and easy to find when unpacking.

I don't worry too much about bits of food in my dishwater.  It's kind of inevitable and if you start with hot enough water, use soap, and rinse well there's really no danger unless your dish washer does a poor job...which is going to be a problem no matter what.

I'm with Puckster.  I have a couple of collapsible sinks but have never used them.  The only time soap is needed is when the food has enough fat in it to make the pot or plate feel greasy.  The first key is hot water, which melts the fat, and a drop or two of soap helps.  The second key is to rinse with filtered water.

You can also clean pots and plates with ... dirt.  That's right, dirt.  It's both abrasive and absorbent.  This method works even better using oak leaves and sand.  I "washed" dishes this way for years when I was using a cast iron frying pan to cook spam, eggs and pancakes.  If using dirt, it helps to rinse.  If using sand, there's no need to rinse, just wipe.

Uncivilized, you say?  My dad told me stories of poor kitchen sanitation when he was in the army, and he taught me the dirt/sand/leaves method.  Worked for him in the South Pacific, worked for me in Boy Scouts and car camping.