How to Keep Clean while Camping

[@ThreeDirtyMen]

A comb can go a long way to get ticks and other various things out of hair and beard.

[@Chad20109]

I got a small wooden one for 12 bucks and it helped

[@danielthornburg4401]

A combis also good for removing Cholla clusters

[@jc.1191]

Cut it

[@Aethelhadas]

use a tick repellent! better be safe before too

[@1977jda19]

As a kid growing up in a large family, we were used to taking a "bird bath". The same as you described in your pot. Usually a sink full of hot water a rag and soap. Start at the top and work down.

[@stevemalibu99]

If you wear contact lenses, hand hygiene is a must! I carry a small amount of hand sanitizer as well.

[@TheCopperLife]

Just a small note; Biodegradable is not the same thing as not harmful. Soaps, toothpaste and shampoos should always be dumped some 15 meters (50 feet) away from water :)

[@fallenangelwi25]

We have a family of 6 and we use a pump chemical sprayer!!!! Buy new and never put chemical in it of course. We can shower all 6 of us in under 2 fills. We boil water and mix with cold when putting in the sprayer.

[@certifiedfishingcycling9208]

Wow?!! Wouldve never thought of this! Thx for sharing

[@fallenangelwi25]

@@certifiedfishingcycling9208 you're welcome 😊

[@dag4321]

I always carry a small swiss army classic on my keychain - the scissors do a really good job of cutting/clipping nails. It also includes a small nail file for smoothing out nails and cleaning underneath them. And of course it also has a toothpick and tweezers.

[@kidbach]

Good call. I use the scissors on my Explorer for my nails when I'm not at home where my clippers are.

[@Chad20109]

Same

[@mikeharbison8762]

you're correct, although not as specific to the task, the scissors on multi-tools and pocket knives press well enough to the task of nail hygiene.

[@jocapps6560]

​@@mikeharbison8762essay

[@dannyvalentine8315]

ive heard the contrary about those camping liquid soaps and stuff.. They're not amazing for most freshwater sources, but theyre totally fine if you have a receptacle for waste! soil is what helps em biodegrade, dont hurt the fishies! :)

[@ladyofthemasque]

For those scoffing at carrying a toothbrush, 60% of health ailments involve the digestive tract. Your mouth is the start of all that. If your teeth are rotting, all those toxins, bacteria, etc, will be flowing down into your guts, worsening your health. Keeping your teeth & gums scrubbed clean on a daily basis will help. (Also, bad breath is body odor; it scares away game!)

[@paulfranks195]

Absolutely right. A few days out without clean teeth and I no longer enjoy eating.

[@jc.1191]

You need teeth to eat. Simple.

[@amandadetour4365]

Hi Dan! That is great stuff and I do all the things you mention! I always start my period early when working hard and pushing myself in the backcountry so women have a couple more concerns. Especially in grizzly country. I don’t bury tampons - they get burned once everyone is in bed. A special separate bag with a ziplock to keep safe and odorless until then- otherwise to pack out. I finally started wearing the lightest weight pantiliner for remote backcountry trips...with limited amount of unders and washing.a gal can change those out each day and walaa! Helps with UTI’s and yeast infections. Those can end a trip pronto Burn those and you won’t have to burn or bury underwear or stand downwind so much. As a cook it is always important to wash hands and keep nails short and clean. You will make such good friends and save the day with a clipper. Not to mention you shouldn’t use your teeth to cut fishing line :)

[@Angie_978]

Amanda - great tips! I think it's pretty common for a woman's period to get wonky when in a physically demanding situation. I've heard about that in hikers and long trip hunters too.

[@joeyjones9041]

In a pinch, one could use the file on their multi tool to keep toenails/fingernails in check. Also in a long term situation a solar camp shower is a good option. Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap is a good product, it's body soap, toothpaste, shampoo, laundry and dish detergent. Very versatile stuff.

[@jc.1191]

Must have flouride for teeth.

[@rw100]

The scissors on a Leatherman also work well for nail-trimming

[@DrAdrianTodd]

A really small nail brush has all sorts of uses, from scrubbing your nails, brushing dried mud of clothing and footwear.

[@coffeeneone]

Boil a rag or neckerchief... Would have never thought of that, great option for multi day hikes etc. Awesome! Thank you!

[@EPGunman]

Always great to hear seldom addressed topics!!! Especially when it’s something we should be doing!

[@Chad20109]

The Scissors on my victorinox can clip my nails and its a multi tool i use.

[@blackhatbushcraft]

Wiping down your face with a warm wet rag on a cold morning is awesome. It is very refreshing. Even when I am at home I often put my camp kettle on the stove burner in the mornings and bring it to a hard boil and breath in the steam for a minute or two. It seems very refreshing and soothing for the nasal passages and sinuses.

[@jacobkonkel6793]

What a fantastic video! I carry a hygiene kit, but I've always been stumped on trying to solve long term cold weather bathing. The boiled rag is a fantastic tip I'll for sure give a try.

[@jackvoss175]

“washing” in the out back is simple. At home, prepare a few baby wipes. They are large, so I tear them in half. Put them in a Ziploc sandwich bag. They dry fairly soon, so I add some white vinegar. It keeps them moist, and white vinegar is antibacterial. A “bath” is easy, using several pieces of baby wipe, one at a time, start at face and neck. Get nother clean wipe as often as needed. Last area washed is your groin area. For hands, carry a fingernail brush, use it with warm water and a small chunk of soap.

[@captdramamine]

Excellent video! One method I use to help stay clean is simply wearing gloves. It's so much easier to clean your hands if they don't get dirty. Plus gloves protect you from cuts and bites.

[@deanpricepestboss]

My nails always grow quickly when out in the woods. Always have my nail clippers 👍🏼 Thanks for sharing 👏🏻👏🏻

[@GrumpyGrunt]

You use the same intro music as my YT coffee guru; James Hoffman. I just figured out why I always want coffee when I start watching your videos too. 🤣 100% with you on the clippers. Thanks for checking in, Danno. Keep ya hiney washed, y'all!

[@owlrecon6263]

Love James Hoffman that guy is awesome

[@pacanis]

Good for you for touching on this subject. Cleaning cookware is another topic that seems skimmed over by most. I swear one guy must bring a new Pathfinder skillet out with him each time he burns so much stuff in it. Sometimes ya gotta talk about the dirty stuff.

[@outdoordauber]

This comment made me LOL!! 🤣

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

yup, food needs a kill step, cooking things does this but what about your dishes and utensils? they need a kill step.

[@deedeemathews8370]

Wow, that was very informative. I love the boiled cloth sponge bath idea. Thank you for sharing.

[@felixh.4069]

Hey Dan, I love your content, but I have something to criticize. I am a retailer and we sell the wilderness wash from sea to summit. The stuff is great but it harms the environment if you use it directly in a river or a lake. It needs to be filtered by the soil to be biodegradable. You need to use it 100 meters away from the water source otherwise it destroys the surface tension and breaks down fat layers of microorganisms what kills them. Have a great day and big thanks for your awesome Videos. Felix from Germany

[@owlrecon6263]

Great point Felix thanks for the input

[@Aethelhadas]

Thanks for the info!

[@OpenAirOutdoors]

For the toe nail thing what I found to work well is to just get your buddy to chew them off for ya 🤣

[@treebeardtheent2200]

You can pick your friends You can pick your nose But it's not such a good idea to pick your friend's nose 😮

[@blueridgebushcraft8294]

This subject is one of the most underrated and overlooked subject in the outdoors. Thanks for another great video and keep up the good work brother.

[@GadgetsAdventures]

I carry wipes and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizer is also useful for starting a fire.

[@eloyg.boulton2362]

I use to carry a very small medium hard hairs brush in order to clean under nails or stained spots...it works perfect. Besides that I carry a nail file and dental floss wrapped on a toothpick.

[@DanCooper404]

I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer out in the woods. Not only does it cut through the grime, but you can use it for starting a fire, and getting fish slime off your hands. Plus, of course, disinfecting wounds.

[@Caseic]

Thanks Dan! Nobody talks about this. I really appreciate this video

[@ldsphotodude49]

I like to use Dr. Bronners the mint one. As far as I know it is biodegradable too, and I have used it to brush my teeth. If you do that just use a drop or two, it is very concentrated.

[@supernoobsmith5718]

Large divot in the dirt, lay tarp over, instant wash basin.

[@keyisme1356]

Love this idea!

[@1990SammieJ]

These are all questions I hadn't even realised needed to be answered but it's essential not to stink up the woods so it's good you explained that stuff.

[@marshalldmi3]

Thanks heaps for that. Am glad you brought it up

[@StoneE4]

It's refreshing to hear someone talk about hygiene, and the importance of it, in the outdoors instead of hearing the loud, vocal minority _(I hope it's a minority)_ parroting that inane, hackneyed phrase : _"embrace the stink."_ Well done, Dan. 👍

[@paulfranks195]

I think the difference in opinion might be, those that camp out frequently just get tired of being unclean all of the time as opposed to those where being dirty is a novelty. Each to their own...

[@basicwoodsman2855]

Most of my outings are short term, I get by with a pack of Wet ones hand wipes & a lil dry tp.

[@bdickinson6751]

Have your boy do a video on this. That kids video was awesome! 👍👊🏼🇺🇸

[@trailtrashoutdoors8173]

Great topic forsure! Something that is widely overlooked is hygene when in the field. Its more than just soap and water...but more like which soap when and where. Great content as usual!

[@alternative.solutions3806]

I worked in Louisiana after hurricane Katrina. We had no shower or ability to heat water. I had lots of hand sanitizer so for several days I just wiped my body down with Purell. It was cold but effective.

[@BMazeing]

A comb and a mirror could also be useful. Mirrors can double to signal others for rescue given proper lighting conditions

[@GarouLady]

I am a part of the Low waste group on FB and have started to use shampoo bars instead of the bottled kind. a little nub of shampoo bar in a tin lasts for weeks. If I need something more gentle, our family has a shampoo/body wash that we get from amazon, a BIG gallon jug for 20 bucks. Got the idea from my mom's nursing home that uses it. Works a treat and its shampoo and body wash so its a 2 in 1 and enviromentally sound. taking cornstarch as a deodorant and dry shampoo can help also, by combing it though the hair. Thanks for the video. Being clean in the wilds is a definite moral booster as well.

[@Aethelhadas]

Great on you for the low waste effort! Im also trying the same thing, taking inspiration from your tips too, thanks

[@GreeNiggel]

i used to use a micro fibre towel like that until someone pointed out to me that it sheds microplastic all over the place, which is a problem especially in aquatic ecosystems. i now just use a linen square, which is also my shemagh . i just like linen more than cotton, but that is of course just preference. still dries out plenty quick enough for me same with soaps. people seem to assume that "biodegradable soap" is okay to dump or use directly in streams or lakes. it can really mess up the things living in there though, as aquatic life is generally very sensitive to shifts in ph. probably the best way to go about it would be to use a bucket or your bushpot to have a sponge bath out of it with soapy water, then dump it on the soil, away from the water. this way, your towel and pot get a cleaning with detergent as well! you can always have a dip in the pond and wash yourself without soap, or before or after using soap on land. trust me, I'm an ecologist ;)

[@treebeardtheent2200]

Your thoughts on the common suggestion that people carry baby wipes? I don't like them myself. I'm a fire builder so my hands get pretty grubby, but a drop or two of soap (away from water source) sometimes some ash/charcoal (good pot cleaners) and water gets my hands pretty clean before I eat, after I drop trou and sometimes just because. A pack of wipes wouldn't last me very long and I go out for weeks on end. Not the only reason I dislike then btw.

[@Aethelhadas]

Want to know this too@@treebeardtheent2200

[@Hemp1972]

Learned a lot. Thank you. I have such a towel! I'm half way. 😁 🔆

[@alecboss8646]

Amazing video!!! I love the idea of the “bush sponge bath” awesome concept with the boiling, I didn’t think of it. You can also use Sweet Pepper Bush as a soap substitute and deodorant, I believe bayberry can be used in that way as well, I know it’s can be used as a antiseptic. If you need to you can also take a smoke bath with juniper smoke as well lol

[@WayPointSurvival]

Good ideas!

[@rosarubea99]

Biodegradable soap has an oxygen demand. It won't make much of a difference from one bath in a lake, but if everyone was washing in the lake with soap it could start to deplete the oxygen in the water. Biodegradable means it is broken down with bacteria and other microorganisms. The soap is food for the microbes.

[@willybee3056]

I heard about this on a farm show in the 60s. They were warning about biodegradable soaps killing lakes and turning them into boggs. News is only important if is part of the story that the media wants to tell.

[@eschneider8799]

No soap in the lake biodegradable or not

[@kidbach]

Great tips, Prof. In my just-in-case bags, I keep a mix of baby wipes and wet naps, for hit and miss freshen ups and keeping hands clean. I also keep packs of disposable toothbrushes, some with picks and/or floss. Thanks for sharing.

[@janetwithers7427]

Clean camper is a happy camper.

[@oldrainwater]

Thank you !

[@woodswalker7579]

During the winter, I usually carry a zip lock baggie with half a dozen baby wipes. Use a wipe or two and throw them in the fire after. And as someone else mentioned Dr Bronners is great, brush my teeth, wash my hair, body and dishes with it.

[@rodneyhussey8012]

As a old Soldier, I always use the GI Showers. Also known as Babywipes.

[@stevemcnaughton324]

The only things I would add would be a bar of soap and a comb. Soap will shift dirt and can be used on your hair as well. I enjoyed the video with its simple and very clear message. Thanks Dan, keep up the great work.

[@bcase5328]

Add a "lice" comb, as a very fine tooth comb can remove tics and fleas before they bite. Combing hair/beards has been a part of human hygiene for millennia. Combing can also clear off the scalp.

[@becauseitscurrentyear8397]

I have always found toe nail clippers are mere reliable. couple of very long hygiene items to consider would be a safety razer with refills, or manual hair clippers. portable bidet.

[@tomcaldwell5750]

Thanks for the info.

[@thejohnny0018]

Love your channel! ❤️

[@smd482000]

Hikingon the a.t. I carried wipes. to clean up I zip up my tent and wipe down and I carry nail clipers and a traval tooth brush and paste and comb

[@anthonysarillo3911]

Great content. Information on how to make your own soap in the backcountry would be great also. I don't know if that is practical.

[@devildogsbushcraft7898]

Good Advise, thanks.

[@heidih2887]

a really small bottle - aftermarket etc - of the campers/bio-degradable soap (if not wanting to take the original 4-8 oz bottle) is a good idea year-round to clean any wounds/irritated skin to prevent infection, reduce threat of e-coli (after answering nature's call before putting hands to face, handling food etc.) Love the idea of boiling the cotton cloth before and after use for wash-up! :D Good practical information! :D

[@choppertcp1045]

We gotta clean our taint people! Just Kidding Dan but not really. This was a good one cuz a lot don’t think of this. I just knew with your joking which is always good I thought you would say clean your taint guys ... you are quickly becoming my favorite channel cuz you keep it light and informative it’s like a mullet business up front and party in the back! Some are very informative but dry.

[@outdoordauber]

In the summer, I add a small stick of deodorant. It goes a long way to helping reduce odor until bath time.

[@mendyviola]

If you are car camping, you can use a collapsible tub and a dipper. Boil some water and cool it down with cool water, then bathe like you would with the rag method, but a little more water. It is the bathing method of choice in the villages in jungles of Borneo. Just do it away from a fresh water source.

[@eddiezero1403]

Thanks Dan from CNY

[@super15071]

Like a rock!

[@markfletcher8084]

As always, good common sense information. Great job.

[@richjageman3976]

Add a few drops of the biodegradable soap to the boiled cloth. I do that and it makes a big difference doing underarms and lower parts.

[@nothing55rk]

I always have a small vial of tea tree oil with me and i add that to my bush pot water when giving my self sponge bath..

[@expressivepets1]

Great information. Thx

[@ghostnomad8953]

Great idea for a video.

[@Tier1GearEDCReviews]

Love these videos btw... Knowledge saves lives

[@68thBC]

More stuff like this...keep up the great job

[@pacco205]

First person to mention toenail clippers ever.

[@kolokraftbushcraft]

Loved the winter tips, thanks bro.

[@mashumichelle]

Hands, face and feet every night before bed. The hidden bits I use the hot water bottle that was in my footbox overnight to bidet my butt after my constiutional. Baking soda is most always with me and a little goes a long way to get rid of body odor or micro scrub my pots.

[@base12productions]

Great topic. Someone else said floss which is a good idea, as it could be used for other things. I have carried a small 4" stiff bristle brush which has a variety of cleaning and utility uses. What are your thoughts on the brush idea? Thanks.

[@robertalexander9931]

Great tips.

[@alecboss8646]

Seriously tho I love the boiled water and cloth idea

[@adventureswithken1983]

When I was deployed to Afghanistan I used the scissors on my leatherman to cut my nails, then I would sanitize it by sticking the scissors part in the fire for a few seconds afterwards.

[@aminhabibi7226]

You were in Patagonia? When? Why? Would you tell us some stories?

[@tony7106]

Baby wipes. My go to but Im not out for extended days on end either sadly.

[@Corcioch]

Great tips

[@jeremyhicks6367]

Great tips! Thanks!

[@justice111203]

Never forget to bring those G-U-M brand hand held individual flossers!!

[@davidaustin4910]

Good topic and very good messaging from OG

[@davidaustin4910]

PS still waiting for the storing food safely overnight in Bear Country and a distance away from a vehicle.

[@spider5001]

I’ve tried so hard to find a lightweight way to clean myself. The best thing I have found is those wipes women use that take off make up. You will have to wash the soap off the with a towel like Dan had. Just burn the used wipes in the fire

[@LGSkywalker82]

Damnit Dan, you didnt try to sell me anything... great info Boss!

[@brianferris1233]

thank you for sharing, Coalcracker Bushcraft 👍

[@TheSaneHatter]

As a matter of fact, I *can* bite my toenails. But since I was a kid, the novelty has worn off.

[@erikaushamburg8279]

Awesome. Man that Info is important to know. Cheers.

[@tonilive7719]

Thank you!!!

[@stephenshepherd1433]

Great Vid thanks

[@WyomingOutofDoors]

good tips

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

Also, good points on the nail clippers and all. I know you have show washing a pot in the sand at the water, but there has to be a better method. A dedicated wash pot, rag, rinse pot, lots of hot water, This would be a great system to see, small multi use compact easy to clean. I've seen chain male dish rags, no sponges or rags to hold bacteria and the yucky stuff.

[@andrefrancoeur1563]

Excelllent topic,

[@erichjalmarson8896]

I like to carry a small pack of wet wipes for quick wipe downs. Used them a lot in Afghanistan

[@thegoodlife2937]

Any biodegradable wet wipe good for fire starter when your done just dry em out not sure if it hold up like char cloth though worth a experiment

[@desertsteez]

I like to carry the Coleman camp soap sheets and a couple compressed towels you just add water to 👍🏽

[@Swift_Water]

A Comb, a little wooden hand brush, tweezers. Might bring a straight edge. I would like to know if anyone shaves while their out.

[@jc.1191]

I would trim it with scissors. A knife I suppose too.

[@dominiquelaflamme7804]

Walkers, carry a small quantity of foot powder to put on before going to bed. Your feet will be completely regenerated come morning.

[@Aethelhadas]

Wont powder just make them dry

[@urzu7]

If you only have one pot for cleaning and cooking I would let it boil for a little longer just to make sure everything is dead

[@DarkBishop19]

Wear Gloves honestly its safer to work when your wearing work gloves