Our Low Water DISH WASHING Station: The Dirty Secrets!

[@memex56]

Great information! Awesome mother to two very lucky kids. You're both premium examples of great parents!!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Awe, thanks for the kind words. On those days we're losing the battle, this will be a nice comment to look back on.

[@michaeljohn7398]

Super Mum, super Kids, super Dad. Super good advice. Well done Mate. From Michael. Australia.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you Michael! That is so neat knowing these videos are reaching all the way over to your side of the world.

[@carolynhogan6816]

Thanks for the idea on the baking soda for dishes. I use Dawn too! I like your idea for the spritz bottle for water pressure. I never thought of that either! We have am RV but i always set up a camp kitchen,too! You have a sweet family!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

I think we got the baking soda idea from Cosmo Weems. We have received quite a few comments on here from the backpacker community and the preppers. They say basically all you need is something with grit. So the main suggestion from them is to use dirt, bark, etc. Interesting, but makes sense. Since this video we now mix our water and soap in one bottle, use a separate rinse water bottle, and a third vinegar bottle. This has been great. Thanks for the sweet comment on the family. Take care Carolyn!

[@mazecentric4124]

I use a new oil change pan as my camping sink. You can put holes on the rim to hold soap, toothbrushes, etc The built in spout is perfect for dumping into a greywater container if needed.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That is a great idea. Thank you for sharing.

[@raymondschneider5217]

Guys, I LOVE your channel. Even though you're tiny camper, sooooo many of your ideas are transferable to larger units (e.g., travel trailer, 5th wh, etc). The ideas in this vid are FANTASTIC!!! In fact, have gone back and made notes to incorp into my style; super helpful. LOVE the fact that the "little one" is included in so much of the activity; will def remind him of how he "helped" as he gets older. Love your channel (oh, did I say that, already?). Y'all Be Safe!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

These are the comments that warm our hearts Raymond! Thank you! You are absolutely right about the spill over into camping and larger trailers. Many of these ideas come from our parents and they use a 5th wheel, but still approach it many times like they are tent campers. Their parents went through the great depression, left a bit of that frugality mindset to their kids, and today they (my parents) still treat camping in a 5th wheel like backpacking with a bivvy tent 😂

[@uwuweewee]

You sound like an arrogant idioot, nobody cares about the size of your trailer except other trailer trash. Keep it to yourself reetard

[@oldmedicinecrow]

I like using commercial spray bottles. One has soapy water. The other has clean water. Dawn is awesome! Great idea with the baking soda. That's bomb.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Good suggestion. We now use a soapy water bottle in place of our little squirt of soap. Much more efficient.

[@AldapesExpress]

I recommend having the pancake batter pre made in a bag and leaving it inside a cooler or something

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great suggestion. One year we tried the Pinterest Hack of putting it into a ketchup bottle, that turned out awful. We like the idea of the bag much better. Thanks for sharing.

[@BSerrell4]

Each person has a ‘spoonula’ small silicone scraper to finish their meal, effectively scraping off food residue from their plate or bowl, then wipe with paper towel (I’ll try adding baking soda)We do the final degreasing with a spritz of Everclear (higher % EtOH is a stronger degreaser and disinfectant) and a paper towel rub.

[@CampandCamera]

I could drain a swimming pool just to wash one plate! You guys are way ahead of me! By the way, another well edited episode! I'm always glad when the next one come out. Happy camping!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for the supportive comment. It was really neat to see you get out there with your teardrop. You seem so comfortable and confident in front of the camera. We also really appreciate your editing style and storytelling. I bet it feels amazing to have the teardrop out of the garage!

[@CampandCamera]

Playing with Sticks I’m so loving it, even more than I expected! I still get wierded out in front of the camera sometimes, but edit those scenes out! Lol!

[@jeffk464]

When I've camped we just used river water to wash the dishes. You aren't drinking it so no problem.

[@MusicWillSaveYou]

This was very helpful thank you, your son is adorable! What a great little helper

[@victory-loriebarnett1877]

Hahaha, while Moma is trying to minimzie water use, (sorry I did not catch his name) my son is over there trying to use up all the water. "Yup" he says. So honest, so funny, I love this channel. Matter of fact, only channel, I do not skip the ads. (I just mute, lol ) Playing with sticks is a blessing to many and, the return is Great!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Your comments are literally making our day! Thank you so much.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Oh, that was little East. Our newest is named Rye. He wasn't around yet for that video.

[@curly85021]

ran across your video just today love your very common man approach. I have been camping a tone since i was a kid and more often recently in my adult years with my wife and we only have a our daily driver camry so alway looking to ways to minimize what we carry but not quite be back packing lol. one thing i have always done is all of our waste water gets saved in a collapsible bin and saved for putting out our final fire of the trip

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That is a great suggestion with the fire water. We are much alike in that we love the backpacking, but find ourselves lately more to be car campers. I think for many people it is a natural progression. We still backpack and tent each summer, but find more and more we are sticking to the little teardrop setup.

[@curly85021]

@@PlayingwithSticks we are looking into some options for progressing possibly a van or a small trailer I have that I am building on more cargo

[@jodydetermann6477]

Really like your approach to your channel ....sharing and receiving :) making the world a bit kinder one video at a time :)

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you. We are glad that approach resonates with others. Originally we kind of thought this would be one sided. But after we pushed out a few videos we realized quickly how much the community pours back into the creators of the videos. What a fun experience to be able to do this today. We aren't always huge fans of technology, but without it we wouldn't be able to meet all these incredible people.

[@HavaWM]

Omg, this was absolutely adorable. Thank you for sharing

[@jjbear5258]

At home, I use salt or baking soda for scrubbing along with a paper towel. I do not like any type of sponge or cloth for scrubbing because I don't like the possibility of bacteria staying on those things. With a paper towel and some baking soda or salt and a drop or two of dish soap, I scrub thoroughly and then dispose of the paper towel. I scrub without any water first; I do it dry. When I am done scrubbing, I rinse off the dishes with a little bit of water. I then spray the dishes with a mixture of water and distilled vinegar which helps with sanitizing. Then I dry the dishes. I know that using a paper towel may seem wasteful, but I prefer it for the sake of being sanitary. When camping, I put the paper towel with the other items that need to be disposed of when that is possible.

[@diann546]

We use the paper towel, from drying the previous washed dishes, to wipe off the bulk of food residue off of the next batch.

[@DIYM105Camper]

Hey guys great tips! What we use to save water and time is a set of non-stick cooking pots which were a gift from a chef friend of ours and all you do after using them is add a few onces of water reheat the pots and just wipe off

[@mikemead2315]

M105 Camper, I also heat a bit of water in the dirty pan. The “make gravy” deglazing method works for SS pans too. Thanks!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great idea. H20 water and non-stick pans are a great combination!

[@DIYM105Camper]

Mike Mead it really does the job

[@Luthiensmama]

We use foaming dish soap for dishes when camping, as well as foaming hand soap, because you can soap up and only need water to rinse. I like the squirt bottle idea to reduce water use!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great suggestion. Since making this video we have a similar setup to you in that we leave the soap behind and have one bottle of soap and water mixed. Looks like we need to dry out the foaming dish soap next summer. Thank you!

[@bonefishboards]

try a little water + dry pine needles or dry leaves + a little dirt or fine gravel. get your hand in there and scrub it around. then rinse with a little water. No rags, sponges or paper towels. I learned this while backpacking. Now I never even cook while backpacking; just heat water and mix dry food in it's own container or on occasion, in a freezer bag.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

This is a great suggestion. We had one subscriber suggest this last year. We tried it out and you are so right! Nature does everything the baking soda did for us. We thought the baking soda was amazing, but really it is the abrasive properties of the baking soda that does all the work. We are also very similar to you in that our backpacking meals have moved more into the no-wash realm over the years. Countless years of soaking thin backpacking pots and pans and you start to realize it isn't the best method. Wish we would have known this tip of yours 20 years ago!

[@ericschmidt3759]

I greatly enjoy your videos, they're very informative and feel natural. May your beautiful family have many more blessings.

[@mattssacre]

Baking soda works great for pans without a non-stick coating, but can damage the coating on pans that have it.

[@phungphan2245]

Really like the spray bottle with water idea! If you truly want to disinfect, don't use vodka but the 70% alcohol. Anything below 60% alcohol doesn't really disinfect. Vodka is 40%. Distilled Vinegar does ok but not if you dilute with vodka.

[@BSerrell4]

I agree. Separate the vinegar from the ethanol.

[@beejoy6153]

We literally scrap our dishes clean with our utensils and lick them clean (LOL!) then add a little water to a reusable rag for the final wipe down. Zero soap... zero waste.:-) Works great backpacking and for our style of camping too! Sweet video. Hugs and Happy Trails!:-)

[@mikewagemann4129]

Glad to see im not the only one that forgets to pack everything, Baking soda and a strainer? Thanks for the tip.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You think we would have a system down by now. But we still leave things behind. Our first outing we forgot all the dishes and utensils. Again, the paper plates saved our bacon on that one. The baking soda for us is a game changer. The strainer is really just trying our best to do "no trace" pack it in-pack it out practices. It also makes us feel a little better not having chunks of food out with all the bears wandering around.

[@davidmerritt1114]

I really like your family video. I am trying to get my wife to think camping will be fun. Keep the videos coming.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

It takes a while David. Convincing May took me about 5-6 years. I blame it all on my bullheadedness though. She needed a bit more creature comforts out here. Adding the electricity, comfy bed, pop-up tent, easy dishwashing, refrigeration, etc. has really helped. My other secret is I literally do everything for her and the boys out here. I cook, clean, organize, etc. Her job is to just sit back and relax. If May is happy we are all happy. Now instead of 2-3 camping trips year, we are out here every week.

[@victory-loriebarnett1877]

Vinegar and VODKA, did not see that one coming!

[@davidr7236]

Great vid, good work from your little man. Carry some bulk table salt: a tea spoon or two rubbed around a pot with a paper towel gets stubborn grease or carbon off, I even do that in the kitchen at home rather than use a scourer.

[@jodyk4949]

This was so helpful. Thank you for sharing!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You are most welcome Jody!

[@0HARE]

Nice work. I have also found baking soda and vinegar to be excellent cleaners. For laundry we use baking soda in the wash cycle, and vinegar in the rinse cycle. Great results. Happy Camping!

[@TheGratitudeAttitude]

Helpful video! Your "Cosmo modifications" are great! I used the spray bottle idea when we camped a couple of weeks ago. It worked so well saving water. I will add your idea of hot water in a travel thermos too. Your little one is getting so and his language skills are fantastic! I'm sure all the camping experiences have been instrumental 😀.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad you enjoyed this one. We forgot to mention in the video that we set the green spray bottle to the mist setting. That way when we sanitize it evenly coats the dish and it dries fast. We have always been big fans of Stanley Thermoses. It is a bit nostalgic for Drew as he connects camping with his grandparents to those thermoses. We shot this video in the morning. In the late afternoon we opened the thermos for some water and it actually hurt pouring it out on our hands. We don't know how they do it, but they keep items hot!

[@TheGratitudeAttitude]

Playing with Sticks - yes! Those old thermoses are really well sealed! We brew our coffee on a stovetop percolator at night and pour it in a Dunkin’ Donuts stainless steel thermos I have had for probably 20 years and in the morning it is still piping hot! We get our coffee mugs ready with a little organic soy creamer that won’t spoil overnight and have our first cuppa coffee in the teardrop. Even when we’re camping with our grandsons we always seem to wake up early enough to have our 1st cup of coffee inside the quiet camper with our doors open facing nature - getting that early morning fresh air… It’s my favorite time of day ☕️ ☕️

[@stephenbrady8232]

@@PlayingwithSticksmin

[@ashley0423399993]

I’ve been using baking soda to wash dishes particularly pots & pans (and to clean toilet bowls at home) and vinegar. Non-toxic and environmentally friendly. I accidentally stumbled upon this video, fantastic! ✅ Subscribed ✅ Greetings 🖖🏻 from Australia 🇦🇺

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That’s great to hear. I wish we would’ve known this natural trick earlier. So I need to know these videos are making their way all the way to Australia!

[@daveybernard1056]

Wow, you guys use less water than me! My contribution is wood ash from your fire pit. Fine white wood ash. Scoop half a mug of that into your greasy cook pot, splash a little water in also, and stir. Congrats, you just made lye soap! This crazy business REALLY eats up the grease in your pot as well as doing a number on your scrubbing fingers. Food for thought. This is EASILY as effective as Dawn.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You can't get more natural than ash and water. Great tip Davey!

[@mikemead2315]

That is Lye soap! A lost camp pan cleaning method. Good one! Must be hardwood ash.

[@aired-downdisconnected4125]

Gonna have to try this next time out.

[@papa54321]

Unfortunately your way gives cancer.. Ash is bad.

[@mikemead2315]

Sur un roadtrip, Well.....No. From CDC: “The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the EPA have not classified sodium hydroxide for carcinogenicity in humans. Other common names include caustic soda and lye.”

[@99Racker]

In previous years, I would get a handful of sand to clean heavy duty messes with a clean can of water from a stream. If we had a fire, dispose the waste in the fire base, using the fire to disperse remaining waste. If the fire was active, warm a pan or skillet in the flames then rinse with treated water. When water is critical, I would just use the flames on metal items and no rinse. I like metal pie pans for plates for that reason. This applies to Keep It Simple Silly. Thanks for the videos.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

This is some good stuff. And the metal pie pans, this is a new one for us. Will have to try this one out. Thank you for the tips.

[@maykouhansen6713]

Gray tips! Lots of useful stuff and that baby sure is helpful!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank May! Love seeing that you are watching these videos. I think East will really get a kick out of these videos when he is older.

[@ronnythemenace]

Hi you guys, all the way from Norway! I am new to your channel and just wanted a side comment before a dishwasher tip of my own... Just love you and your family and how solid down to earth people you are. It's good fun to follow you and your progress with all your wit and charm. When you talked about how you had to melt your wife into your outdoor passion, it reminded me of how I had to melt my wife into the idea of camping. She is more about city and hotel actually, so I had to make all things possible for her to feel comfortable sleeping outdoors on camping sites, so glamping became our solution, and now she enjoys it the same as me. So it's wonderful to see the cooperation and love you both share together to enjoy the outdoors as a good welded couple with all the benefits for your children! :) So about dishwasher tips which is the topic of your video, I just bought a small dishwasher brush with included soap container yesterday, that might be something if you want to minimize space with a two in one gadget :) They cost next to nothing and it brings you a solid brush and soap for at least a good long weekend... www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dish-Brush-w-Washing-Liquid-Soap-Dispenser-Kitchen-Utensil-Pot-Clean-Brush/164294029073?hash=item2640afef11:g:01gAAOSwaPNfEUR2

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Always fun to run into another northerner from a different part of the world. We had the chance to visit your home country in 2005. It was amazing! It really was the people though that made it such a great trip. Although you are up north it didn't seem to impact the general mood. Everyone seemed so cheerful and friendly. We could benefit from a bit more cheer up here in Alaska. Love hearing from folks like you who found the balance with your spouse. It really is worth the bit of extra effort. We have the exact same brush as you. We just bought it maybe 4 months ago. We have been using it at home, but like you said it will be great out camping.

[@davidf9630]

Another helpful video! Thanks again. We have been cooking less in our teardrop camp outs because we don’t like cleaning up the mess. This video will definitely help us get back to ( gourmet ) cooking. :-)

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad you enjoyed it David. We were just like you. The more we cooked the more miserable it was with our 2 basin system. Wait until you do this in person, it is so much faster than how we made it look. We are going to have to do a food video some time so you can share with us in the comments what food you all cook out there. Safe travels!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We didn't even notice the beautiful birds in the background when putting this together. We are so glad summer is here! Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement and the tips that we already see coming in on this video Safe travels friends!

[@mysterylovescompany2657]

This was fantastic! I thought I knew all the tricks, but it turns out - as ever - that there's always more we can learn. I had no idea you could do dishes with _this_ little water. I will definitely be stealing this process on my next camp! Thanks for sharing, guys. ^_^

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad you enjoyed it! We stole it as well. These tips were a combination of things we had learned online the past few years. Nothing better than taking some of these tips and then adding a bit of your own twist on it to make it fit your needs.

[@mysterylovescompany2657]

@@PlayingwithSticks thanks for sharing the wealth; I'll be sure to pass it on, in turn. :-)

[@rosepatrick8002]

Very helpful tips, watched video on tent, and bought one for myself. Thanks

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad you are enjoying them. We took out the Scamp this week and left the tent at home. We are regretting it. We love that tent!

[@pinoakrd]

I'm late in watching this video. I'm just getting back into camping and used way too much water for dishes last summer. Thanks for a much better system. My choice for a dish cloth/scrubber is Lunatec’s dishcloths. They also make wash cloths.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you for sharing about the dish cloths. We’ve tried out a number of them and are still on the search.

[@stevevelobahn1814]

That's why they call it a toy-let. Lol! Great tip about the baking soda. Tks.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We had to heart this comment. Love the play on words!

[@billallen1747]

Sand & paper towel is the next best thing. If you don't shed it, hang up dry and go again. Non-teflon pans off cc course.

[@kellyl4327]

A mister bottle with highly concentrated dawn dish soap and water, could eliminate a couple steps? It is good to soak dishes, maybe after baking soda? Baking soda and spray with your vinegar/vodka, gets a chemical reaction that heats up and cleans:) Remember the volcanos we built as kids? Your kids will love it! Sprinkle baking soda and then vinegar! Fun and useful! Your “wash basin would take up less room, if folded neatly and rolled tightly and secured by rubberband. Same can be done with your scrubby towel. Just some ideas to share, which I learned along the way:) Thanks for sharing!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you Kelly for sharing all this. Your first tip is now part of our process. Originally we thought we wouldn't be using dawn on many of our dishes, so it sounded like the best idea to keep the water and soap separated. Come to find we practically use it on every dish, so now it is a mixture like you suggested. We also make the volcanoes on every trip! You are so right, East loves this! We roll our basin and towel loosely. Great idea using a rubberband. We often laugh when we get comments like this because it is funny how we overlook such simple solutions. Thanks again Kelly!

[@joemomma1751]

I know everyone is health conscience but, you can use the leftover bacon grease for cooking. Home fries and eggs are good cooked in bacon grease. Not so good on scrambled. Strain and cover the leftover grease and it will keep in that Alaskan weather for a few months easy. I've read about using it for fire starters and candles but, I can't speak first hand. Also, try a cast iron pan. It's heavier to pack but, it will help save some cleaning water. When your done cooking just heat it up real good and scrape out the leftover bits in the pan. Apply a thin coat of cooking oil to prevent rust. I've read about using cooking oil and kosher salt to clean them too but, can't vouch for that. BTW, I have the same cooking table for my Coleman stove and love it. Haven't burnt a picnic table or melted a folding table since I bought it. :)

[@PlayingwithSticks]

This is some great info! It may not be as healthy, but it is a nice way of recycling. Also love the suggestion on the cast iron. We have been bringing one along lately due to the easy cleaning that you mentioned. But, what we didn't know was that you could apply a thin coat of cooking oil to prevent rust. Great suggestion! We could see how the cooking oil and kosher salt could potentially make a good mix as well. We love that little table, but sometimes wonder if it is a little overkill for us. The metal does add a bit more weight than we would like. But, like you said we haven't melted any plastic!

[@stephenlum79]

I love your ethic in conserving water and looking after the environment, ie less detergent disposed of in the natural environment that you visit and obviously love. Kudos. Not only that, I respect how you are teaching your children to respect the environment and 'work'. However, the use of vodka in the sanitiser... I could never do that LOL. BTW what was the ratio? Ha (well, you never know).

[@lydiaholcomb7592]

Great info but best part of the vid is your son scrubbing the dish saying "go to town, go to town, go to town" 🤣 SO CUTE! 😇

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That is so funny Lydia! I didn’t even notice that until now. Thank you for sharing.

[@pemi_adventures]

Been following for quite some time now. Excellent videos and great trips. Question: what ratio of vinegar to vodka did you use? Thanks and happy trails

[@Lugnutz89]

I love your videos. I am looking at a teardrop camper in the next year or 2. I love camping but hate tents!! This is a good compromise for me. I don't understand the draw of an RV or a large camper, if I wanted home comfort I would have stayed home. Keep the good videos coming! I have learned a lot from you so far and hope to keep learning from your adventures!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Welcome aboard! Glad you are enjoying these videos. And yes, this is the perfect upgrade from a tent. All the fun of camping, but none of the tent hassles. Well, that is unless you are like us and add tents everywhere to make the most amazing outdoor living space imaginable. Haha. Hopefully we can convince you along the way that instant pop-up tents are still worth it and really make this setup fun!

[@hukeaz]

East is such a good lil helper 🥰

[@PlayingwithSticks]

He really is isn't he! Sometimes he doesn't even slow us down a beat. He has a pretty good work ethic for a little guy. And the best part is he is always begging to try new things. Getting a bit tougher now as he wants to fillet fish and cook on hot camp stoves. Give it a few years and some more fine motor control and he will be doing that as well we hope.

[@juliesexauer5373]

Love your tips and tricks. You’re suffering all of the trials and errors for me! PS- your little dudes are adorable!

[@kathybensmiller3173]

When you store your wash station in a plastic bin you don't need a collapsible wash tub, just remove the couple extra items from the plastic bin & that IS your wash tub. After everything else is washed and rinsed, rinse it, dry it & put everything away like before. A camping hack I found super useful with small kids (and water wise) is to poke a little hole in a plastic milk jug (bottom corner opposite the handle) and stick a wooden golf tee in the hole. Then fill, or partially fill with water (replace lid. Squish some of the air out if you only partially fill), bungee cord this at a handy height on a nearby tree where there's grass below or you don't mind having a puddle. A little squirty bottle tied to it with hand soap & a hand towel fed through the milk jug handle. This is the hand washing station... pulling the golf tee out allows a little water to dribble out (it will come out too fast if you didn't put the milk jug lid back on), wet your hands & replace the tee, wash/scrub with soap, then pull the tee out again to rinse. Dry with handy towel. The wooden golf tee swells and doesn't leak. If you're concerned about the space a milk jug takes up, you can crush it, then blow it up like a balloon at the next campsite, its very light & takes very little space. Replace the jug every couple years because that thin plastic isn't meant for long term use & becomes brittle after a while. This was the *best* hack for camping with kids!!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Love these ideas! Thank you.

[@slamboy66]

In the Boy Scouts when canoeing down Colorado in Grand Canyon and other places , we washed our kits in soupy mud then rinse . Cleans up real nice.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Love it! Many backpackers use dirt and sticks. Basically this would take the place of the baking soda we highlighted. Sometimes all it takes is just a harsh abrasive material.

[@slamboy66]

@@PlayingwithSticks My cast iron Chicken fryer I do baby

[@PWlangford1]

Your little boy is so cute 🇨🇦

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Peter! It is very fun having him in the family. It makes camping a whole lot more enjoyable.

[@mikemead2315]

Great summary. Big fan of baking soda as a mild abrasive and oil trapper. $1 store has a combo sponge/magic-eraser I like - the sponge half holds the magic eraser part together longer. Seen a lot of camping “cleaning mixes” out there that are actually ineffective or dangerous. Sterilizing is done by either killing “germs” or washing them away. At home, we wash them away in the sink using soap, or wash away and killing germs with bleach and heat in the dishwasher. Bleach is the standard for chemical sterilizing (reference only - I don’t use camping). Vinegar 5% acidity or above (6% labeled cleaning vinegar in store) kills some germs - needs to stay wet for awhile. Hydrogen Peroxide kills some different ones - needs to stay wet for awhile. Used one after another, they do a better job killing germs. DO NOT MIX THEM - Creates peracetic acid which is toxic and irritates skin etc, and it is an unknown disinfectant. I don’t know what vinegar and alcohol makes. Add dish soap and it is a good bathroom cleaner, but I don’t know what that means for killing germs. Alcohol can be very flammable. FYI: GoodHouseking list of household things not to mix: www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a32773/cleaning-products-never-mix/

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for all this info Mike! We ended up going with the 6% vinegar. From 5% to 6% sounded pretty miniscual, but we thought it would probably be more effective. The title "cleaning vinegar" is what threw us off at first. We wanted to make sure it was something that could be ingested, if accidentally ingested. Great advice on what to mix and not to mix. The flamable comment is another great one. With the combination of our flamable alcohol and our propane bottles we could really put that teardrop up in flames fast. I wonder where the best place to store all that would be? Off the top of my head I am thinking roofbox of the car. Having all those flamables in the place we sleep sounds a little disconcerning the more I think about it.

[@mikemead2315]

Playing with Sticks, for your vinegar alcohol mix, make a little puddle and see if it ignites. The vinegar is mostly water which alcohol has a affinity for, so if the alcohol was flammable alone, it is probably not flammable mixed with mostly water vinegar - probably cuts alcohol proof almost in half. (I think the test is does the alcohol stay separate and flammable or combine and dilute with vinegar.) There is food safe cleaning vinegar in the food section, and not-food-safe cleaning vinegar usually in the cleaning supplies. 5% to 6% is 20% more acidic, and lots of germs are killed by acids. There is like a 20% industrial vinegar, but special equipment is needed to use it. Ha! I put regular vinegar in a jar to eliminate the original salsa smell, and it rusted the lid overnight. Recycle!

[@mikemead2315]

Playing with Sticks, I tried lighting 151 alcohol then added vinegar. Really really hard to see! 151 burns beautifully. Added equal amount 6% acidity vinegar food grade, and it kept burning (so about 75 proof if they mix, or still 151 if they separate). Added another part vinegar and the flame went out. Could not relight.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Yep, acid that is what we read. We couldn't remember why vinegar had the ability to kill off the germs, but knew from family members that it made a great natural sanitizer.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

I like the idea of combining these two at a 50/50 ratio. I wonder though if the alcohol is under 100 proof if it loses all it's effectivness? Or is vinegar and alcohol like 2 super powers combined that help play off each other. Looks like I have some research to do.

[@taylorbrown9509]

What was the ratio you used on the vinegar and vodka spray bottle?

[@YouCanDoItKaren]

Great tips! I am going to add your suggestions next weekend!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad you enjoyed it! Wait until you try it yourself. It goes so much faster and easier then we made it look on the video.

[@ImASurvivorNThriver]

This was great! We're gonna implement these tips into our cleaning station. Thanks for sharing. :-)

[@midwesta-framer649]

Love cosmo weems! He’s been very inspiring. As have you and this video. I’m going to grab me a few squirt bottles and try this next time out, dawn as a back em up too 😁

[@PlayingwithSticks]

The only thing we now do different from this video is we have one bottle that is dawn and water mixed. So 1 mixed soap bottle, 1 rinse bottle, and 1 vinegar bottle. Honestly this has been such a game changer out boondocking and even in the campgrounds and picnic sites. Washing dishes is now actually kind of fun.

[@pmatheson418]

Appreciate these tips (nice 2 C the family) I tend to wipe off most of the dishes with paper towel or news print to be clean grease and such before using water. The spray bottles are great and I will now pack some baking soda

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Yes, that’s a great suggestion to get it all clean before adding the water.

[@luvnotvideos]

Did you know you can also use diluted soap in a squirt bottle to help control amounts? I liked using this so much camping that I now use the same method at home. Just dilute the dish soap a minimum 70/30 to maximum 50/50 with warm water and mix well. Even at 50/50 dilution, the soap is still strong enough to break down grease, and if a particular difficult spot is an issue, you can narrow the stream to blast the grease away.

[@tjaciuk]

Love your channel and enjoy watching your family bond in the beauty of Alaska. I have an " off topic" question for May...I'd love to get my hands (feet) on the same rain boots your wearing in this video. Do you have a link or suggestion as to where to get a pair. Thank you and look forward to seeing more of you and your beautiful family.

[@four-x-trading5606]

I use a pesticide pump and a drop of dawn soap works great

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Love the idea of using a pesticide pump. Dawn is pretty magical isn't it! Thanks for sharing Katie.

[@MyGreenNest]

I was thinking about doing that!

[@ostendadler1]

I'll try baking soda on my next outing - I mostly camp in the desert and water has to be brought along. Anything to stretch it without having to head back to civilization to top it up is a win.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We agree with that desert statement. As for the baking soda it really can be anything that’s abrasive. This sounds crazy, but in the ultralight backpacking community many of them use dirt in place of the baking soda.

[@colleenkaralee2280]

Yeah, a soaking basin and then some white vinegar. H202 for proteins and fungus/mold - a great cheap antiseptic - and biodegradable compared with bleach.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for the feedback. When we put this video up we weren't 100% sure it was the best way in terms of effectiveness and safety for the environment. From the feedback we have received it seems to be the best option. Thanks again for helping us solidify our choice when it comes to cleaning our dishes. This feedback is very helpful for us.

[@colleenkaralee2280]

@@PlayingwithSticks I love the vandwelling community and back to a simple, earth friendly lifestyle - of course with all the solar and batteries we can load up on, LOL.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You're so funny! We think very similarly. We laughed that we love going back to the simple lifestyle as well, as long as we can bring out our laptop, our drone, our camera, and our phone to check in with the teardrop community online 😃

[@richdobbs6595]

Instead of a plastic scraper, I use my bamboo wok spatula. I use it for frying and stirring while cooking, so it is already along-for-the-ride.

[@cherylmaloney8435]

A great all natural alternative to Dawn Dish Soap is the Mrs. Meyers Brand. It was tested by Consumer Products to be more effective at cutting stains and grease than Dawn.

[@conniewaite1996]

Add some white vinegar to baking soda to remove stains. It will bubble up!be careful. I had a griddle with a stain,used b.soda,sprayed on vinegar and covered with a wet paper towel,let soak over nite and wow! No scrubbing needed.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

One of the scenes that we left out due to time was East taking a TON of baking soda throwing it in a pan and then squirting it with the vinegar. We were rolling we laughter when we saw the volcano working its way out of the pan!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Cheryl! We us Mrs. Meyers for our handsoap at home. It is truly amazing. The liquid handsoap has olive oil in it which has been the best for our mid-winter Alaska dry hands. We also find you use less of the product because it is very thick and it goes on sale quite often to an amount that rivals generic soaps. We will definitely check out their dish soap.

[@kelz4arich]

Another alternative is Dr. Bronners Sal Suds. It’s as good as Dawn if not better and its Biodegradable

[@MyGreenNest]

It’s not natural, look it up on the environmental working group website. It’s just marketed that way.

[@knowledgeapplied]

0:53 Add a small bottle of white vinegar (99 cents store), and lemon juice, and you have natural dishwashing tabs, in liquid form. :) A few drops in a small tub (or spray bottle) of water goes a long way.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you. We use the vinegar, but never even thought of adding the lemon juice.

[@rogerprism8661]

May: While we're over here trying to minimize water East is over there trying to us up all of the water, right? East (politely): Yes! LOL! You're both adorable!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

They are quite a cute couple. I love watching May and him interact out here.

[@juliemusgrove3703]

You could use oatmeal to soak up the grease, then wash. It might help to reduce the amount of detergent needed.

[@self-sufficientme3155]

Mom, I'm cracking up at you and the little one, too sweet...

[@PlayingwithSticks]

So glad I have mama out with me camping. I can't imagine doing it without her!

[@mikemead2315]

I like using alcohol spray - one spray for the dish - one for me. I have very clean dishes ;-)

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We couldn't agree more! In the past we used only Vodka, but somewhere along the line we read an article about how 80 proof Vodka has such a low percentage of alcohol that in theory it wouldn't have the ability to tackle bacteria as well as we thought it did. So, instead of finding a stronger alcohol we thought putting together 2 of our favorite sanitizers would be a fun experiment. And like you said, we made sure we weren't combining 2 that would create gassing.

[@mikemead2315]

Playing with Sticks, I read that 50% alcohol is minimum needed (100 proof) to start to disenfect. Isopropyl is a good sterilizer. I was using everclear 151, so it was not poisonous, but I got very concerned about fire if I absentmindedly used spray close to an ignition source.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for this info Mike. As usual you you always have the answers that we usually would have to go and look up. Thank you for that.

[@spanishtranslator1668]

😁

[@oneeyedphotographer]

@@PlayingwithSticks You could try OP Bundy (overproof Bundaberg Rum).

[@mariad4183]

Great info! Thank you for sharing hunnies! xoxo

[@peterdods425]

You should include Amazon affiliate links for all those products. Might as well get credit if this channel takes off. Great content BTW!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We need to look into thos affiliate links don't we? Thanks for reminding us Peter. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@peterdods425]

@@PlayingwithSticks baking soda is a great tip! I was using white vinegar to cut grease in a spray bottle. This looks way better!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

On this trip we also had a little fun mixing the vinegar with the baking soda. So if anything it makes for a fun party trick around the campfire.

[@jurgitasousa]

Glass water mixed with lemon and AFTER mix tea spoon of baking soda. First aid if your stomach stops ;) Green argila mixed with water is a must have also for camping, good for kids and animals too.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for the tips!

[@heidirisner5638]

Love your videos! Can I ask what kind of plates and cookware you use?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We have tried out a lot of plates. We went plastic, then back to metal and glass. But now we are back to plastic again. We chose these because they have edges that are rounded, much more than other plates. These are amazing, especially when you have kids. Before we had plates with slighlty rounded edges and our food often made their way to the ground. These edges keep everything on your plate. For some reason at the campsite you lose a lot more food than home. Must be the terrain and lack of structure. These are the plates www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Two-Person-11-Piece-Table-Set/49759703 Unfortunately hard to find without all the extras.As for cookware we mostly used our backpacking cookware, but now found it is much more easy and enjoyable if we just use full size cookware from our local thrift store. We keep it lightweight though. But, doesn't hurt to use one cast iron item because they clean up really well with just boiling water.

[@heidirisner5638]

@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks so much! So that's how you clean a cast iron pan...boiling water in it? Nic e to finally know the secret! And yes, we use plastic as well for now (bowls and plates). Easier to manage I believe. Hope you are having some great times in your camper this summer with the family. I'm still waiting for ours to be finished- I'm going from tenting to teardrop...

[@PlayingwithSticks]

@@heidirisner5638 Just got done washing a cast iron at our parents house. They just told me they use the boiling method as well, but most times just soak it in water and clean later. Main thing is don't use soap or you start back at scratch in terms of seasoning your pan. You are going to have so much fun in that teardrop. Welcome to the club Heidi!

[@ourscamplife5210]

Beautiful views! We can't wait to plan a trip up there someday. We have a Collapsible bucket same concept different Bucket. lol We used a simular way of doing it while still tent camping. We now use about 12 gallons of water on a weekend trip but that also includes the toilet. Lol happy travels guys!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You guys would love it up here. The Scamp would be perfect for this colder/wet climate. We are huge fans of the collapsible buckets. We have 2. One is for hauling water for our showers, the other we bought but haven't decided how to use it yet. We think we are going to use it as our waste can, as our big green pop-up waste can is a lot larger than our family actually needs. We forgot you had a toilet in your Scamp. Love how much water the Scamp can hold. Unfortunately for us when we pull the Scamp we have to limit the water because it impacts our towing with the little 4 cylinder. However we found we can still carry the same amount of water we just need to strategically place it around. We will be taking out the Scamp on Tuesday. We are really looking forward to using your tarp/canopy solution. The suction cups you suggested came in the mail a couple of weeks ago. We will definitely give you a shout out in the video when/if we get the canopy up. Hopefully the suction cups will stick with this older model Scamp. It hasn't been properly waxed so it is a pretty flat finish. Safe travels to your family as well!

[@ourscamplife5210]

@@PlayingwithSticks We had to haul our water in separately or fill up/hook up at the sites. I guess it can be bad to haul that much water in the Scamp tank when driving anyway. We just bought 2 6 gallon cans, I call them gas cans Sara doesnt like me to call them that. LOL. The water heater holds 6 gallons and the tank holds 6 also. Thats how we get the 12. I hope the suction cup idea works for you guys too. It's so much cheaper then a "traditional" awning.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

I didn't realize your Scamp had a water heater. The things you learn. Obviously you need hot water to take a shower :) Does that same hot water make it to your basin sink (kitchen sink)? That would be a really nice feature to have. I like the "gas can" title, but I be my wife would give me a hard time about it too.

[@ourscamplife5210]

@@PlayingwithSticks Yes we actually don't shower in Scampy but the hot water does work in the sink. It is very convenient. We figured if we were going to step up, look for an all in one. A new tour video will be out in a few weeks.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

@@ourscamplife5210 A tour video sounds great. I don't know what it is about trailer walkthrough videos, but we find them quite addictive. Lately we have been into cargo trailer conversions. We have no plan of converting one or buying one, but we still love watching them.

[@MOUSEBOWEN]

Awesome video

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Honestly this little cleaning system has really changed our camping. Dishes are now fun!

[@MOUSEBOWEN]

Playing with Sticks yeah totally. Looks so great and beautiful place too. Cold but nice

[@findinway7013]

Late to the video here, wondering about rinsing off the vinegar & soap?

[@ElizabethCar]

Wow! I haven't seen a way to wash dishes better than this

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad you found it helpful Elizabeth. And the coolest thing is it makes washing dishes not feel like a chore. It is actually quite fun.

[@josephdupont]

hydrogent peroxide is pretty cheap too. great video

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Never even thought of that Joseph. Thank you for sharing!

[@makalapuamegs1056]

Also maybe Hawaiian as always use chopsticks. Can eat more with them than a fork or spoon. Can even use them as a knife to divide your food.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Love it. Big chopsticks users as well, but only at home. Will have to try them out on our next camping trip.

[@EvieVermont]

I use a vinegar spray. Or h2O And bio soap. The baking soda is a great idea I hadn't thought of!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

The only thing we do different now from this video is we have a bottle of mixed water and bio soap. The baking soda is great, so is boiling hot water for getting those tough items off.

[@atecay3636]

What an adorable vid! I'm a new subscriber and am binge watching your channel! I'm definitely gonna save for a teardrop now that our boys are grown! Love the tip about bicarb soda and using vinegar and vodka for sanitiser! (Pure? or mixed with water?) LOL about the chopsticks... my son always brings chopsticks! ... I'm Filo.... What is May's background? She's so beautiful. Your boys are cute!

[@sonyacompton3489]

What dishes do you recommend?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

After decades of different dishes. Literally decades. We now only use plates with big lips on the edges and reusable plastic bowls. The ones we currently use unfortunately come in a kit which includes utensils and cups. Here is the link www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-4-Person-Table-Set-with-Plates-Cups-and-Flatware/935498680 another similar style is www.amazon.com/UCO-4-Piece-Camping-Utensil-Venture/dp/B07MMT8KGH/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Ozark+Trail+4+Person+Table+Set+with+Plates%2C+Cups+and+Flatware&qid=1596694272&sr=8-3. We have been using the rounded plates for four years now. Occasionally we bring out a picnic plate with a slight raised edge and still find our food makes its way to the ground. Hope this helps. Not the classiest solution, but sure gets the job done.

[@ravenstarwind]

For a scraper we use an old gift card. It worked better than one we had that was like yours.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Aren't those gift cards great! We use them up here for scraping off the snow. We just did a major overhaul on a vintage camper and we hit a point after a few days where no tool could get the old silicon caulk off. Pulled out the credit card and off it went! Thank you for sharing this.

[@markh3720]

Great video. Keep it up

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Mark. Glad you enjoyed it. We are excited to get more posted soon.

[@bmoor6526]

What brand and where did you get the black and pink jacket from that you have on in this vid?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

I think you are probably the 3rd or 4th person who has asked this question. Poor May. It actually is a child's size jacket from Costco. She gets comments on it all the time up here and she used to be embarrassed to say where she got it :) Now she embraces it and says go to REI and check out their kids jackets, many of them are pretty big and many are also form fitted. And the best part, they are half the price.

[@bmoor6526]

@@PlayingwithSticks Thank you for the info!!! . I apologize for the delayed response. Your product reviews are spot on! Keep up the great work.

[@TSunshineful]

Best thing for grease is a tablespoon of baking soda and sprinkle a little vinegar to make a paste. Scrub. Rinse. BUT If you use cast iron, all you need is water. Period. If there’s grease I just boil water in the cast iron on the stove. Pour out and rinse. Put cast iron back on stove , it will be a little wet still and heat about five min, turn off heat and let cool.this keeps cast iron In Great condition. Never use soap on cast iron. Only water. New cast iron requires seasoning with oil which is another process.

[@WildwoodCastle]

Thank you..!

[@TheDedicatedDrifter]

I wipe pots and pans off while theyre still hot/warm (food or residue comes off easiest) then throw away paper towel. Done. I dont use soap, sometimes when extra dirty rinse w little water and scrub then wipe.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great solution.

[@greggiono8789]

Great mom!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you. We really love her!

[@YabadabadooMrMagoo]

My OCD flipped out watch your example of washing dishes. Not a good demonstration and it left me wanting to wash my hands right away lol. But still your videos are addicting and I just subscribed today.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Not sure what got your OCD flipping out there. Did you find it unsanitary? Would love to know. Was it the use of a dishrag vs individual paper towels? I can't imagine an issue with soap and a sanitizing solution. Hmmm, you have peaked my curiosity.

[@mbens9995]

For an almost zero water solution, use Clorox free and clear compostable wipes to clean the dishes. They cut all grime and grease and are food contact surface safe. Then a quick rinse with water. Good to go. So fast so easy.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Nice! You are the first person to mention an alternative like this. Thank you.

[@MyGreenNest]

I no longer use dawn I use seventh generation soap because it’s strong like dawn but plant based so it breaks down safely for the environment. The baking soda is a great idea. Cook in a porcelain or cast iron for non-stick. A pesticide pump would be a great way to use water. Plastic Scrapers are life savers for cleaning pots.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great points you have there. As for the Dawn we are going to have to study it a bit more. I always wonder when tragic things happen up here like the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill why did they use Dawn to treat all the animals that washed up onto the shore? Did they find it environmentally friendly? Or was there a huge marketing payoff from Dawn? Even the Dawn bottle today shows the little sea critters as part of the branding. Guess I need to add that to my reading list.

[@ennazusmiranda]

I find thst Dr Bronner's castile soap works great for dishes, hand washing, etc. No need for Dawn. It does a great job on tough messes and grease, while still being low-impact on the environment and bio-degradable .

[@twentynineteen4687]

Brilliant!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you! We thought so too when we learned these methods from others online. We would love to take the credit, but it mostly came from other folks.

[@douglasmowat7143]

Bicarbonate of soda solution is also a sanitiser

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you Douglas! We will be looking into this.

[@johndaddabbo9383]

Wow, you didn't just minimize water for dishwashing but outright lobotomized it! So yeah, that was by far the least water I've ever seen used for disshwashing, and with those added tricks (backing soda, hot water thermos, cleaning cloth, scraper, bottle sprayer, etc.) you really are able to keep water usage to extremely low levels... and that was on a breakfast of Pancakes and Bacon!

[@pennyfraser-sielski5332]

Is it a 1:1 vinegar vodka ratio?

[@rudithedog7534]

Get a dog they will clean pots a d dishes, and look forward to doing it😊

[@PlayingwithSticks]

This is a first! Love it.

[@christipreddy8744]

These videos are dope

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Christi! Appreciate the kind words.

[@davidshillito]

So at 5:40 I'm thinking ... just use a washing up brush !!!

[@georgemullett5153]

Great vid..thanks..

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad you enjoyed it George. We really appreciate your support through all these videos.