Article: Three-wash system will keep camp dishes clean

[pnwadventurer]

I just found this article on minimizing bacteria on your camp dishes.

Dr. Collins: Three-wash system will keep camp dishes clean

I've always used my potable water for washing and rinsing otherwise I boiled it. I never thought about the drying phase or the locations you set dishes and utensils down.

Steve

 

[DaveInDenver]

This is pretty much exactly the process we've used for several years now for backpacking, truck camping, huts trips, basically everything. I carry a small Nalgene of chlorine bleach all the time, invaluable IMHO.

 

[paulj]

What's not entirely clear from that article is where the bacterial contamination is coming from in the first place. Different sources could require different solutions.

- if it comes from the food, such as raw meat and unclean vegetables, it can contaminate the rest of the food even before it is eaten.

- if it comes from unclean hands, it can contaminate utensils any time before cooking the next meal.

- same if it comes from unclean surfaces, such as a table. The trickiest transfer might be from the bottom of one plate to the top of another when they are stacked.

I read someplace that it might be safer to clean utensils right before the next use, rather than after the last. I would still want to get rid of old food and grease. But if you really want to careful about bacterial contamination, a chlorine rise right before a meal might be better than one the night before.

We haven't used chlorine, but do tend to use hot or boiling water for a rinse. Also my camping meals tend to be light on raw meats, since they don't store well. And with a small party, cross contamination between people is less of an issue. Still I should be more vigilant about what utensils contact.

paulj

 

[flyingwil]

How bad of an impact on the environment would dumping the chlorine wash cause?

 

[DaveInDenver]

How bad of an impact on the environment would dumping the chlorine wash cause?

That's a legitimate question and what I personally do is dump it in the nearest flowing stream. No, no, just kidding. I pour our used wash and rinse water onto the road whenever possible. In the case where we are impractically far from a road, like in the huts, I pour it into the designated waste water area, which is usually not far from the latrine, although I don't pour it directly into them which would kill the good bacteria in those. Backpacking, I pour it over a dispersed length of the trail, sprinkling it along the path itself. I figure I'm doing the least amount of additional damage, since the road or trail has already been beaten up. I dunno if that is the right thing to do, but that's my logic anyway.

 

[pnwadventurer]

What about the chlorine wipes? Other than additional trash, would these be an effective means to prevent bacteria?

Steve

 

[bigreen505]

My dog is the pre-rinse cycle.:12_4_18:

 

[DaktariEd]

I think some folks are too worried about "germs."
I wash with standard dish soap, rinse, air dry, then towel dry and put them in the storage box.
Been doing it that way for 35+ years.
Hasn't killed me yet.

:sombrero:

 

[flyingwil]

I think some folks are too worried about "germs."
I wash with standard dish soap, rinse, air dry, then towel dry and put them in the storage box.
Been doing it that way for 35+ years.
Hasn't killed me yet.

:sombrero:

:iagree:
Thank you Dr. B!

 

[DaveInDenver]

I think some folks are too worried about "germs."

I don't disagree, however I had giardiasis and have been trying to take a bit more care with respect to keeping things clean. Adding a chlorine rinse step makes the water temp and detergent less critical, that's my thought. It's common that on trips with friends, by the time dish washing happens there have been a couple of barley pops consumed and I'm not paying a ton of attention to what I'm doing, so in that respect it's just a failsafe.

 

[DaktariEd]

Failsafe? I would disagree....but not a bad thing to do. Especially in a group setting.

A person picks up and consumes more bacteria and viruses through hand to hand contact (shaking hands, etc.) than one would ever get from dishes.

When I traveled and worked in East Africa I would daily share a meal with a family in their mud/thatch hut, eating whatever it was they were eating, using plates & utensils they supplied (if any). Never got sick.

But then I always carried alcohol gel and covertly washed my hands before picking up the food...

:sombrero:

 

[DaktariEd]

Thread hijack...

BTW...watch the movie, "Failsafe" sometime....great food for thought...

Un-Hijack!

 

[DaveInDenver]

Failsafe?

Yeah, not really the right word. Reducing the risk? Anyway, figured it couldn't hurt. I do certainly agree that by the time you'd washed dishes, it's probably too late.

 

[bigreen505]

Perhaps I'm just paranoid, but my plates are Lexan and I'm not sure what chlorine does to the stuff.

 

[Pskhaat]

One of my all time favorite movies. As per the dumping of the bleach the quantities required to only reach a 5ppm for cleaning is quite small. I know everything adds up, but...I think we're harming the environment significantly more with any leaking lubricants?