How to Wash Dishes When Camping (3 Bin Method)

how to wash dishes when camping

Washing dishes is one of those camp chores which can go horribly wrong.   Imagine dirty dish water splashed over your clothes, insects feeding on food particles, or even bears getting attracted to your campsite. Here is a very simple but effective method for washing dishes when camping.

 

How to Wash Dishes when Camping (3 Bin Method)

You will need:

  • Three basins: These are your “sinks.” Collapsible basins work well for this.
  • Drying rack or fourth basin: There are also collapsible dish drying racks (like this one) which are perfect for camping.
  • Biodegradable soap
  • Sponge 

 

Instructions:

how to wash dishes camping

1. Wash Basin

  • This basin contains hot water and a small amount of dish soap. You do NOT need a lot of soap.  Three drops is enough!
  • Dunk dish into the basin.
  • Remove dish from water and scrub with sponge.
  • Dunk again to remove bits of food.

2. Rinse Basin

Dunk the dish in the rinse sink to remove particles of food and dsoap.


3. Cold Rinse Basin

  • This basin contains cold water. You can also add bleach to disinfect your dishes. Use 1 Tbsp of bleach per gallon of water.
  • Dunk the dish in the basin.

 

This is a perfect setup for washing camp dishes for a large group. The last basin is for drying clean dishes.

NOT a good setup. This dishwashing station is too low, full of clutter and there is nowhere to put the clean dishes.

 

Tips

  • Make sure dishes are as clean as possible before you start washing. It’s okay to lick your dishes when camping.  It makes cleanup a lot easier.  Otherwise, scrape all food bits into the trash.
  • Elevate the sinks so you don’t have to hunch over. A picnic table works well for this.  Or maybe you want a folding camp kitchen with a built-in sink.
  • Use the campground dish washing station if there is one. You don’t want to lug basins of water across camp if you don’t have to!
  • Properly dispose of the food scraps and dirty water: Leaving these on the ground can cause critters to come to your campsite.
  • Make a plan for draining the water. Camp sinks are very heavy when full.  It is almost impossible to carry them without splashing water all over yourself (which is particularly disgusting when its dirty dish water).  One solution is to use camp sinks which have a drain.  This allows you to drain the water into a bucket for easier carrying or drain directly onto the ground.
creativeware sink with drain spigot

This sturdy camp sink has a built-in drain. It comes in two sizes: 4.4 gallons and 8.5 gallons.  Get it here.

 


Image credits:

Breakfast Dishes” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by Anne Bennett,
 ” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by ezola,
Matt doing dishes” (CC BY 2.0) by lsiegert,
KP” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by heraldpost

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About the author /


Diane Vukovic grew up camping and backpacking in upstate New York. Now, she takes her own daughters on wilderness adventures so they can connect with nature and learn resiliency. With dozens of trips under her belt, Diane is an expert in minimalist camping, going lightweight, planning, and keeping her kids entertained without screens.

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