Published on: December 15, 2021
Written by Camila Avery / Fact-checked by David Rowan

While you are enjoying time in the amazing outdoor places for camping, you may forget to ensure your personal hygiene. The campsites don’t always offer you a dirt-free clean environment to live in. So besides enjoying some quality time with nature, you also need to ensure a clean and hygienic camping trip.

Many people think that maintaining hygiene is a great challenging issue during camping. But much priority should be given to that issue and it’s not really that tough. Here I will try to provide you with some tips for a clean and clear camping trip.

Things You Need to Carry for Personal Hygiene at the Campsite

1. Hand Sanitizer

It is not possible to get available sources of pure water while you are staying at a campsite. But after staying outside all day, you need clean and fresh hands before having a meal or cooking food for others. In this situation, hand sanitizer is the most essential thing that can help you to clean your hands without using water. You can get it in a small portable bottle and easily take it everywhere you go. It will kill all the germs in a very short time and ensure personal hygiene.

2. Wet Wipes

Normally wet wipes are used as a baby product. But it will serve really good while you are staying away from home. While you need to clean your hands or something instantly, a wet wipe can save you in that situation. You don’t need to have water nearby to clean something. In fact, you can clean your face with it after staying outside all day surrounded by dust. It will help you to clean your hands before or after having a meal or preparing food for others.

3. Dry Shampoo

It’s an illogical decision to carry a heavy bottle of shampoo and conditioner while you are planning for a camping tour. During camping days you need to carry as little weight as possible. Again there is not always available water near you to wash your hair with shampoo. To solve all those problems, you need dry shampoo. It is lightweight, small in size, and easy to use.

All you need is to just brush up your hair, apply the dry shampoo to the hair and allow it to dry naturally. Brush your hair several times to clean it from the root to tip. You may find different versions of dry shampoo like in powder form or as a spray bottle in any super shop near you.

4. Mouthwash

During camping days carrying a full tube of toothpaste and brushes for every member is not much feasible. You need to hike or climb or walk a long way during the whole day. So mouthwash is an amazing thing that makes you feel fresh all day long. A small size bottle of mouthwash or mouth washing tablet can ensure your oral hygiene so perfectly.

5. Fresh Clothes

Take as many fresh clothes as possible with you while going on a camping trip. There may not be enough scope to clean your clothes daily. So if you want to have a fresh feeling all day long, you need to change clothes frequently.

Showering Tips

Different types of camp showers are available in the market for campers. Even these showers can provide you with hot water by using solar power or batteries. So collect one according to your requirements. Personally, I would like to use a solar-powered shower which is really amazing. Here are some tips and rules for taking a fresh shower during camping:

Use the biodegradable shop to avoid polluting the environment and damaging wildlife. Take shower at least 1 meter away from any natural water source. Otherwise, the soaps or shampoo, or other chemical products will damage the aquatic wildlife.
If water is not available, we suggest you use moistened cotton balls to clean yourself. To reduce bacterial attacks you can dab the cotton balls into alcohol gel or hand sanitizer before use.

Methods to Keep My Tent and Sleeping Area Clean

1. Make sure to always wear clean shoes and keep them off of your bedding.

2. Keep food and drinks out of your sleeping area.

3. Clean your sleeping area regularly with a broom and dustpan.

4. Use a ground cloth or tarp underneath your tent to help keep it clean.

5. Invest in a waterproof tent or a tent with a rain fly to help keep your tent clean.

6. Always keep your tent zipped up when not in use.

7. Shake out your sleeping bag before packing it up.

8. Vacuum your tent after each use.

9. Use an air mattress or cot to keep your sleeping area elevated and away from the ground.

10. Place a small rug in front of the tent door to help trap dirt and debris.

Hygienic Cooking and Eating Tips During Camping

You need to maintain proper hygiene while cooking or serving dishes. The steps you need to follow are described below:

Wash Your Hands Properly

You need to clean your hands before touching any food items. Also, make sure that you always clean your hand with a sufficient amount of soap or antibacterial gel after using the latrine. Another important thing to maintain is to trim your nails. Otherwise, the germs can be transferred to the food.

Cover Foods

As you are staying outside, you have to cook in the open air and there may be many flies and animals. The germs carried by different insects, flies, and animals are the reason behind many diseases that attack you during camping. So cover your food carefully. You should use hygienic food containers, storage boxes, plastic food covers, etc to protect your food from germs.

Rinse Cooking Pans and Dishes with Water

Every time you use a cooking pan, rinse it properly with hot water (if available) or normal pure water before starting cooking. Also, clean your dishes.

Tips for Managing Waste and Avoiding Littering While Camping

1. Bring reusable containers for food storage and refuse.

2. Pack out all of your trash, including food waste, to avoid leaving a mess.

3. Use reusable water bottles instead of disposable plastic bottles.

4. Consider composting biodegradable food waste.

5. Choose products with minimal packaging when possible.

6. Use reusable plates, cups, and utensils.

7. Avoid single-use plastics, such as straws and disposable cutlery.

8. Use biodegradable toiletries and soaps to avoid polluting the environment.

9. Recycle all recyclable items.

10. Educate yourself and others about the importance of managing waste and avoiding littering.

Conclusion

While you are enjoying your time amid nature, it is quite difficult to be clean all day long. But staying hygienic during camping days should be the first priority. The above tips are given to help you to make a clean and fresh camping trip. You just need to take some basic planning and preparation which will take a very short time. I hope these amazing outdoor hygiene hacks will help you and hope your next camping trip will be awesome.

How to Stay Clean While Camping (You Should Know)