Out of Soap? Try some Ashes.
When I’m light hiking, I rarely carry things like dish soap. The added weight just doesn’t make sense, especially when you already have a good alternative at your campsite that will work just fine: Campfire ashes.
Wood ashes are a great way to clean your mess kits, and cooking gear. They are almost as effective as dish soap, and in a pinch ashes are a great way to clean up your dirty gear. You can even use it as an alternative to hand and body soap.
To clean your dirty camping utensils without soap:
- Place your ashes into whatever needs cleaning.
- Add some water, and mix the ashes into a paste.
- Scrub your dishes well with the ash paste.
- Rinse with boiled or treated water. (Make sure that the water you are using comes from a containment free source)
Ponder this for a minute…You cooked some fatty foods over a fire, bacon for example, some ash from the fire inevitably lands in the pan, you go down to the creek to scour the pan. Ever notice soap-like suds forming? It took me a long time to figure it out, always thought there was somehow soap residue left behind from the last wash…Nope. Soap was traditionally made from rendered animal fat and hardwood ash. By adding ash and water to fats left behind on cooking items you are creating a weak “soap”. Can’t give the science behind it, it just works. Add some wood ash to your next greasy/fatty fry pan or dutch oven when outdoors with some water and try it for yourself. Works especially well if you heat a small amount of water in the pan and then add the ash. -JS