1. Dishwashing HKR 3220 - Summer Outdoor Activities Kevin
Redmond and Basil Kavanagh By: Taylor Hamlyn
2. OVERVIEW When camping, dishes must be cleaned after every
meal. This presentation will include techniques for dishwashing,
which enables students to uphold hygiene, camp cleanliness, and
wilderness preservation Focus: Cleaning techniques for hygienic
purposes Disposing of gray water Preventing illnesses due to
improper sanitary practices
3. CLEANING WITH HOT WATER When camping, utensils, plates,
bowls, and mugs can be cleaned using hot water. After cooking any
meal, students will be responsible to clean their dishes and
cooking groups will look after their cook set Students cook a light
lunch Using a large pot, swish hot, boiled water on used
kitchenware until it is clean Plates and cutlery may be soaked and
washed in a large pot of hot water
4. TEACHING POINTS Scrub lightly using fingers or a washcloth
to avoid splashing hot water For more stubborn cleanup, soak the
dish before washing Cooking and cleaning should be limited to three
or four people This method requires NO soap Click play to watch all
videos
5. RISK MANAGEMENT Lighting a stove is required to heat most
meals while camping Be careful to avoid scalding from hot water or
burns due to stove flare-ups Follow safe practices for stove
lighting and group cooking and use proper sanitation practices; if
cleaning and food-handling practices arent completed properly they
may lead to food poisoning (Redmond, Foran, Dwyer) Cooking Stove
and Fuel
6. RECYCLING GRAY WATER Students have the option to dispose of
their gray water as a tea Strain dishwater and dispose of food
particles in a bag Boil gray water and drop in a tea bag Let tea
sit until it has cooled
7. TEACHING POINTS This process is a convenient and fast method
of cleanup Have teachers demonstrate this practice Help students
discover that the tea covers the taste of the tainted water,
allowing them to adjust to the concept of gray tea Consider using
hot chocolate or other drinks This is a soapless activity
8. SUMP METHOD A sump is a filtration system (primarly for
food-particle removal) for gray water before the gray water is
disposed of in a cathole. A cathole offers a natural filtration
system for gray water. The three sump methods are a litterbag,
cheesecloth, or a kitchen strainer (Redmond, Foran, Dwyer)
Cathole
9. PREPARATION Dig a cathole (15 centimeters [6 inches] deep)
in a location outside the cooking area and away from any trails,
sleeping shelters, or water Save the covering duff layer and soil
to cover in the cathole Wash kitchenware with little or no soap,
using natural scrubbers (moss) or a dishcloth When the dishes are
cleaned, get rid of gray water using one of the following
methods
10. LITTERBAG A litterbag is a plastic shopping bag containing
duff. Drainage holes are located in the center of the bag (Redmond,
Foran, Dwyer) The bag is held over the cathole The gray water is
then poured into the bag. The duff catches the food particles,
allowing the wastewater to drain into the cathole The litterbag is
put inside another bag to make sure there is no leaking Pour clean
water into the sump to minimize the odors
11. CHEESECLOTH A piece of cheesecloth is placed over the
cathole The gray water is poured onto the cheesecloth. The cloth
strains out the food particles and allows the wastewater to go into
the sump hole Pour clean water into the sump to dilute any odors
When the cleanup is complete, the cheesecloth is then put in the
garbage
12. STRAINER A kitchen strainer (metal mesh) can be used
instead of the cheesecloth After the gray water is poured, the
strainer will have to be emptied of food particles and cleaned Pour
clean water into the sump to minimize the odors from the gray
water
13. TEACHING POINTS Find a location for the cathole and dig it
before you start cleaning Sump methods may be used to dispose of
gray water and the wastewater from group pots Consider assigning
one of the three disposal methods to each cook group Check sumps to
make sure they are flushed with clean water to minimize the chance
of attracting wildlife
14. BROADCASTING Another method of disposing of gray water is
using a kitchen strainer to strain the dishwater and then
scattering the gray water in small amounts over a large area away
from the campsite (Redmond, Foran, Dwyer) Cooking groups strain
their dishwater into an empty pot One student cleans the strainer
into the compost bag Another student takes the pot of gray water
and a spoon outside the camp area and while walking, flicks water
out of the pot, scattering the gray water over a large area
15. TEACHING POINTS Encourage minimal to no soap use. Even
biodegradable soaps can alter pH levels in soil This technique
should not be used in bear country On extended trips, consider
using a kitchenware boil to sterilize personal and group
equipment
16. FINAL NOTES When the cleanup is complete, ask each group to
list the pros and cons of each cleanup method Debrief students on
their preferred method Explain why it is not acceptable to wash
dishes at the lake edge or in a stream Clarify that it is
acceptable to scatter the gray water beyond the camp area
17. BEST COOKING/CLEANUP GROUP
18. REFERENCES Redmond, K., Foran, A., & Dwyer, S. (2010).
Cleaning Dishes in the Backcountry. In Quality Lesson Plans for
Outdoor Education. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
