Washing up on expeditions

[Ollie]

One of the things I dislike doing most is washing up on expedition. It always seems to take ages, and you never get really clean pans. Does anyone have any top tips on how to do a good, quick, job at washing up using as little 'equipment' as possible?

Ollie

[timmygowalkies]

I use soap-pads, you cang et them from shops such as wilkinsons. They are basically scourers inpregnated with soap, scrub with one of them and then rinse the suds off with water and it is done. One of my d of e leaders that I am great friends with because we worked together on a Mixed Ability expedition, has used them on his trangia for about 10 years and it is so shiny I could do my hair in it lol.

[Keefy]

I'm really lazy and generally eat boil in the bag stuff except for my bacon sarnies, all the frying pan needs is a wip round with some tissue.
If I plan to actually cook something I boil some water up in the pan afterwards for a nice cup of coffee with a shot of JD added for a treat. You may have some floaty bits in your coffee but your pan is pretty clean.

Keefy

[Ollie]

Wouldn't that make your coffee a bit greasy!?

[David]

I dont know how useful this is, but when camping, I tend not to to use many pots / implements to avoid this problem.
General use implements: manipulation of food - use whittled skewers and wedged spatula-chisel type things and possibly spoons if your skill is good. Burn them in the fire the next day if too dirty.
Blades: cutting food - *do not* sterilise in flames. I generally wipe it on grass, but even I admit it can be a bit grim after smearing blood et c, so immerse in boiling water for a while or 'autoclave' with a pot with a lid. Do not immerse the whole knife (just the blade) or use salted water. Make sure to dry it immediately afterwards (yep - grass again).
Pots: dirt and carbon on the outside - if it does not scrape off easily, it can stay there in my oppinion (I can see this is where people will start to disagree!). Inside: after a general cleaing with water and scourer; rinse, fill and boil with water and then it is sterile. I would recomend cleaning this properly when you get home though:( .
I generally dont use many personal plates bowls and stuff.

Feel free to comment on why this is un( -pleasant / -hygenic / -acceptable)!

[Keefy]

Wouldn't that make your coffee a bit greasy!?

A bit, yes, depending on what you cook of course. I tend to try and eat healthy and nutritious when roughing it.

[Taff Craven]

I take a small bottle of washing up liquid, plastic scrub pads and sheets of kitchen roll, all goes in my trangia bag with the cooker, use a non stick frying pan with the trangia, minimalistic camping is fine, but I always say any fool can be uncomfortable. I don't mind carrying a little extra weight to make life easier.

[David]

"Minimalistic camping ... be uncomfortable"
I'm not sure if I give the impression of being these guys only interested in camping for the challenge from my post; but what I was trying to give is ideas to save on work - I really don't think that a blackened outside of a pot et c. makes much difference. So, just to clarify - these are just intended to save on time, weight and hassle, not to 'prove' anything.

[Raging Sheep]

Does anyone have any top tips on how to do a good, quick, job at washing up using as little 'equipment' as possible?

Ollie

I always find taking along a girlfriend helps.

[Jake D]

Oooh... controversial!!! ;)

[timmygowalkies]

Haha, I suppose that is one way to do it!

[Shaggysheep]

you can't beat an ice cold stream to clean the cooking equipment and like me always take a youngster, saying that it is good practice and training to clean pots in a cold stream or river

[timmygowalkies]

Like on the top of kinder, haha, that was very cruel but rather funny!!

(The group cooked on the top of Kinder Scout in Derbyshire. We sent a couple of people to wash the pans in the streams, the water was freezing cold but they still came back with the pans sparkling!!)

[ryder1100]

Hey from Middle-Earth / Narnia / New Zealand, just thought I'd share my 5c (or should that be 5p?)... Ice-cold Glacial river water is generally the fastest way to clean - Dunk, scrub with river silt, dunk again and run around waving the pan in the air to dry - or is that to get circulation flowing into ones hands again??? Certainly, the best scourer i have found is the fine glacial coarse sand found alongside many rivers in NZ - plenty of supply and you aren't putting soapy stuff into someone elses water supply :)

But yeah, a girlfriend would work too... :P

Richie :)

[Ollie]

But yeah, a girlfriend would work too... :P

That's debatable, surely? :P

[ryder1100]

That's debatable, surely? :P

Well... maybe "work" might be a strong word... ;) i think i'm in trouble now!

[Ollie]

Lol!

Ok then, how about washing up in snow? Anyone have any tips? Just heat it up and turn it into water, or otherwise?

Ollie

[David]

I guess if you are thinking about just using the snow without meling it: not a good idea. If there is any grease it won't come off at a low temperature, I'll spare you the boring science. If it is dry it will also not dissolve dirt as easly, but the cold is the main problem - I guess you would have to heat it quite a bit above melting to do any good.

[insane_climber]

not if they are well trained in the kitchen and dont own a dish washer

[pie2k]

When cooking over fire i found covering the bottom and sides with washing up liquid works a treat so after the cooking all you have to do is rinse with warm water and Bob's your uncle.
With regards to the inside of the pan i hate to state the obvious but don't burn anything, pick of stuck stuff, rinse with water and wipe down with alcohol wipes! They're hygenic and full of alcohol goodness! NB- carefull replacing the alcohol wipes with baby wipes as some people can be alergic to them!