Maintaining Proper Hygiene During Camping

When it comes to ‘roughing it’ out in the wilderness, everything gets roughed, including in the area of hygiene.  This is of course if campers are camping using tents.  If they are camping through RVs or cabins, bathroom facilities complete with showers or tubs are already provided, just like if they were at a hotel.  However, tents do not offer such an option.  So, what can campers do to make sure everything is hygienically in order, both when going to the bathroom and when it comes to keep down the body odor?  This article will provide suggestions. 

In regards to camping hygiene when it comes to using the bathroom, campers can utilize camping toilets. These are toilets that allow a person to collect waste without the worries of burying it or even seeing it.  A good camping toilet will allow a person to flush their waste or throw it away in a trash bag.  For wiping they can use toilet paper, though a camper should be extra cautious with a flushable camping toilet, since it cannot hold as much toilet paper as a regular one.  Either way, after using the camping toilet campers need to sanitize it with cleanser.  They should also have baby wipes on hand for themselves, in the event of a messy defecation.  Since showers and sinks are not as accessible in a camping situation, campers need to be able to make sure that they can properly clean themselves. 

Speaking of showers what do campers do to ensure the bathing portion of their camping hygiene needs are met?  Well, there are some campgrounds that offer public showers, but as the namesake indicates, the main problem with them is that there is no privacy.  Not many people feel comfortable being naked in front of others.  So, if this is an issue and/or campers are camping on campgrounds that do not have showers, they can consider giving themselves a wash-up.  They will have to do this by bringing extra water with them, unless they know for sure it is okay to bath in a river.  Anyway, while washing up, campers can use a privacy tent to make sure their nakedness doesn’t have to be seen by everyone else camping with them.  Another alternative is using a shower bag.  These are ‘portable showers’ that are hung on a tree.  The sun warms the water, while a spigot connected to the bag allows the water to flow out.  A blanket can be used to ensure that privacy is had. 

In conclusion, going camping doesn’t mean that a person has to settle for being dirty, germy or smelly.  Through camping toilets, public showers, buckets and washcloths for wash-ups and shower bags, campers can make sure that they are completely fresh as they are enjoying the wonder of nature.  They can do all this without having to do resort to RVs or cabins, which, (in the mind of more hard-core campers), can’t possibly offer the type of camping experience that a tent could.