Soap and detergent in rivers

[Refrigerator]

Originally Posted by CatsEye

The Seventh Generation stuff they have out now are better but not the complete solution.

Green Cleaning Products -Diapers -Laundry Detergent -Non toxic Cleaners

We usually use things like this when we go camping. We also use lye soap, which has very little in the way of chemicals in it. It's made with lye but the lye is inactivated when the soap is made.

Hey thanks for that site...this looks great..

[Bud]

I always thought that good old Ivory soap was fine for use outdoors. That's what I was taught as part of leave no trace camping. I hope Ivory is OK.

[dinosaur]

Originally Posted by Barney

Organic soap is a great idea. To expand on this topic, what do you use to clean oils from dirty pots after cooking outdoors? Is there any organic dishwashing liquid for that?

Actually, le Metis is right. Take your pots or frying pan and fill them with fresh water. Then boil the water. This will remove all of the vestiges of what you've cooked. If you're not certain, do it a second time. Then wipe it clean. No soap. If there's sand in the area, use it to scour the pots.

[ChadTower]

Originally Posted by tentmom

Would you wash in the waterfall/river or use the showers?

Odds are pretty good it's the same water either way. Those showers are likely draining into the ground somewhere.

[scubaghost]

And keep in mind that if it says biodegradable soap doesn't actually mean it won't harm fish and such.

[Rachel]

Originally Posted by ChadTower

Odds are pretty good it's the same water either way. Those showers are likely draining into the ground somewhere.

The showers are probably draining into pipes that go to a wastewater plant, so the water is chemically treated before it's returned to a river. That's very different than using soap in the river itself.

[BCBabe]

DAWN dishwashing liquid, the blue stuff? It's a kelp base, and bio-degradable, and is the only thing I will use when in the boonies.

And a version of it sells as SEA SUDS, because it suds's up in salt water.... and if you buy it under THAT name, you'll pay, literally, FIVE TIMES the price.

[Grandpa]

Originally Posted by Barney

Organic soap is a great idea. To expand on this topic, what do you use to clean oils from dirty pots after cooking outdoors? Is there any organic dishwashing liquid for that?

flip it upside down on the burner and burn the grease off. Then wipe it out with paper towel. And skip the ewwww's, give your immune system a chance to develop.

[JollyRogers]

Most of the time I use a fist full of tall grass to scrub my pots after boiling water in them to loosen things up.
For the really tough stuff I will use sand.

[ChadTower]

Originally Posted by Rachel

The showers are probably draining into pipes that go to a wastewater plant, so the water is chemically treated before it's returned to a river. That's very different than using soap in the river itself.

At an isolated campground with little running water anywhere else? Not a chance. They're draining into a septic tank at best and probably a cesspool. Even a more "modern" campground is very unlikely to have a sewer connection because it's totally impractical to run a sewer line that far for one service.