Sanitation: Bathing

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Sanitation: Bathing

By Leave No Trace.

The rules of bathing change once you leave civilization and enter the wilderness. Aside from washing your hands, which will go a long way to keeping you healthy, don't bathe unless you want to. Every person will find his/her wilderness hygenic comfort level.

The most important element of backcountry personal hygene is hand-washing, especially crucial after going to the bathroom and before handling food. Clean hands will help keep you and your trip partners healthy.

Carry some water 200 feet away from the water source, ideally to a durable surface such as sand or rock.
Wet your hands.
Lather with a small amount of biodegradable, phosphate-free soap.
Pour water over your hands to rinse. Do not dip your hands into the pot or bottle of water.
Avoid contaminating your eating pots and dishes with soap, as it can give diarrhea.

Some people carry a small bottle antibacterial, alcohol-based soap that requires no water, for quick, convenient hand-washing.

Washing with soap: If you choose to wash your hair or bathe, use the same method as hand-washing. Wash at least 200 feet away from water sources and make sure your soap is phosphate free and biodegradable.

Washing with no soap: To adhere to Leave No Trace standards, bathe only in large rivers and lakes. Small natural water sources can be contaminated from your oils. Scrub your body with small rocks, gravel, or sand. Swim in your clothes and scrub them (without soap) at the same time.

Brushing your teeth: Use baking powder or salt instead of toothpaste to minimize your impact. If you do use toothpaste, dispose of your paste waste by swishing a large amount of water in your mouth and spraying your spit through your teeth over as large an area as you can like a human water sprinkler. This will eliminate those ugly white clumps that blemish our woods.

You may choose to carry moistened towelettes to keep yourself feeling fresh.