When you’re out in the middle of the woods, one thing is quite apparent. You’re not going to have access to a lot of ways to get clean. They do not have showers and bathrooms in the woods (normal type anyway). Therefore, it’s needed to know some camping hygiene hacks to get by.
First and foremost, we have to examine things from the very top. When you go into the woods to camp, knowing how long you’ll be out there is key. Why? It helps you know how many clothes to pack, as well as the supplies you’ll need to take with you.
For example, if I am going to be out there for a weekend…then taking a lot of hygiene products with me is not really that big of a deal. Some will be needed but a ton of others? Probably not. If I am going to be out there for a week or two THIS will result in a need to pack more.
Secondly, there are differences between some hygiene products and others. Obviously, there are medical hygiene products such as rubbing alcohol, iodine, etc. There are others like tampons or pads for women who might be on their “time of the month” too. Then there are hygiene products like soap.
Some products you can take with you before leaving while other things will need to be found in the wild. Let’s get started with some very useful hacks.
Table of Contents
Bar Soap
Taking liquid soap with you into the woods would be a disaster. On top of this, anything could happen with it on the way there. You could even accidentally spill it by knocking it over. With bar soap, you risk this far less. On top of that, you’re getting soap that won’t spill on you. It can also be used repeatedly.
It won’t even be a problem to share as soap in itself is a clean product that essentially cleans itself. Just one regular bar of soap can last the average person for several weeks. Moreover, you’re getting something that is issued to Armed Forces members who served or currently serve nations.
If that was not cool enough, it takes no time all to try off and store back in a small pouch to take with you. Bar soap may not seem like a hack to consider, but you’d be very surprised by how many people try to take liquid soap or those who don’t take any soap at all with them.
Alcohol Wipes
There might be several needs for an alcohol wipe, which is why you should always have some on your person when you go into the woods for camping. They are a useful first aid asset, which no true first aid kit should be without. However, many people seem to avoid taking them.
We cannot explain why this is. Perhaps it’s due to some strange problems they have with them. It’s hard to really know if we’re honest with you here. Yet alcohol wipes serve a lot of purposes that you can use them for.
First, they can prevent infection. Say for example that you cut yourself accidentally while camping. Now, this is a bad thing and clearly, you want to find a bandage to put on it so that you cover the spot of the cut but also prevent things from getting inside the open wound. This is not just to help it stop bleeding but also to prevent potential issues with infection.
Of course, that can work well on its own. However, 100% of the time if you use an alcohol wipe to clean the spot of the wound, then cover it properly after you’ve cleaned it…you’re not going to get an infection. This is especially true if you clean it each day, putting new bandages on it.
Meanwhile, these wipes can also help you keep other areas clean. If you want to get a bath but do not have any soap, you can use just one wipe to clean your face, armpits, and genital region. This will prevent potential issues that could arise should you not do so. We can also recommend you do this with your feet. It is not always needed but can still be quite helpful.
Baby Wipes essentially serve the same purpose too!
Ash From A Fire
A lot of people seem to be unaware of the magical asset they have when a fire goes out. The ash that comes from this is capable of doing so much for you. While ash itself is not considered soap, it kinda can be. Using it on your skin works with the oils in our bodies to help us get rid of the negative things we have on it. This could be random bacteria, for instance.
Particularly, when you use ash with water, it works almost exactly like soap. People have been wise to this in the past, which has resulted in several “ash soaps” that you can buy right now at major retailers. Most of the time, they’ll only mix in a few things…which is mostly for smell considering ash itself does not really have much of a smell.
It really works well. All you need to get it is a fire, particularly a fire using wood of any type you feel like using. That said, this is an easy thing you can use to get what you need out of the wilderness while you’re in it.
Charcoal For Teeth?
This is a bit of a misnomer and possibly something that will need more research to completely prove but, there is some validity in it. Charcoal can be a small toothpaste substitute if you do not have access to toothpaste for some strange reason.
You’ll need what is known as “activated charcoal.” Which is technically a form of activated carbon. We do not want to get too technical on you here, but the way you get activated carbon is by igniting specific sources such as coal, coconut husks, bamboo, or wood.
Once you get them, you’ll be able to get true charcoal that will now be considered active. The type of charcoal you get at the store for your grill is not really the kind we’re discussing here. It is also going to cost you money where activated charcoal won’t really cost you anything.
You can use activated charcoal on your teeth in an effort to rid them of stains. A lot more research needs to be done to prove any ability it has to clean in tooth enamel. However, due to the fact that it removes stains, it’s clear charcoal can act as a small toothpaste substitute for a short period of time.
Although, it is not recommended for full-time use at home!
Have Regular Underwear & Sock Changes
One thing we realized during the Vietnam War was that changing out socks was essential to avoiding several diseases. We found that the wetter, humid environment was bad for the feet as we did not let them dry out enough. Part of this was due to continuing to wear wet or sweaty socks on the regular.
Genitals would also be affected badly by using the same underwear for a long time. Therefore, if you’re going to be out and about, in the woods for a long period of time, you need to change out BOTH regularly. If you’re going to be in the woods camping for a week, that means 7 pairs of socks and underwear.
It might not seem like as big of a deal if you’re not moving around a lot, barring the average hike or so. However, we’ve found that even in colder periods that changing out socks and underwear regularly led to far fewer feet and genital problems.
This is the best of our camping hygiene hacks because research has proven it to be important!
