Waterless washing ?

[hampshire!tim]

Does anyone have experience of any waterless washing products ?
One option for my next camino is to do it under the stars ( long story why ).
One of my two main concerns is staying clean with limited / infrequent access to showers.

I've seen on the web Nilacqua, Pits & Bits (what a great name!) and Muc-Off Dry Shower.

Any others ?
Are they enough to stay un-smelly ?

Tim

 

[Anniesantiago]

Just use baby wipes. You can carry a small packet and pick them up along the way.

 

[hampshire!tim]

Nice easy suggestion Annie, thank you, will try them out.

 

[StuartM]

Get clothing with antibacterial treatment. It really does work. I have some Rab clothing with it and it was pretty amazing. Pretty horrible but I did the Salvador with just one shirt (saving the other for spending time in Oviedo "clean"). It was very hot & hard going but no smells. It's also spf rated too. Worth spending money on.

 

[hampshire!tim]

Thank you Stuart

 

[Tincatinker]

I'm with Annie, wet-wipes / baby wipes will do a reasonable job, at least over the short term, on the "pits 'n' bits" (Milton, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Johnson: I'm sorry) what they won't help with is the microbes dining on your discarded skin cells and salts that accumulate in your clothing. That said many would suggest that there are plenty of opportunities for a rinse down of the good body in the great out doors and the same must apply to your clothes. Please just avoid contaminating water supplies with soap and detergents - that is take your washing water away from its source before you use it.

 

[hampshire!tim]

Thanks Tinkatinker
I do envisage the occasional shower !
And clothes washing.
I saw an interesting video about washing clothes in a bottle to get a lot of agitation in limited water, with lots of emphasis on careful disposal of dirty water.

 

[Winchester09]

Merino wool is a fantastic material for going long term without washing. Wicks really well and naturally anti-microbial.

Definitely agree on the wet wipes and very easy to get hold of (baby wipes do exactly the same). I've used Muc-Off before and it works on sweat, not so much on mud (it was after a trail run) but the general feeling you get after is akin to just getting off a plane after a long flight : I.e. You know you're clean but you still feel a little uncomfortable.

Or just make the most of any rivers and fountains you come across...bearing in mind public decency of course


Sent from my iPhone using Camino de Santiago Forum

 

[Kanga]

I'm interested in "walking under the stars" but how would that work? I've tried to walk the Camino twice in the dark - once when a man in the bunk over me had the night terrors and I could not get to sleep and the second time when I had a bit much vino at dinner...
Both times I lost the path. The first time I had to sit it out until daylight, the second I found my way back into town.
I have enjoyed walking through the long summer evenings (it's light in summer until 10 or so) but it puts me out of kilter for washing clothes. I guess you could stop at an albergue during the day and ask to use their facilities.

 

[Winchester09]

Ah, night nav, great fun. Compass and map required for the less well marked/obvious sections.

I did the messeta section from Carrion de Los Condes at night as it was recommended by the Hospitalero in Estella for being the stretch furthest from light pollution. We did get a little mislaid exiting the town but once on the path it was ok. We stopped in CdeLC to wash our kit and nap by the river before setting off.

 

[Icacos]

....... I guess you could stop at an albergue during the day and ask to use their facilities.

Once during the day on the Francés, I needed to wash an item of clothing; I planned to hang the item on my pack and let it dry in the brilliant sunshine as I walked.

We came to a bar / albergue with washing facilities visibly adjacent to a large seating area out front (I don’t recall the name of the village). As we were not intending to stay at that albergue (it being still early in the day) I thought it would be politic for me to get the okay from the owners before I used their facilities. With my soap and said item of clothing in hand, and gesturing to the tub outside, I used my not-very-good Spanish to ask the not-very-friendly hospitalera if I could wash the item of clothing. She gave me a most peculiar look, and shrugged her shoulders. I decided this was an ‘okay’ and trotted off.

Later, as I was pondering her strange response to my request, it occurred to me that instead of my saying, “Could I wash my clothes ….”, I probably said, “Could you wash my clothes …..”.