Bushwalk Australia

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone knows some good organise home made (or even bought really) recipes / products that could be used for outdoor hygiene like shampoo / soap whatnot?

Something so I can feel less guilty about leaving any residue about in the field. I also read this week that apparently 'biodegradable, flushable' wet wipes are not biodegradable at all and clog up systems when flushed. So if I could create a good all over soap that gently broke down bodily oils (not too harsh and skin cracking) that would be grand!

Also, I know that one is not really meant to bury TP and is meant to pack it and walk it out, but if one was in fact to do bury it, at least some of the time - what is the least harmful TP on the market? (Obviously I'd avoid any with bleached paper).

Hi Suz, Dr Bronners Castile Soap is supposedly eco friendly. You can use it as shampoo, toothwash, bodywash, laundry, etc. http://www.drbronner.com.au/
The 60ml size liquid soap is probably the most convenient size, and you can pick from a variety of scents.
Yes, Ive heard that too (from a wilderness guide that digs trenches annually, so he should know) that wet wipes do not degrade.

Suz wrote:Also, I know that one is not really meant to bury TP and is meant to pack it and walk it out, but if one was in fact to do bury it, at least some of the time - what is the least harmful TP on the market? (Obviously I'd avoid any with bleached paper).

Not really a big deal to pack it out, I reckon. Ziplock bag inside another plastic bag. Never had a problem, feels better carrying it out.

Most soaps that don't contain triclosan should be pretty safe for most use out in the woods, as long as they are not going straight into a water-source. I've done fine using camp-suds for months at a time since a little goes a long way. there is dr. bronners as well, but I don't know that its that much better. Dawn works too, if its safe to wash ducks with, can't see it being that harmful. Soil bacteria break pretty well anything down in short order. you just want to avoid the anti-bacterials to allow that to happen. simpler is better, there are heaps of products on the market. I think it would be really hard to make a soap that's better than anything that's on the market. Unless you have really specific needs.

If one was concerned about their toilet paper, there are "septic safe" ones that are designed to break down faster. But to be honest I don't know that it would make that much a difference.

I normally burn toilet paper. Just burn it away from your business, to make sure you can stomp on any embers without then needing to clean your soles! Mind you, This wouldn't work on total fire ban days etc. Bagging your #2 is no different to what you do when walking the dog.

A

I think Suz is interested in organic ("organise") products.

kitty wrote:Hi Suz, Dr Bronners Castile Soap is supposedly eco friendly. You can use it as shampoo, toothwash, bodywash, laundry, etc. http://www.drbronner.com.au/
The 60ml size liquid soap is probably the most convenient size, and you can pick from a variety of scents.
Yes, Ive heard that too (from a wilderness guide that digs trenches annually, so he should know) that wet wipes do not degrade.

Kitty is this what you are talking about http://www.lateralfood.com/store/index. ... duct_id=67 ? Have you used this to brush your teeth with?

Mick

Hi Mick, Yes thats the one, a little goes a long way. Yes Ive used the Peppermint on my toothbrush - tastes like soap Its not too bad but I prefer toothpaste. For all other soap-type purposes its great. Cheers, Kitty

Also, as an alternative to wet wipes if you want a fresh clean towelette for your face, there are these.
They are a little lozenge that turns into a big wipe with some water. The 10 pack tube is handy.
http://www.aftertouch.com.au/instant-wipes/

Personal soap is unnecessary at any time, but particularly when hiking.

Sodium Bicarbonate (yeah, plain ordinary old baking soda) is an excellent general purpose cleaner and can be used for almost any cleaning task including washing hair. Try a tsp in a cup of water.

Ok all these options look good thanks kitty in particular!

I want personal soap RonK! And I want to be able to do a little backcountry laundry. Just want to reduce my impact on the environs.

Maybe I should become TP packer outterer but it seems so gross. I'll experiment with it on a short over night trip. But I'm not bagging the whole no. 2! Maybe if I had a special bag for no 2s that have an army of dung beetles living in them. Ha ha. Anyhoo, I'm a vegan and a coffee drinker…I can tell you that if I bagged my no 2s I'd be adding 500gm or so to my pack weight every day!

I've got a buddy who's just gotten so used to using bicarb in the bush, he brushes his teeth with it at home. In bear country, extra scents being a bad thing, and its a pain to walk 100 yards just to brush your teeth.

Thanks Ron, I found this website with instructions on using baking soda to wash clothes, and it also lists some other "backcountry" uses:
http://ryangrayson.blogspot.com.au/2013 ... untry.html

Well, provided you can tell dock from nettle trees.... http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/home-a ... UCmOLscT4g

The loo rolls sold for use in caravan cassette toilets dissolve very quickly. Really.

Otherwise, this is a wonderful book - http://www.amazon.com/How-Shit-Woods-Ed ... 1580083633 with various suggestions. I think I've already posted the link to these... http://www.biffybag.com/. I bought a box and have mainly given away, to rangers etc strongly suggesting that having them in NP shops, requiring that parties carry one might decrease the number of nasty surprises - often right at the end of a walk, loo paper and worse next to the waterfall....
I think they are good to have if you know you are going to be walking through a gorge/river bed where there is really no hope of getting 100m away from track or trail for a good part of the time. I don't think I'd rely on them for a 10 day walk! Also good if you have friends with IBS or Crohns disease who are deterred from bushwalking by unpredictable and urgent gut problems.

well 'toilet plants' may work for me if they happen to be out there on the trail! bicarb is looking like a winner too, i sure hope it's gentle on the environment.

Biffy bags, walk2 NOOOOOOOOOoooooooo!! I'm sure it's a good product for the task tho. But no, just no.

this may be considered as devils advocate but imo if you bag your tp or your whole #2 do you then bin it in a plastic bag? Paper breaks down in the ground and poo is very biodegradable, however things that are disposed of in plastic bags have a tendency to become quite toxic rather than breaking down harmlessly. That doesn't mean that I'm advocating laying surface cable or doing your stuff near water sources but perhaps burying it isn't the worst thing to do. My 2c

I am really curious how this thread ended up in Bush Tucker!

clance wrote:this may be considered as devils advocate but imo if you bag your tp or your whole #2 do you then bin it in a plastic bag? Paper breaks down in the ground and poo is very biodegradable, however things that are disposed of in plastic bags have a tendency to become quite toxic rather than breaking down harmlessly. That doesn't mean that I'm advocating laying surface cable or doing your stuff near water sources but perhaps burying it isn't the worst thing to do. My 2c

don't disagree. I) bags are useful for Just In Case -I'm not carrying a trowel etc every walk, but the package is light & stays in my bag. ii) I do keep explaining - there are quite a few places where one can't get a reasonable distance from water or path (gorges etc) so burying isn't a good idea, so even if one has a trowel etc consider carrying one...

Mark F wrote:I am really curious how this thread ended up in Bush Tucker!

Fair call! Some kitchen products are used in hygiene - salt or bicarb instead of toothpaste, vinegar instead of shampoo or deodorant. http://www.treehugger.com/organic-beaut ... later.html Bit off-thread but pr'aps still the closest fit?

Mark F wrote:I am really curious how this thread ended up in Bush Tucker!

What goes in must come out.

funny this came back up.... pun? got a pack of the lush tooth-tab thingies, too exy for everyday, but seem like really handy for the bush. I can drop a few in a little nalgene pill bottle and be civilized around other humans. interesting flavor, mostly bicarb and mint, I'm sure someone could home brew them. but for 2$ for 40 when I happen past the store, its not bad. (shipping would be silly though if you didn't have a local connection)

Googled it - one of the reviews says "foamed up really well in my mouth." One of the reasons I like Sensodyne is that it doesn't foam much, I dislike foam. Daiso - that nothing-is-more-than-$2 in Sydney - had packs of 5 very light, thin, pre-loaded toothbrushes for a $1 or $2, yuck. What I DID like were these http://www.colgatewisp.com.au/wisp/HomePage - almost no foaming, I liked the taste, and because of that and the absence of foam its much more comfortable to use with minimum/no water. Environazis might be concerned about binning the tiny plastic object..... Only real problem with it is that I can't actually find them these days...
BTW there was a suggestion ages ago that normal toothpaste would dehydrate well in a normal dehydrator and could then be carried and used. Personally I keep the tiny size - eg airline size - and when they are 90% empty take one with me.