If you have to use dish soap...

What kind of dish soap is appropriate in the backcountry? On a day hike, I tried to get by without using soap at all, just water, but when I made tuna salad (with olive oil instead of mayonnaise), I couldn't get the bowl clean. It was just too oily.

I carry Campsuds which, at least in soft mountain water, does a pretty good job cutting grease, while being odorless. Am a bit of a stickler for clean dishes and utensils, at least in an "outdoor-clean" sense, and especially hate greasy stuff. Switched to a metal bowl from plastic because the plastic one only comes truly clean in a dishwasher, which I stubbornly decline to tote.

Cheers,

I switched to metal for the same reasons. I would make up some type of dehydrated chili or pasta meal and get that nasty orange grease that just swirls around. This may sound crazy. But I wonder how Simple Green would work? It wont hurt you or mother earth, that I know.

I'm sure the dishwasher has at least as many uses on the trail as a car door.

Admittedly that's a fine car door, but a dishwasher will poach trout, so there's that. Hmmmm.

Cheers,

Tote? I'd make her walk.

(And yes, that's meant as word play - but I'd enjoy the equal-time, "men are scum" rejoinders! )

What if he loses the key and gets locked inside?

On the tuna salad, I'd bring a paper cup and after I was done, I'd burn it or pack it out. It would probably be lighter than the camp suds. For a short trip, I used to bring dirty dishes home for my wife to wash. Then she left me.

Heh! The new 11th essential: always carry the remote in case you lose your key.

Cheers,

Since soap is so gross to drink in the backcountry...try using Tuna packed in water and not oil...:)

If you must use soap of any kind, please remember that it is deadly to aquatic life--even the "biodegradable" camp stuff. Please dispose of it at least 200 feet from any water source, including seasonal sources.

Boiling water in the offending pan will get rid of most or all of the grease. A small piece of paper towel used first will help.

If you need dish detergent (not soap....there is a difference) use un-scented Dawn. It's used to clean critters that wander into oil spills. It's pretty inert stuff but ANY surfectant in wild water can break down mucus layers in aquatic life and cause all sorts of problems. I usually don't cook but when I do I'll use boil-in-bags that get hauled back out. No cleaning/detergent needed. A drop of Bronners or Dawn for my hands IF really needed. 200ft. from water is a good distance for camp washing.

That's what we use as well. And you will be surprised how little you need to clean an oily pot. We have a tiny 3 ox. container that we've not filled up in years...and still has enough for many more trips.

Sounds like you need to get a smaller bottle.

3 oz.? I use tiny 1/4 oz. eye drop bottles for Dawn, Bronners, and my water purifying bleach. And make dang sure I know which is which.
One drop goes a really long way.