As my grandmother used to say “cleanliness is next to Godliness!” And nothing proves that out more than camping. I’m a stickler for making sure my kids constantly wash their hands and meal prep must be done in sanitary conditions.
The same must be said for cleanup. I don’t know how many times I died from dysentery on the Oregon Trail but I can tell you it was one time too many! Your chances of dying from dysentery today are greatly reduced compared to times long past due to OTC medications, water filtration and access to modern medical care. At it’s worse it would shorten your excursion and at the at the very least ruin the trip.
I go through great pains to make sure any chance of food or water contamination is kept at a minimum. Hand washing is number one, plates, utensils and prep surfaces are number two. Soap and hot water go a long way to killing germs and keeping us safe and it’s always a challenge in the wilderness but I have added a new weapon to my arsenal against illness…
Norwex cleaning cloths! These things are fantastic in the war against contamination. Their microfiber construction ensures that they pickup and trap schmutz & grime and the silver embedded in the cloth destroys germs and viruses. Their great for cleaning up your prep space and keeping it clean!
Plus, they actually self sanitize in about 24hrs. This by no means implys you don’t need to wash them. When combined with washing bacteria are kept to a minimum and you get a stink free dish cloth that won’t be spreading pestilence and disease with every wipe of a prep surface or plate! In addition to their dish cloths there are glass and body cloths to cover all your needs!
I’ve used mine all summer removing baked on grime and soot from my pots and pans with no appreciable signs of wear or damage and I never leave on an adventure without them!
A lot of survivalist talk about the obvious things, the fun things like how to start a fire with your teeth or hunting critters! They don’t want to discuss that it’s equally important to long term survival to keep your hands clean and your eating tools cleaner! That stuff is boring and not glamorous but remember, a raging case of food poisoning or echoli is not a rite of passage and it is just as deadly as that rattlesnake your trying to catch and eat!
As always, thanks for reading and keep those hands clean!
For more information click the links below…
Gear and Gadgets for Everyday Carry 