Community Forums

scottandanna · 05-26-2016, 02:35 PM

As an experiment, I just mixed up a 50/50 corn starch and baking soda powder, added a couple of drops of patchouli just for a little smell. Tried it on my face.

Wiped it off with a towel. Feels pretty good, so far, and can be made to smell like anything, or nothing.

Not sure how well it would work over the long term. Or if I will break out in a rash or pox over the next couple of hours...

Does anyone out there know of, use, or have a recipe for some type of dry soap that I can wipe on, towel off, and not use any water?

Not so worried about using fresh water from storage tank, as much as not having to drain the gray water tank as often.

slowmachine · 05-26-2016, 02:41 PM

I have lived for months at a time using a washcloth, and about 2 quarts of water per day. No soap, other than a few baby wipes per week.

Mike
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PBD
Freghtliner XC, CAT 3126B

Mike and Cha · 05-26-2016, 02:58 PM

Just carry a Home depot 5 gallon bucket with you and drain the water from your holding tank into the bucket, and dump it in the CG toilet or outhouses. I can take a complete shower with only a few gallons of water in the MH. We have boondocked for over a week taking two showers a day, and still haven't filled the holding tank. I can't imagine spending all this money on a MH with all the amenities and then go without a shower for two months. I wouldn't subject my MH to me after no shower for over two months.

scottandanna · 05-26-2016, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

Just carry a Home depot 5 gallon bucket with you and drain the water from your holding tank into the bucket, and dump it in the CG toilet or outhouses. I can take a complete shower with only a few gallons of water in the MH. We have boondocked for over a week taking two showers a day, and still haven't filled the holding tank. I can't imagine spending all this money on a MH with all the amenities and then go without a shower for two months. I wouldn't subject my MH to me after no shower for over two months.

Wow! I would never think of going for 2 months, maybe 2 days (AFTER we leave Texas, too much sweating going on here to go any day without AT LEAST two showers, and/or a dips in the swimming pool!)

We have a small trailer, and I think gray tank only holds 27-30 gals.

Currently, I live on a 700 acre cow ranch, so as mentioned in previous post, I can drain into a bucket and dump elsewhere. But we will lose that privilege soon.

Lovin2Camp · 05-26-2016, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

Just carry a Home depot 5 gallon bucket with you and drain the water from your holding tank into the bucket, and dump it in the CG toilet or outhouses. I can take a complete shower with only a few gallons of water in the MH. We have boondocked for over a week taking two showers a day, and still haven't filled the holding tank. I can't imagine spending all this money on a MH with all the amenities and then go without a shower for two months. I wouldn't subject my MH to me after no shower for over two months.

X 2!!
I am with you on that Bud!!👍

Sent from my iPhone using iRV2 - RV Forum

scottandanna · 05-26-2016, 03:14 PM

I am thinking more along these lines...

We have driven all day, get to park late at night, tired, wipe down high as possible, and low as possible, not forgetting "possible", having a glass of wine and going to bed. Wake up early, get back on the road without having to waste time as we dump the tanks until the next night's stop.

Not LIVING without showering for days on end. YUCK!

And this would only occur if/when we get up into the mountains where it is cooler and WAY less humid.

scottandanna · 05-26-2016, 03:17 PM

So, I ask for a recipe for dry soap, and get hygiene lectures, but no soap recipes?

I KNOW someone out there makes and uses this stuff. I see store-bought waterless shampoos everywhere, and I know I can find some dry body soaps on ebay, but I want to make my own, rather than pay for some for 10X the price with who-knows-what ingredients.

twogypsies · 05-26-2016, 03:50 PM

As easy solution with unlimited water is to use the RV park's restroom for showering or quick wash ups.

Your 27 gal grey water tank should last you more than a day or two. I'd say 3-4 days easily with fast showers. So if you're just wiping down with a wash cloth you have no issues. When we boondock we use an average of 5 gal. per day with showers every other day and wiping down daily. It can be done. I'd have no problems taking a few minutes of time at the dump station if it's necessary for you rather than washing with something 'dry'. Yuck!

scottandanna · 05-26-2016, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

As easy solution with unlimited water is to use the RV park's restroom for showering or quick wash ups.

Your 27 gal grey water tank should last you more than a day or two. I'd say 3-4 days easily with fast showers. So if you're just wiping down with a wash cloth you have no issues. When we boondock we use an average of 5 gal. per day with showers every other day and wiping down daily. It can be done. I'd have no problems taking a few minutes of time at the dump station if it's necessary for you rather than washing with something 'dry'. Yuck!

I paid good money for a travel trailer with my own restroom and shower, so I would NOT have to use campground toilets and showers.

I would rather take two showers and haul an extra 120 lbs of gray water to the next site than use "public facilities".

The dry stuff is just to get me through a night without having to dump in the morning, on one of those days when we have a long haul and no time to stop.

I know the dry stuff sounds nasty, but to me, using a "washcloth" to wash my entire body sounds worse. I like a long shower daily (twice daily in southeast texas, sometimes more!

) but clean powder that will absorb crud and be wiped off sounds WAY better to me than rubbing crud around with a wet cloth.

scottandanna · 05-26-2016, 04:20 PM

Just so you don't think I am a dirty old hippie...example...

(even though I DID use patchouli to scent my experimental batch!)

Pits and Bits | Dry Wash | ILS Travel Store â€“ ILS Travel Stores

Mike and Cha · 05-26-2016, 06:30 PM

Scottandanna.... I don't think anyone thinks you're dirty or trying to give you any Hygiene lessons, but I think what you are trying to do is more work and less comfort than it would be if you just drained your gray tank every 3 or 4 days, and took quick showers. I'm one of those guys that can't stand to be sticky, so the wipe off method wouldn't work for me.

When I mentioned the two months with no shower I was referring to Slowmachines's response "I have lived for months at a time using a washcloth, and about 2 quarts of water per day. No soap, other than a few baby wipes per week". Now there's no way you can stay clean that way, or have other people want to be around you. If it was because he was in a war, or living in an uncivilized Country for an extended period of time, you gotta do what you gotta do, but here in the US driving a nice big MH there's no reason for that kind of hygiene.

Still all in all I wouldn't have spent all the money for a nice RV to not use the amenities I have just to avoid an easy task of dumping the tanks. You said you paid good money for a travel trailer so you don't have to use the public restrooms. Why waste the money you spent and be uncomfortable. Your going to have to empty the black tanks at some point. At least you can drain off some of the gray tank and dump it in the restroom relatively easy, between black tank dumps.

Good Luck, but I don't think there's a waterless wash recipe out there that would make me feel comfortable enough to sleep at night.

slowmachine · 05-26-2016, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

When I mentioned the two months with no shower I was referring to Slowmachines's response "I have lived for months at a time using a washcloth, and about 2 quarts of water per day. No soap, other than a few baby wipes per week". Now there's no way you can stay clean that way, or have other people want to be around you. If it was because he was in a war, or living in an uncivilized Country for an extended period of time, you gotta do what you gotta do, but here in the US driving a nice big MH there's no reason for that kind of hygiene.

War, yes. Uncivilized, yes. Unclean, not really. The difficult thing is washing clothes, not bodies.

I mean to point out only that it is possible to maintain your body with minimal resources. It's not fun, but you can do it for quite a while until the opportunity appears for something better. If you're in an RV of any kind, you're already miles ahead of the minimum required. I no longer have any taste for "camping." The motorhome, with at least one shower per day and a washer/dryer suits me just fine.

FaithBowls · 05-26-2016, 07:18 PM

Put in low flow fixtures in sink and shower. Turn off water while soaping up. Capture sink water in a basin rather than waste it, wash dishes etc in basin. Just watch consumption and don't worry about driving with some water in your tank (unless you have a poorly attached tank). We have 80 gallon fresh, 70 gallon grey, 40 gallon black. Plus we carry 15-20 gallons drinking water in the big 5 gallon bottles. We can go about 5 days between dumps. By the time we need to fill up fresh, the grey and black are ready to dump.

ByeTheWay · 05-26-2016, 07:21 PM

When we need to conserve water we can go for 2 weeks on one tank, and we still use soap. Our trick is to use the same water more than once. Never flush w/ clean water. Our dish rinse water becomes the dish wash water, then the flush water. We save the water during warm up in the shower. (Pictures in my blog, on this site) Saving water is a lot easier than you think.