Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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WARNING:
THIS THREAD IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH, THE FAINT OF HEART, OR THOSE WHO WON'T TAKE A SHOWER IN A TEACUP!!!!
Please share your tips/confessions as to how far you go to conserve the drinking water you haul along when camping.
Here's my best and deepest tip/secret:
All pots/pans/dishes are to be set down on the floor so the dog can... "prewash" them.
The resulting nearly spotless item is then sanitized by swiping with a bleach rag.
Top that! 
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien
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eubank
Angel Fire, NM, USA
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What for the bleach rag? That nice, soft puppy tongue does a pretty good job of removing leftover stuff. Just get it done before your more squeamish guests arrive while you're putting dishes back into the cupboard.
Lynn
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gbopp
The Keystone State
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eubank wrote:What for the bleach rag? That nice, soft puppy tongue does a pretty good job of removing leftover stuff. Just get it done before your more squeamish guests arrive while you're putting dishes back into the cupboard.
Lynn
I think you topped Francesca Knowles.
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rv2go
Fulltime (Knoxville, TN).... or someplace else
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Not as good as yours.
A few years ago I was boondocking on the BLM at Quartzite. My neighbor had his toilet plumbed to use water from the gray water holding tank with it's own pump.
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fordsooperdooty
Southern California
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Take a large dog with! You wont use a drop of water to bathe OR do dishes with!
For centuries Large dogs have done an excellent job assisting cave men (who were the original "dry campers") hygiene by the tried and true "Saliva/Tongue" technic. It's sort of like an organic "moist towelette".
St. Bernards, Great Danes, Newfoundlands, Mastiffs and Great Pyrenees excel at this...Mini Poodles and Lhasa Apso's less so!
My posts shouldn't be taken for factual data. They are purely fictional, for entertainment purposes and should not be constituted as actually related to scientific, technical, engineering, legal, spiritual or practical advice. Amen. 
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Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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eubank wrote:What for the bleach rag? That nice, soft puppy tongue does a pretty good job of removing leftover stuff. Just get it done before your more squeamish guests arrive while you're putting dishes back into the cupboard.
Lynn
 Psst...
(whispering)This is between you and me...I just threw the bleach rag thing in there in case my Mother-in-law reads this...
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Here's one from my years of backpacking. We used to carry freeze dried water with us since it was much lighter than the reconstituted stuff (like used in canteens etc). When it was time to actually use some you merely added water and shake it up a little bit
On a slightly more SERIOUS note, (again from backpacking experience) I carried a small 4 oz bottle half full of iodine crystals in my pack. When starting a trip I fill the bottle with water (any source will do) and put it back in the pack. When you need to replenish the water in your canteen you do so from any available water source then add 2 drops of iodine from the bottle for each 16 oz of water. The iodine sterilizes the water by killing all bacteria and creepy crawlies in the water, making it potable. When the iodine became low in the bottle you simply filled it again with water. Iodine will only dissolve to a specific solution so after a few hours in the bottle it had the same strength as the original.
They TELL me that there are specific health hazards in using iodine as a water purifier but it's the method I used for quite a few years with no ill effects.
Good luck / Skip
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi,
I use alcohol wipes when I'm in conservation mode. Fortunately I'm rarely in that situation as the original owner had an extra 36 gallon tank added to the oem 44 gallon. I do run out of room in the gray water tank.
Regards, Don
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louiskathy
Oregon (presently)
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I'm not sure you (the OP)are serious... but I'll give you a tip as if this was a serious inquiry.
I put a pan in the bathroom sink. When we wash our hands, I collect that water and pour it into large size squeeze bottles. Like dish detergent bottles. When we flush the toilet, we turn OFF the fresh water pump and use that water to flush the toilet. We do not use our "fresh drinking water" to flush.
Kathy
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Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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In spite of my tone, I assure you that I'm most serious!
Water conservation is a major effort in my style of camping- small trailer (really just a hardsided tent), limited capacity, long stays in places without access to "safe" drinking water...
I really do think of the dog as camp dishwashing equipment- no grease in the dishpan after she's Done Her Duty
Keep the suggestions coming- please!
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