Cleaning Cookware After Use
Doing The Dishes In The Wild
You have just eaten one of the best meals you have had away from home. After cooking and preparing for the last 30-45 minutes, all of your hard work has come to fruition. The day’s activities took a lot out of you and the meal was very much enjoyed. There are still a few things to keep in mind before kicking back and getting ready for some nice rest. Keeping cookware and equipment clean should not take a backseat to loafing around the campfire. Cleaning cookware can be detrimental to your health and also helps make your well earned gear last.
Reasons To Keep Cookware Clean
For one, it is a healthy choice. By keeping what you cook with clean, you are keeping yourself healthy. When you cook with raw meats, fowl or eggs, there are germs and bacteria present. Even if you are cooking with just veggies or fruit, these little micro-monsters will develop. Over time, they will become more powerful and present a higher threat to your healthy system. Being sick on the trails away from the comforts of home is terrible and possibly avoidable.
On another note bugs, small animals or large predators, they are all attracted to the scent put off by your food and cooking. To minimize the signals you are putting off, keep your equipment clean and free from detectable left overs. Some of these things carry diseases or viruses while others want to tear you to shreds. Either way, they outlook isn’t great when they are around so keep them wanting to hang out with you.
When you purchased your cookware you made an investment. This investment was in yourself to have good times ahead. You thought about it, worked hard to earn money and put that money into gear. Why not take care of your investments and properly clean them? After all, your time goes into money and money into other resources. In the end, it is all an extension of yourself. Take care of and enjoy yourself.
Ways To Keep Everything Clean
You can use soap and warm water for easy cleaning, improvise with dirt or grit for stubborn messes or let time and water take effect. Either choice is OK if you always have the last step be a soapy one. Using a low to no impact soap, like Castile soap, is the right thing to do. Biodegradable options are what you need to look for. Carrying a small sponge with an abrasive side and micro towel in your pack is a great idea. Drying the dishes is important to avoid mold when packing away. After you return home safely, clean everything then dry thoroughly before stowing for the next adventure.
In The End
By maintaining your gear and cleaning properly, you are taking care of yourself and those around you. Don’t be a dirty trail partner. If other people are with you, more than likely they are going to share a meal with you. Be a good friend and keep things clean so others will want to go on future trips with you. No one wants to head to the trails with the person who possibly made them sick last time. Keep non-human friends from feeling welcome to hanging out. You never know who will fee invited or what they will do when they see you. Its best to keep everything clean, orderly and germ free as much as possible.
