Keeping clean in the woods (survival)

C

Chignecto Woodsman

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Aug 2, 2014
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How do you stay clean in the woods? The obvious answer is soap, but I'm thinking more in terms of a longer term survival situation in which taking care of your clothes and skin becomes really important. Are there easy ways to make soap? Deal with chafing or dry skin?

I've thought of using balsam fir resin to make a soap for laundry as it has antiseptic properties. But would this work, and is it safe for clothing? I often use it on scrapes in the woods, but have never tried it with clothes.

You can also brush your teeth with ashes as it will clean very well and is good for bacteria. Also never tried for the obvious aesthetic results.

Showers are pretty easy to improvise with the right materials, and steam baths are a better barrier in the cold.

Any knowledge regarding this?
 
It is very easy to carry a bar of soap, travel tooth brush and some toothpaste. That and a running stream has been more than enough for me. What kind of survival scenario are you considering?

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
It is very easy to carry a bar of soap, travel tooth brush and some toothpaste. That and a running stream has been more than enough for me. What kind of survival scenario are you considering?

n2s
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Yup. Bottle of biodegradable soap and a small ziplock with a travel tube of paste and a brush. I also carry clippers to take care of nails, particularly toenails. If I'm in a survival situation when those run out, I probably have bigger concerns than soap, toothpaste, and nail clippers.
 
not2sharp said:
It is very easy to carry a bar of soap, travel tooth brush and some toothpaste. That and a running stream has been more than enough for me. What kind of survival scenario are you considering?

n2s
Click to expand...

Anything that would force you into having to rely on your knowledge of plants and animals basically. Plane crash, animal destroys your pack, zombie apocalypse, etc.

Smoke also helps to clean clothes and kill bacteria.
 
A fresh pencil size black birch twig makes a good emergency toothbrush. Pound about an inch of one end out between two rocks until bristly. Any twig would work but the black birch has a natural wintergreen flavor.--KV
 
I have to grin at city dweller's obsessive fear of dirt, germs, bacteria. And compulsion to carry that fear with them when they venture off the sidewalks. Hand sanitizers, wet wipes, toothbrushes and deodorant... meh. Get dirty. It won't kill you.
 
I'm no city dweller, I basically live in the woods, and I agree with you up to a point. It's just that there can be severe consequences for not taking care of your skin and clothes: degradation of materials, loss of insulation value, itching skin conditions, and possible infection. If I remember correctly, the lack of knowledge of how to stay clean was very bad for survivorman and his wife when they stayed in the woods long term. Washing in the lake daily and relying on the smoke as a cleaning agent wasn't enough.

I suspect that a mix of tallow, anti-bacterial agents like balsam fir, plants like mint may make a good soap. Maybe even using the oils from animal furs would help to preserve clothing. I don't know though since I don't know a lot of ethnobotany, but maybe some do and could help with the information. It's not something I've ever really heard mentioned or read about in survival.
 
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I guess. If you are going to stay out in the woods for months on end. And if you have tender skin.
 
Dr Bronner's soap and a cotton bandanna. A small container lasts forever, cuts skin and hair grease better, and rinses off without hot water.
I carry a #10 coffee can for warming water and carrying washwater away from the stream (that goes without saying).
 
Most lumbermen would spend weeks, or even months at a time, wearing only one set of clothes, drying out by a fire and their sleep at night. The odd ones were those who tried to stay clean, but their being odd does not make them wrong. I suspect anyone who does not understand this has either never slept dirty or never slept clean.
 
A natural sponge lasts and lasts, is soft when wet, scrunches down and weighs next to zip when dry. It allow for quick "sponge baths." So you shouldn't chafe. :p
 
Chignecto Woodsman said:
Anything that would force you into having to rely on your knowledge of plants and animals basically. Plane crash, animal destroys your pack, zombie apocalypse, etc.

Smoke also helps to clean clothes and kill bacteria.
Click to expand...

Stay by the plane. They'll be looking for it, and wear the clothing packed by the dead- or theirs, if it comes to that.

Don't put food in the pack and animals won't bother it, mostly. You can put it in a tree too.

Smelling and looking like a zombie keeps the zombies thinking you are also a zombie.

Cowboys on a cattle drive bathed maybe at the beginning and probably at the end, so they could see some saloon girls. We're talking months. Ultra-Cleanliness is a strictly modern invention, except for the Asians, who have always done it. I'd be far more worried about it in a jungle or humid environment, and in that case, wear as little and keep as dry as possible, especially your feet.

If you have water, you have enough. If you're low on water, it's possible to take a sand, dust, or even mud bath. All will remove natural oil from your skin and get you at least a bit less funky. For mud, slather it on and let it bake in the sun until it falls off. That's also a natural insect repellent.

In a cold environment, you WANT to be a greasy as possible. It helps keep the skin from becoming too dry, and the oils you're producing will eventually help the insulation properties of any base layer you're wearing. Get as much stuff on, in layers, as possible. Bring more, if you can. Fashion a travois, you can never have too much insulation or too soft of a bed in that situation.

Not saying you won't look like the love child of Dr. Livingston and the Wild Man of Borneo at the end of the ordeal, but at least you'll be alive.
 
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If you have the time you could roll your own soap.

Leach some ashes to create a low tech lye solution, then add your choice of oil using heat to speed up the process.
 
a wash cloth for my nether regions
And rinsing my feet in water and talc to dry my feet
Soap is optional
Toothbrush if possible
SAK Classic with scissors and nail file
 
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Some good posts. I like the sponge idea. Never thought of carrying one.

There is certainly an overemphasis on cleanliness in modern society, perhaps overcleanliness to the point of damaging your skin. Oil is a good example, as washing too much or in too hot water can remove the oil from skin and hair and dry you out. I don't think cleanliness is a modern invention though, indigenous tribes had a lot of rituals surrounding cleanliness, and I think there's something to learn there.

Interesting about the mud. I know that sand can be a good way to clean off. Does it work for clothing?

Making soap information is good too. Is there a way to make your own vinegar from wood?

Good advice on focusing on certain areas. And I have a similar SAK setup with the file/nail cleaner.
 
Vinegar is a fermented product. So you need to have sugars first, that's why apple cider vinegar is so popular in north america, it was easy to make.

Some folks have more trouble than others with the transition between "clean" and "dirty" and some locations more than others. Some places have very caustic sand, so keeping it off you is important, in some places the sand is more pure, and its not a big deal. A little UV goes a long way, and some fabrics do better than others in as far as bacterial growth.

The vikings used to bathe often, as did other northern cultures. Some do, some don't, some live with skin conditions, and some seem not to. There are many layers to the reasons why each group has done what they have.

I don't think wearing clothing for long periods of time appreciably breaks it down faster than cleaning it often. Consider that most people own at least a few of each item of clothing, and rotate them, so it stands to reason that 4 pair of underwear lasts 4 times as long as 1. Of course salt does break down cotton cloth, so you could just rinse them out each day.

I think at the end of the day, you need to know how to deal with the conditions you are in. would I want to go weeks living next to the beach without enough fresh water to clean the salt off myself? Probably not. Would that still be the problem in a temperate climate? Desert, jungle, swamp? no hard and fast rules, besides, don't put your soap in the water. (even if its biodegradable, it can interfere with the gills of fish and the skin of frogs, let the bacteria feast on it in the dirt)
 
I have taken a lot of baths in rivers and lakes . Even took a bath in a glacial lake , brrrr. A bar of Ivory soap is what I use because it floats . I once lost a bar of some other soap while taking a bath at a boat ramp around midnight. I've been catfishing successfully with dead shad and was really stinky and needed a bath before crawling into the tent .
 
From long distance backpacking and serving time in the field

No feet and you are f...ked
Clean feet, then rinse socks

You sweat in your crotch
When it rubs from sweat and dirt you can't walk
Another f..k

the rest is just fancy
 
Yeah, those are the important bits.

Good point about the uv. As for dirt not damaging clothing, I don't know. I'm more concerned with bacteria and function of the clothes. Generally speaking, bacteria does build up and can cause skin issues, and dirt is said to harm the insulating value of clothes. One of the great properties of wool is that it helps clean the skin and the oils in it help it to 'self-clean'.

Mors Kochanski says that the double-sided caribou clothing of the Inuit is the ideal for cold winter conditions, and this is partly due to the caribou fur turned inwards to scrub against the skin. The constant cleaning and wicking action of the fur makes it work ideally in the long term.

One of the ongoing debates in regards to sleeping bags is whether to wash or not. Many in the winter trekking community seem to believe that keeping the bag clean will certainly help with the durability, although this may partly be due to the difficulty in washing down and the subsequent potential loss of loft if done improperly. Using a liner or sleeping in your clothes is a good way to keep the bag clean, and some go years without washing the bag.

Leaving the bag in the sun for an hour or so is mainly to remove moisture, but I suppose this may also help clean the bag, or kill bacteria.
 
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