Washing Hands at Camp - Why / How?
June 19, 2017
There are many ways to wash your hands when camping. Some are better than others. A university study reported that only 5% of people washed their hands enough to kill infection and illness causing germs after using the bathroom. To make matters worse, 33% of hand washers didn’t use soap, and 10% skipped the hygienic step altogether.
The Center for Disease Control explains that people need to vigorously wash their hands for about 15 to 20 seconds to kill any type of dangerous bacteria. Most people wash their hands for about six seconds. Without executing the correct hand sanitizing techniques, grime, dirt and bacteria that would typically be sent down the drain stays on the hands and increases the host’s likelihood of becoming seriously ill.
So understanding how important proper hand washing is, let’s explore some of the methods that campers use.
One is the gallon bottle method where one pokes a hole at the bottom of a gallon jug, plugs the hole with a golf tee and hangs the jug or sets it on a table. Pull out the golf tee and you get a small stream of water. Put the tee back in the hole to stop the water.
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Another method is a water cooler. This method has one pushing the button with one hand while getting the other hand wet. Then switching hands to get the dry hand wet. Soaping up and then doing the switching hands trick again to wash off the soap.
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A third method is the jug method. The jug typically rests on a table. One turns the spigot to let out water while washing their hands.
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THERE IS A BETTER WAY!
Wouldn’t it be great to have a self-contained sink with running water that you could use anywhere? That is what the Deluxe Camp Sink is.
People use this sink for:
• Family camps
• Boy/Girl Scout camps
• Family reunions
• Church camps
• Fishing camps
• Tailgating
• Classroom
• Garden Shed
• Trade Show Booth
It is great for:
• Cleaning up before and after a meal.
• Dutch oven or BBQ outdoor cooking even if you are miles from running water?
• Grilling on the back deck (don’t have to run into the house for a quick hand wash)
• Brushing teeth before going to bed at night when camping.
• Washing hands in an out building where there is no plumbing.
• Outdoor group hand washing before meals
• Makes it easy for the cooks to cleanup before and after a meal.
Happy Wife
My wife is a city girl that endures camping. My objective has been to make her as comfortable camping as possible. The first time I took this sink camping, she fell in love all over again. Happy Wife = Happy Life. She said that it was the most important camp item that we have and that she never wants to go camping again without it.
How it works
A foot-pedal pumps clean water up from the bottom bucket and out the spout on top. You pump water to get your hands wet. Then you wash with soap from the built-in soap dispenser and pump again to rinse off. Clean water flows from the spout, over your hands, through the stainless steel bowl (sink) and drains into the wastewater bucket. No splashing – no mud puddles! The wastewater can be used to put out the campfire, water plants, and if long term camping, it comes in handy to rinse out the privy bucket.
If you are in an environment where you don't have clean water to use in the Deluxe Camp Sink, the Deluxe Filtration Camp Sink is the solution for you. With the filtering technology included you can use lake, pond or stream water and still have clean, potable water come out of the spout.
Results – Cleaner Hands and Better Sanitation
• People wash their hands much more frequently. It’s easy and fun to use...so it gets used! Even children like to use it.
• You get a better hand washing since both hands are free to scrub.
• You don’t need to push a button or touch a know with dirty hands. You operate it by foot pressure.
• No contamination of your water supply.
• No splashing water and no mud puddles
• It can be used inside a tent or a building as well as outdoors.
• The built in soap dispenser makes it easy to always use soap while washing hands
• No bar of soap or countertop soap dispenser to keep track of.
• Convenient built-in paper towel holder
• Uses a lot less water compared to washing your hands at water jug spigot.
Components
- Countertop of premium cutting board material – waterproof and easy to clean
- Collapsible camp stand – comfortable height and convenient to store and transport.
- Sink is a deep, sturdy, stainless steel bowl that reduces splashing.
- High quality, long-lasting pump bulb
- Built in soap dispenser
- Durable plumbing parts of brass, galvanized steel, vinyl tubing, and PVC
- Sturdy, food grade buckets
Storage and Transport
As you can see from this picture, the Deluxe Camp Sink consists of three compact components. The plumbing, the pedal and the
