Staying clean

[freenez2]

There's nothing like a hot shower, but sometimes it just isn't possible. A wash cloth, warm water, and soap work fine. Baby wipes are good when I don't want to do a lot of preparation or just spot clean.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br>

 

[akphotobob]

Humans stayed clean for 1000's of years without showers or indoor plumbing. We just go back to the old tried-and-true methods. Works for me! Bob<br>

 

[driverdan]

I was able to join a Golds gym in Hollywood FL. I had called arond and did some price comparisons. They were running a special 34.00 for the first year.<br>I personally am a gym goer anyway, but have seen people come in and just take a shower.<br>

 

[driverdan]

A good way to get a free shower is to make good use of your cb radio. Pull into a truck stop&nbsp;and say breaker 1-9 anybody have a shower ticket&nbsp; there not going to use. More times than not I get a free shower.<br>

 

[tktplz]

I used to stealth park in Venice Beach CA. I used the showers on the beach there. Go out in the evenings and shower after dark to use shampoo and soap. <br>

 

[wheelsoffreedom1776]

&nbsp; &nbsp; I live in a fully equipped rv, but since it's the dead of winter i have my water tanks winterized. I use a gallon size clear ozarka water bottle filled with water and set about a foot away from the front of my buddy heater. It heats the water up and keeps it ready for when I decide to jump in the tub and get a sponge bath. You certainly want to keep an eye on the bottle and adjust the distance so you dont melt it, (and never leave it unattended), or get the water so hot you go flying out of the tub. It saves me the propane it would take to run the stove burner under a pot, and it avoids all the humidity that would be released by warming water in an open container.&nbsp;

 

[akrvbob]

I have a friend who has a ladder rack for stealth on his van. He took a 4 inch black tube and attached it to the rack, sealed the ends and installed standard hose ends into it. Held about 3-4 gallons and got quite warm in the sun. Perfect shower water! Bob<br>

 

[Guest]

Water weighs about 8.3 lbs per gallon.
Something to keep in mind when hauling/carrying it on board.

 

[Guest]

<font face="Arial">Some ideas from us 4WD</font> <font face="Arial">&amp; Off-Roaders</font>:&nbsp;&nbsp; <font face="Arial"><img src="images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"></font><br><br><font face="Arial">Get a pump sprayer, like for the garden. Fill with warm water. Wet, soap, rinse.<br>**************************************************************************************<br>5 gallon jerry can, cut a hole in the lid just big enough to fit some plastic or rubber tubing (I used tubing from a fish tank vacuum), shoe goo it in place (add duct tape for aesthetics). For the shower head I used a small peanut butter jar, but there are a million things that would work...anyway, poke some holes in the rounded end, hole in other side for tubing...once again shoe goo in place.<br>Sit it next to the fire for an hour or two (or more depending on fire size of course). Hoist it into a tree with some rope, or my favorite: set it on top of the truck...shower away!<br>Total cost....Found everything in the garage. If that aint country...nothin' is!<br>****************************************************************************************<br>Fill a 5 gal bucket with solar, fire or camp stove hot water and cold clean water to personal temp.<br>Set bucket on something no lower than 3 ft below your height. (Battery powered pumps don't lift water much over 3 feet). If it's cold out, let the 'tent' get pre-heated by the steam while the water is cooling.<br>Drop in your submersible, 12v pump, and shower.<br>Cheap shower stall = Tarp + rope. Or a $1 hula hoop + $4 shower curtain that came with the plastic loop-hooks. Suspend from tree, truck roof, trailer roof.<br>Wanna be fancy and have a hot bath? Use a giant plastic tote.<br>5 gallons is enough for anyone and the bucket can also be used for dish washing, as a spare seat (upside down, of course) and as a makeshift drum during those late night Jam sessions.</font><br><br><br><br>

 

[Guest]

<font size="3" face="Arial">Pics to help visualize a cheap, portable shower set-up. These have been working for me and my buddies for many years while out camping, off-roading, hunting &amp; fishing.<br>Very easy for anyone to make and cheap!</font><br><br><font face="Arial">Pumps are about $30<br>Walmart bucket $1.99<br>Vinyl hose $4 at Lowe's for 20 ft.<br>Garden sprayer (optional) $1.50 at the Dollar Store<br><br>Attwood pump shower, add $ for 3 D cell ALKALINE batteries.<br><br>Bilge pump shower, add $10 for:<br>Waterproof inline fuse holder, 2 amp fuse, waterproof switch, 12 adapter plug.<br><br>Heat your water in a $9 Solar water shower bag or on a campfire or on a propane stove. Make a shower stall (if you're shy) with a tarp and rope or bungees.<br></font><br>

 

[VanFan]

Very similar to what I use in many ways.&nbsp; My water source is usually an empty cat litter jug, but anything will do.&nbsp; I use the knee high over the intake to pump gray water from the tote I shower in into a second cat litter jug for disposal.&nbsp; The pump/sprayer is usually powered from a 12 volt power pack, as you mentioned, but came with a D-cell pack too.&nbsp; It can also be plugged into the van's 12 volt power outlet.&nbsp; Works very well!<br>Vickie<br><br>

 

[VanTramp]

I know people think I am nuts already, this ought to concrete that theory! Our B had a shower already and I spent the entire winter making it even more comfortable to use by converting the bathroom closet to a wet bath instead of it being dry only and having to use only the isle area for the shower. There are very detailed pics on our blog of the conversion including the completely unnecessary tiled floor <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> So anyway, this year I am swapping the 6 gallon hot water heater for a tankless instant on model. What can I tell ya, we like having hot showers in the van! It was comfortable in the beginning before the mods, now it is my favorite shower of all time and with the better hot water heater, I expect it to be that much nicer <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Yeah, I could stay clean with a lot less, but I have to say, the extra work and time was worth it for me and I know Heidi would agree. Just adding a perspective for ya.&nbsp;</div>

 

[Bear]

<FONT size=3 face="times new roman, times, serif">A while back I'd mentioned seeing a similar set up to the one described below -doesn't require much plumbing, no permanently mounted features to draw attention or wind drag, and easily affordable using mostly recycled materials.</FONT><BR><FONT size=3 face="times new roman, times, serif"></FONT>&nbsp;<BR><A href="http://dustybushtech.blogspot.com/" target=_blank target=_blank><FONT size=3 face="times new roman, times, serif">http://dustybushtech.blogspot.com/</FONT></A><BR><BR><BR><IMG style="MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501858647938831730 border=0 alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_g6kFwI1uZUw/TFqHSkrOFXI/AAAAAAAAADs/g2wxeeJ1taU/s320/Solator+1.JPG"><BR>

 

[WanderingRonin]

So OK, I simulated my first van bath today. I used my little step stool set in a large plastic bin. Step stool is there so I can sit on it. I mimed the whole crouch thing since my future home (alas) won't be a standup height (yet).<div>If you've seen that movie "Entrapment" where the girl is all contorting to avoid simulated fake lasers... That's me but of course far less sexy... I must say, I was pretty pleased with the results. Got a full bath and probably only used 2 gallons. Could be less if I used a spray bottle on myself to wet the body first instead of pouring 3 quarts down my head...&nbsp;</div><div>And of course, I practiced drying myself out and getting out of that thing in the same crouched position that can be expected from being in a 5 foot tall interior.&nbsp;</div><div>(which made me wonder if short people rejoice at being able to stand up in these interiors which we find we have to crouch in... I mean, dang... they'd be fine and dandy inside a station wagon or a regular SUV, aren't they?...)</div>

 

[gipsyweaver]

Has anyone tried making their own reusable wipes for quick showers? There are lots of recipes around, but after looking at some recipes, this would probably do the job:<br><br>1.5 to 2 cups water (usually distilled or boiled is suggested)<br>1-2 tblspns baby soap or baby shampoo or Dr. Bronner's liquid soap<br>1 tblspn oil (optional, but probably keeps this from drying your skin)<br>1 tspn of vinegar (optional, seems to be to keep the solution from getting moldy)<br><br>Mix them together and put them in a sealable container. Add washcloths. Keep a separate container to put the used ones in to wash later (I'd rinse them a little before tossing them in with the other laundry) then put them back in the container to reuse. A cheap option can be to cut up a couple of old cotton t-shirts to use as the wipes. It's just me, but I'd prefer going over myself a second time with a plain wet cloth to remove the soap...<br><br>I'm planning to try this using plastic coffee containers for both the wipe solution and the used wipes. It'll reduce trash and waste water, and I like the cheapness. And I always have a couple of ready-for-rags t-shirts around.<br>

 

[vonu]

It's just me, but I'd prefer going over myself a second time with a plain wet cloth to remove the soap...<br>

<div><br></div><div>The less soap one uses, the less difficult it is to remove it.</div><div>I use baby shampoo, a very capable and gentle surfactant, which cleans by breaking the surface tension between the soil and the skin/hair, first to clean my hair. &nbsp;The residual in the water is sufficient to clean with a washcloth without creating deposits.</div>

 

[Guest]

I use Dr. Bronners for the body areas the need it and plain water on my hair...it has been at least 9 months this time for nothing on the hair and I had done it for about the same amount of time before I fell back into using Dr. Bronners on it....no reason just did...I am happier now as is my hair...the scalp will regulate itself to produce less oils if you don't keep drying the hair and scalp out. <br>As usual YMMV,<br>bri<br><br>

 

[Butternut]

<font size="3"><font face="Georgia">Colleges always seem to have "public" showers someplace on campus. Last summer I just went swimming a lot and used biodegradable soap a few times a week. bk2valve is totally right, if you use less shampoo your body will adjust&nbsp; it's oil output.</font></font><br>

 

[twokniveskatie]

i went "no-poo" a couple years ago.....there were several good discussions on my blog....here's two:<div><br></div><div><a href="http://twokniveskatie.blogspot.com/2009/07/to-poo-or-not-to-poo.html" target="_blank">http://twokniveskatie.blogspot.com/2009/07/to-poo-or-not-to-poo.html</a><br><div><br></div><div><a href="http://twokniveskatie.blogspot.com/2009/09/no-poo-four-update.html" target="_blank">http://twokniveskatie.blogspot.com/2009/09/no-poo-four-update.html</a></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[Suanne]

<P>

... plain water on my hair...it has been at least 9 months this time for nothing on the hair ...

</P>I haven't shampooed my hair for about 3 or 4 years.&nbsp; However, about every 7-10 days&nbsp;I&nbsp;"wash" with a conditioner.&nbsp; It seems to bind itself with the oil, then I just rinse it all out.&nbsp; Last year, while on the road, I tried just using water which left my very thick, but short hair&nbsp;oily and stringy.&nbsp; So, I went back to using conditioner.<br><br>I like the idea of using just water.&nbsp; So, today I'm trying it again.&nbsp; And, as expected, my hair feels oily after just a water rinse.&nbsp; I'll stick it out&nbsp;this time until oil production slows.&nbsp; How long do you think that will be?&nbsp; Is a month long enough to give it a decent trial?<br><br>Also, for daily bathing when living out of my car, I use spray bottles.&nbsp; One with only water and another with a mixture of water, witch hazel, and a little rubbing alcohol.&nbsp; Water is used for my face and the witch hazel mixture for the stinky/dirty places.&nbsp; Using cotton wash cloths, I&nbsp;wash before going to bed at night to keep my night clothes and sheets as clean as possible.&nbsp; I also freshen up before dressing in the morning.&nbsp; Works well for me.<br><br>I know some people add nice smelling things to the witch hazel mixture like green tea and mint extracts.&nbsp; I chose not to because I sometimes camp in bear country and wanted to minimize any scents.<br><br>Suanne ... YMMV (echoing Bri)<br>