How To Wash Your Hands While Camping In Covid-19

Trust me, you want to keep your hands clean in Covid-19.

If you can only keep one body part clean while you’re camping, let it be your hands.

Unless you’re at a campground with hot, clean showers you’ll get used to being somewhere on the scale of a little dirty to seriously dirty. How far you want to take it is up to you.

Your hands are how you interact with the world. They are also how you’re most likely to pass germs – both healthy and unhealthy – into your body through your eyes, nose and mouth.

I know. It’s kind of gross to think about.

I’m not about to go all uber-sanitized on you. Camping is about being outside and getting out of your comfort zone. Dirt is part of the bargain. But I’ll tell you that after a visit to the outhouse, I’m not going to make s’mores with these hands.

Here’s how to wash your hands while camping.

Wash Your Hands With Water

If you are in a campground with running water, this task is easy peasy. Locate the closest bathroom and get to work. Bring your own soap and a camp towel as many campgrounds are missing these crucial ingredients.

If you don’t have running water, ask one of your camp mates to help you out. Lather and rinse using biodegradable soap while someone else pours a stream of water out of a cup or water bottle. Be sure to wash your hands at least 200 feet away from lakes, streams and rivers.

If you don’t mind carrying extra gear, a few enterprising companies sell hand washing stations for camping.

Wash Your Hands Without Water

While soap and water is the best method for getting clean hands, it’s not always feasible. There is an easy way to deal with this situation: baby wipes and hand sanitizer.

These two items are best used in conjunction. Alcohol, the active ingredient in hand sanitizer, can’t cut through dirt to sanitize the germs on your hands.

Begin with a baby wipe. Scrub off the dirt and grime to get to your skin below. Scrub in between your fingers, around your fingernails, and under any jewelry. (Tip: baby wipes have innumerable uses around a campsite, it’s always good to have a pack around).

Follow up with a hand sanitizer. Get hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Squeeze out enough to wet your hands thoroughly (about the size of a quarter). Rub your hands together until they are dry.