How To Build The Ultimate Wash Station For Car Camping

In this article, you will learn how to quickly and easily build the ultimate wash station for car camping. This will work to wash your hands and your dishes. You should try it out on your next outdoor adventure. This wash station works best for car camping. And if your car will be your home base, this station will work for hiking, climbing, and any other outdoor activity.

This style of wash station is quick, easy, and one-hand operational. Once you try it, you’ll take it on all of your outdoor trips.

Water Container

For my first Wash Station, I used an old Tide Laundry Soap container. It took me many rinses to clear out the detergent residue. And for the first few times of using container, it still had a faint smell of detergent. I even wrote “WASH HANDS & DISHES ONLY” on the side so that no one would mistakenly drink this water.

Now that I’ve used it so many times, there is no soap smells.

But if you are not comfortable with re-using a laundry soap container, just buy a jug made for this exact purpose. Most grocery stores are going to carry a similar style to the one pictured here. If you can’t find one, Coleman makes on that is very affordable.

Soap

I have a huge bias for soap:

Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. This stuff is good. Like real good. In fact, you’ll want to be friends with it. If you haven’t tried any, you should at least buy the little one to take on your next car camping adventure. I am not a fan of anti-bacterial soap. I agree with the gal at this link. [I don’t feel like writing out why I am opposed to anti-bacterial soap.] Let me know what you think. Anyway, here are the benefits of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap:

You can dilute to get the feel you want and still be clean…saving money
You can wash hands, hair, body – even brush your teeth
You can wash dishes
Organic
Choice of Unscented
Choice of Lavender, Peppermint, Orange (my favorite) and others
Recycled Packaging
Most Crazy, Rambling, Thought-Provoking Label you will EVER READ!

Soap Dispenser

To make your wash station complete, you’ll need a foaming soap dispenser. I have bought the cheap soap from Aldi, dumped it down the drain, to use my own soap made from Dr. Bronner’s. Sure, dumping antibacterial soap down the drain may not be the best method, especially since I’ve now found empty ones that you can buy online. But that’s what I did and it worked.

I put about 3 or 4 parts water to 1 part soap. That dilution rinses clean and quickly for me. You might want your more or less dilute. Try it and find out for yourself. And if you use it full strength, it will take a long time to rinse. In my opinion, this stuff is made to be diluted.

Set Up Your Wash Station For Easy Use

To make this wash station work, you have to have it set up off of the ground. You can use any of the following:

Stump
Milk crate
Rock
Spare tire
Anything that is convenient
Railroad Tie border of your camping spot

Wash Station Run Off

I set up my Wash Station any time I am car camping at the front of my parked Jeep. Or, if I know that I will be driving during this outdoor adventure, I’ll set it up just a few steps away. Think about where you will have foot traffic. Also, consider the local rules for greywater. You always have the Leave No Trace website to give you more tips.

Bring Water With or Fill Up at Destination

Depends? First, do you even have access to water at your destination. If not, then you have your answer. Just fill your water container with water before your trip. Or, fill your water container on-site. Either way, I usually fill mine before I go and just strap it to the top of the Jeep. That is one less job to do when I first set up camp.

And there you have it. It is quick, easy, and inexpensive. On your next outdoor adventure, you will have the ultimate wash station.