4 weeks camping, no laundry, can I use cloth????

[Jude]

Hi folks,
Im relatively new to the cloth thing, loving it! We are going to Cape York camping for 4 weeks this year, bub will be 1yr old. Im unsure whether there will be any washing facilities for 5-7 days at a time.
Has anyone done anything like this before? You can get a camping hand-turning washing machine, would that be any good?
I still use disposables at night so there is still the option of using them full time when we are away but I would rather not.
Any practical ideas or opinions????
Thankyou for your help!

[Eilleen]

Well, I've not done Cape York but I've done Canberra to the Gulf of Carpentaria using cloth. A total of about 4 weeks in Gulf Country. I had to hand wash most of the time when we're at the Gulf, though the larger towns had laundry mats.

I suggest using terry flats and covers, with microfleece liners AND flushable liners. Make sure that where ever you dispose of flushable liners, that their garbage/eco system can handle it. Most flushable liners are acceptable in those bio-toilets.

For what its worth, many of the towns up there would've not been able to handle 'sposie garbage from campers anyway. Many of the smaller towns/settlements had signs asking that we take our rubbish on to the next biggest town.

[Eilleen]

oh and just to reassure you, I've done heaps of camping in remote places using cloth and its really easy. I think its easier than not-so-remote places because those remote areas couldn't handle campers' garbage anyway (many suggest you burn it).

[KristyMum]

Here's ours 4 weeks on the road with cloth day and night
for Zeke and Diva for me.

You cannot bury stuff as if there's dingoes they'll dig it up.
We had dingoes sniffing round the hand-washer one night lol right behind the tent, luckily it was tightly shut.
We had a few opportunities at main towns to wash, and on the station at my Nannas
but we did the majority of handwashing out bush, (either hand hand washing in a tub, or the hand-washer with the turntable handle)
and not just this time on the road
but every other time we've been away before Zeke TTd.
Hope there's some stuff in the above link that helps.
Doable? Absolutely
and very rewarding when you consider the places you're visiting... that you can take care of your
own wastes and leave just your tracks behind.

eta just realised I hadn't put up 'in action' pics in that other thread
hmmm have to go dig some out

[KristyMum]

Whitworths Marine: Magic Wash Portable Washing Machine
is what the handwasher (Magic Wash) is - I just bought ours at the local camping/outdoors store before we went. When it was empty it fit the washing line/pegs and Ecologic detergent in it.

If we had a few pooey nappies (once scraped/squirted/shaken) I'd stick them in there with the rinse water from the dishes (have to cart all your own water so reused wherever we could) and let them agitate as we bumped over the track for the day. Rinse, then hang. Rinse water was usually from rinsing veges/washing hands etc, and then was used as the wash water the next time so three uses really from one lot of water.
Other than that just hand wash in a bucket was all we did.

And laugh about the places you get to do cloth advocacy - at the bottom of Bell Gorge lol about an hour (ish?) walk in from the main parking spot, then you have to get down the side of the gorge to the bottom which took a little longer with Zeke in the Ergo and helping Brooke and Jake down. A French couple and their daughter lol and there I was with advocacy cards (Ergo pocket )...

[Beanie]

Also, have you considered EC'ing whenever possible? Makes life a little bit easier if you can catch some of the wees and poos in the toilet! Or whatever the adults are using (hole in the ground etc).

[KristyMum]

Beanie

[Eilleen]

So true Beanie! Forgot to say, the kids ended up nappy-free during the day when we're in the campsite and only used nappies when we're travelling or at night.

[Jude]

Thanks girls, I can see that it is do-able with good planning! You have given me much to think on. Now all that remains is to convince the anti-cloth husband, not that it should matter to him, he refuses to touch the cloths anyway!
Thanks again!
Jude