We believe that when dry camping, it’s far easier to deal with a few extra bags of trash than it is to manage a black tank dump. It’s not as bad as you’d think! Just carry out your bathroom trash daily, or invest in a can with lid to reduce odors. Pretend you’re in Mexico, and throw away your toilet paper instead of flushing it. You know the saying, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow?” Do that. Save that rinse water in the dish pan, to use the next night as wash water. On Night 1: put a small amount of hot soapy water in the sink for washing, and an equal amount of hot clean water in a dishpan for rinsing. We washed dishes only once each day, and used a dish pan to help conserve water.
![boondocking with dennis boondocking with dennis](https://roadlens.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/6387/20/27064003/FullSizeRender.jpg)
Give your dishes a bath - the non-paper ones, of course. And speaking of paper, you’re going to want an extra roll or two of paper towels, for wiping off regular dishes before washing. We compromised on paper plate waste by using them for only one meal a day. Skipping the makeup saves at least one hand-washing and one face-washing each day, and it’s liberating. Ladies, go au naturel when it comes to your face. If you just have to do a quick load of underthings and socks, take advantage of a warm breezy day to hang them outside to dry.
![boondocking with dennis boondocking with dennis](https://dennisholler.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IMG_2842-1024x768.jpg)
If you’ve got an onboard washer-dryer, wear clothes maybe a few more times than usual so that you can go a week or longer without running either one. Makes for a right handy microphone, now don’t it? I Never Promised You A Rose Garden It helps keep the water temperature right where you want it for that rinse. If you don’t have a shower head with toggle switch, get one. Get wet, turn off the water, lather yourself up, then turn the water back on for a quick rinse. You might not be near a Y-M-C-A, so learn to take Navy showers! As a retired naval officer, Tim is an expert. Since singing a cheerful tune makes any situation better, at least according to Disney cartoons, I did a lot of singing while I learned to waste not, want not in the desert. No power? No water? No problem!Our own big test came in January of 2017, when we spent a personal record 12 days without electrical, water, or sewer hookups, on BLM land just outside Quartzsite, AZ with an RV social group called the Xscapers. Don’t miss the item at the end that brings us up to a baker’s dozen!