By Bob Wells
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One of the very first thing people ask when they hear about van/car/RV
living is, "How do you stay clean?" If you are in an RV it's pretty easy since
you are fully self-contained with running hot and cold water and full bath
facilities. It is quite a bit more difficult if you are in a car or van, but not
insurmountable.
How do I shower?
That depends on what you mean by a shower. Do you mean standing in a
shower under a stream of hot water, or do you mean getting your body
clean? My wife has been a registered nurse for the last fifteen years, and
one of her jobs isbeen keeping her patients bodies clean without the use of
a shower. Some people are bed-ridden for many years and if they are not
kept clean they develop bedsores, and of course they cannot take a shower.
So how do they do it? The same way people have been keeping clean for
thousands of years. They put some clean water in a basin with a mild soap
and wash every inch of their body with a wash cloth. Then they rinse their
body with a clean, soap-free wash cloth. And it works, people get clean and
don't get bedsores. Much of what we are doing as van/car dwellers is going
back to an older, more primitive time. I like to think of it as a "purer" and
simpler time. Most problems of living in a van can be solved by asking
ourselves, "How did they do this 500 years ago before modern
conveniences?" Today, we may want to use anti-bacterial soap, and warm
our water on a propane camping stove, but we are basically doing what they
did way back then.
Here are some quick tips on staying clean:
If You Must Shower:
While you can stay clean using the above methods, it is a hassle. And for
some people a shower is a psychological and emotional necessity. Here are
some tips if you must shower:
It is not hard to rig up a shower of your own. The problem is finding the
room. If you are in a car, it is nearly impossible. It's easy in a high top van
(not so much a regular van) or any vehicle you can stand up in. You just find a
way to hook your shower bag up near the roof, stand or kneel in a large tub,
open up the spigot and take a shower. Conserving water is important since
you have a limited amount of warm water. One option is to fill your spray
bottles with warm water and use them to get yourself wet. Then use soap
to scrub and only use the solar shower as a final rinse. A more elaborate
shower is possible with a small 12 volt pump shower kit. Coleman makes one
for about $25 that comes with a pump and a shower nozzle. Put your 5
gallon water jug (that you painted black and left in the sun all day) on the
floor by your tub. Put the intake end of the pump into the jug and run the
outlet end up so the shower nozzle is over your head. Turn on the pump and
out comes the water. You can get these as elaborate as you want, including
on-demand hot water and portable shower enclosures. Just do a Goggle
search on "camping shower". If you are in the woods it's easy to set one of
these up outside.
An alternative shower can be had with a garden sprayer available at any
garden center. Fill it with warm water, pump it a few times, stand in your
tub, and when you squeeze the nozzle warm pressurized water will come
spraying out the nozzle. It isn't the same as a real shower but it may be
close enough.
Your rinse water can be dumped outside in some out-of-the-way place as
long as you are using biodegradable soap. I once had a friend who lived full-
time in a truck he converted to a camper. He put in a shower and just
drilled a hole through the floor and let the rinse water run out on the
ground. I think that's fine and would probably do the same thing if I had the
room for a shower.
Here are some ideas of where to shower if you can't shower in your vehicle:
Living in your vehicle makes staying clean more difficult, but as we have
seen, with just a few adjustments it can be done. The joy of freedom and
travel make it well worth it to me and many others. You must decide for
yourself if it is worth it to you.
living is, "How do you stay clean?" If you are in an RV it's pretty easy since
you are fully self-contained with running hot and cold water and full bath
facilities. It is quite a bit more difficult if you are in a car or van, but not
insurmountable.
How do I shower?
That depends on what you mean by a shower. Do you mean standing in a
shower under a stream of hot water, or do you mean getting your body
clean? My wife has been a registered nurse for the last fifteen years, and
one of her jobs isbeen keeping her patients bodies clean without the use of
a shower. Some people are bed-ridden for many years and if they are not
kept clean they develop bedsores, and of course they cannot take a shower.
So how do they do it? The same way people have been keeping clean for
thousands of years. They put some clean water in a basin with a mild soap
and wash every inch of their body with a wash cloth. Then they rinse their
body with a clean, soap-free wash cloth. And it works, people get clean and
don't get bedsores. Much of what we are doing as van/car dwellers is going
back to an older, more primitive time. I like to think of it as a "purer" and
simpler time. Most problems of living in a van can be solved by asking
ourselves, "How did they do this 500 years ago before modern
conveniences?" Today, we may want to use anti-bacterial soap, and warm
our water on a propane camping stove, but we are basically doing what they
did way back then.
Here are some quick tips on staying clean:
- Wash frequently. We are not depending on one big shower to get us
clean so try to stay clean through the day. - Use public restroom's to wash. They are every where so make use of
them (gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants,
fast food places). Get in the habit of carrying a wash cloth in a ziploc
bag and washing up as needed. Facial cleansing pads are mild and can
be used frequently. - Carry portable diaper wipes as a last step after using the toilet.
- The new alcohol anti-bacterial gels (like Purell) work extremely well
and allow you to stay clean without any water. Always carry a small
bottle with you and refill it from the big bottle you buy at a discount
store. - For washing in the car/van use antibacterial soap. Consider using
Palmolive dish washing soap. It is mild enough for your skin but a very
good cleaner. Just a few drops goes a long ways. - Go to a thrift store and buy enough used washcloths or diapers to last
between washings. I usually do my laundry every two weeks, so I have
at least 14 wash cloths on hand. If I use one on my crotch, I won't use
it again until it has been laundered. While you are there find a large
enough tub basin for spot cleaning. - An alternative to a tub basin is a spray bottle for those tough areas
like your arm pits or crotch. Spray the area so it is really soaked. Put a
drop of liquid soap in your palm and thoroughly lather and scrub.
Reapply as needed. Rinse with fresh water. - A solar water bag will give you free and easy warm water.. They are
just black water bags with a shower nozzle on the end. Place this in the
sun through the day and you will have warm or even hot water. A small
one can be left on the dashboard in the sun. If you have a roof rack,
you can paint a water jug black and bungee it on the roof. In the winter
you may want to use your propane stove to warm up some water. - Put warm water in a small basin, wet the washcloth and rub with bar
soap. Scrub your neck and face. Then work your way to the rest of
your body, rinsing in the water and reapply soap as needed. The
armpits and crotch are always last and kept separate from the rest of
my body. - Because of the risk of fungus, I wash my feet separately from the
rest of my body. In fact I usually just use an anti-bacterial diaper
wipe and use a spray bottle to rinse. - Washing your hair is easiest in a public washroom using their sink, but is
not always possible. In the car or van, lean over a large basin and get
your hair wet with your spray bottle. Apply the least amount of
shampoo you can get away with and lather up (most people use too
much, but people with oily hair may have no choice). Rinse out the
shampoo with the spray bottle. It may help to keep down the splashing
and mess factor to wash and rinse several times rather than one big
wash. If you have long hair, consider cutting it short. It may be worth
the sacrifice for your new lifestyle, or maybe it isn't, only you can
decide. The spray bottle will rinse your hair but may take a while. You
can always use a pan and pour water through your hair to rinse if you
need to . It is usually a little messier. A garden sprayer works well to
rinse your hair. Any garden center sells these. You just put in hot
water, pump it a few times, and out comes warm pressurized water.
Buy a new one so you are certain there were never any harmful
chemicals in it.
If You Must Shower:
While you can stay clean using the above methods, it is a hassle. And for
some people a shower is a psychological and emotional necessity. Here are
some tips if you must shower:
It is not hard to rig up a shower of your own. The problem is finding the
room. If you are in a car, it is nearly impossible. It's easy in a high top van
(not so much a regular van) or any vehicle you can stand up in. You just find a
way to hook your shower bag up near the roof, stand or kneel in a large tub,
open up the spigot and take a shower. Conserving water is important since
you have a limited amount of warm water. One option is to fill your spray
bottles with warm water and use them to get yourself wet. Then use soap
to scrub and only use the solar shower as a final rinse. A more elaborate
shower is possible with a small 12 volt pump shower kit. Coleman makes one
for about $25 that comes with a pump and a shower nozzle. Put your 5
gallon water jug (that you painted black and left in the sun all day) on the
floor by your tub. Put the intake end of the pump into the jug and run the
outlet end up so the shower nozzle is over your head. Turn on the pump and
out comes the water. You can get these as elaborate as you want, including
on-demand hot water and portable shower enclosures. Just do a Goggle
search on "camping shower". If you are in the woods it's easy to set one of
these up outside.
An alternative shower can be had with a garden sprayer available at any
garden center. Fill it with warm water, pump it a few times, stand in your
tub, and when you squeeze the nozzle warm pressurized water will come
spraying out the nozzle. It isn't the same as a real shower but it may be
close enough.
Your rinse water can be dumped outside in some out-of-the-way place as
long as you are using biodegradable soap. I once had a friend who lived full-
time in a truck he converted to a camper. He put in a shower and just
drilled a hole through the floor and let the rinse water run out on the
ground. I think that's fine and would probably do the same thing if I had the
room for a shower.
Here are some ideas of where to shower if you can't shower in your vehicle:
- YMCA
- College Campus
- Truck stops
- Local Gym (daily pass or membership)
- Public pools or beaches
- Laundromat with a shower
- Spend the night at an RV park. While there you can shower, do your
laundry, watch TV, and charge your batteries.
Living in your vehicle makes staying clean more difficult, but as we have
seen, with just a few adjustments it can be done. The joy of freedom and
travel make it well worth it to me and many others. You must decide for
yourself if it is worth it to you.
Staying Clean
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