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Saturday, March 17, 2012

About that shower...

Okay-I'll admit it.  I'm a little bit of a neat freak and it does extend to camping.  I keep the tent organized and neat.  I cover the picnic table with a plastic cloth that I can scrub with antibacterial wipes. I take a broom to both sweep the tent and the concrete under the table.  I do not however scrub the showers at the park and at times wonder if anyone does.

One of our first long camping trips that my husband and I went on I was basically using a washcloth and soap and cold water from the spigot by camp to get a layer of sweat, dirt, bug spray, and sunscreen off.  It worked-kinda.  I just couldn't bring myself to use the showers at the park.

Then one night, my husband announced, "Well, I'm tired of smelling like a caveman," and took off for the showers.  I sat in camp imagining the mold and mildew and germs he was encountering.  After about 20 minutes he came back and looked so relaxed and comfortable.  And he smelled good!  He told me it wasn't that bad and that he kept his sandals on the whole time he was in there.  I decided to risk it.  Hot water and clean hair was too much of a temptation.

Typical park restroom-nothing fancy, just what you need


I packed up a bag of soap, shampoo, washcloth, change of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, towels (one for my body, one for my hair) and my flip flops and headed to the shower.  I threw caution to the wind and stepped into the shower stall.  I tried to ignore anything that looked like it needed scrubbed and pulled closed the curtain.  Once the hot water came on, I didn't even think about the mold or mildew.  I just stood there and enjoyed it.

I got back to camp about 45 minutes later.  Clean and happy and comfortable.  And over my hang-up on what the shower looks like.  Don't get me wrong, I will try to wait until right after I see the cleaning crew leave and will walk out if it is really bad.  But, hot water and clean body is definitely a camp necessity.

I taught my kids that those showers are good.  Rachel actually looks forward to the shower before crawling into her sleeping bag at night.  She has learned the tricks to  using showers in a state park.

1.  Wear flip flops or water proof shoes the whole time.
2.  Carry shower needs (soap, shampoo, towels, deodorant, etc.) in a water proof tote bag. Some showers get really wet,
3.  Take shorts of short pants to change into after the shower.  They are easier to put on without getting them on the floor.
4.  Check out the showers when you get to the camp.  Some don't have curtains up over the changing area.  We pack a couple of the cheap shower liners and duct tape for those emergencies and make our own.

7 comments:

  1. Great ideas. Never would have thought to take a shower liner along. Thanks so much!

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  2. Awesome! We just went camping in a place with no showers and I came back feeling pretty gross (especially my face). I gave myself a Mary Kay microdermabrasion treatment when I got home and I felt like my skin was thanking me to no end. So if nothing else, wash your face while camping or have something magical to come home to :) (p.s. I have some MK stuff if interested!)

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  3. I keep Stridex or face wipes in the tent with me for last thing at night or first thing in the morning. It really does help your mood. Thanks for the offer on MK stuff. I've work with a teacher who sells it.

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  4. I always take one more jug of water than I think we'll need for face washing/toothbrushing in camp or emergency hand washing near the fire.

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  5. We pack our shower stuff in a dollar store carry tote with holes in it that allows the water to drain off. We also take an antibacterial body wash and a poof instead of a bar of soap. Bars of soap can get icky after a day or two. We avoid plastic baggies with our shower stuff because they don't allow drying.

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