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 has been 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 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.
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 has been 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.
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 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.
How to Stay Clean