Even though there are a wide variety of things that are needed for any camping trip, one of the most important is making preparations for a constant source of clean fresh water supply. Since most camping trips are filled with fun activities, you need to stay hydrated to maintain a healthy, well-functioning body. And, this is also why so many of today’s seasoned campers are highly recommending traveling with a sufficient number of camping water containers.
Also, whenever you need to reuse your containers, you need to know the appropriate answers to the following 4 questions.
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What Can and Cannot be Used
Before you stop at the corner store to pick up the first large container of water that you see, you may want to check these 3 key qualifying characteristics of the perfect camping water containers.
- Quality of the structure. Because some water containers on the market today are actually built for flimsy one-use-only materials, these are not the best options to use on a lengthy camping trip. Instead, you should look for water containers that are composed of extremely sturdy materials, particularly water containers that can be cleaned and reused over again.
- The best-seasoned campers are known for over-preparing for a camping trip. Because anything can happen while away from all of the traditional home conveniences, they make preparations by estimating how much water is needed for drinking water, cooking, washing, and other associated activities for the duration of the trip. So, with this being the case, water containers must be purchased with emergency supplies in mind. For instance, camping water containers must be reusable instead of throw-away products.
- Limited Space Requirements: Because water containers usually take up quite a bit of space in any vehicle, the need for a feature that addresses this issue is also needed. For instance, if you have a choice between buying a collapsible or non-collapsible water container, your best saving space choice is the collapsible option.
How often should I clean it?
Because the best camping water containers are made to be reusable, you need to know the guidelines on how to keep them clean. For instance, you may need to know answers to questions like, how often should you clean them? With that said, to keep the bacteria from growing in any reusable water container, here are 2 basic guidelines that you should pay close attention to.
- Clean every 3 days while away camping. The length of your camping trip can help you to determine how often you should clean your camping water container. For instance, if you are away from home camping for a week or more, you need to clean these containers at least once every 3 days. By taking these precautions, you will not only prevent bacteria from growing inside your water supply but also ensure no one gets sick from drinking water that is no longer safe.
- After each camping trip. You may be tempted to store a half-empty camping water container away as soon as you arrive home. However, this is not a good practice to follow, especially since the water in the container may already be dirty, and the perfect breeding place for bacteria to grow. Therefore, instead of simply storing it away in your pantry, you need to make sure your water container is thoroughly clean before you store it away for your next camping trip.
How do I clean the container at home?
As mentioned earlier, you need to clean your camping water container before you store it away for your next camping trip. It is also important to know which cleaning procedures you should use before you get started. Therefore, when you are doing your research, you may want to look at your specific camping water container for the appropriate instructions.
Because there are so many types, brands, sizes, and shapes of water containers on the market today, you need to know the details of how to thoroughly clean the container that you have in your possession. For instance, if you have a camping water jug that you need to clean, you may want to check the instructions to see if it is dishwater safe.
If so, you can remove the cap and the lid from the top of the water jug before you place it in your dishwasher to clean. You should also make sure that you adjust the temperature on the dishwasher cycle that you are setting, especially if you want to prevent the jug from melting under excessively hot heat.
And how to while camping?
As you can see, washing your water container at home is pretty straightforward. But what about when you’re out in the wild and don’t have the benefit of running water or electricity? Well, the good news is, cleaning your container while camping can be just as easy if you keep a few things in mind. First, remember that this isn’t something that you should only do once. It should be part of a routine, especially if you’re going to be camping for more than a week. Ideally, your container should be cleaned at least once every three days.
Second, you should be aware of different techniques so that you can choose the one that best suits your environment and circumstances. For instance, if you have the time and resources you could clean the container with hot water. Simply boil water, pour it into your container, and then empty it out. You can repeat this method until it’s clean.
Perhaps you don’t have the time to boil water or you’re having a hard time starting a fire. In this instance, you could use a sponge or steel wool scrubber to remove any residue from the container. Simply dip your container into a lake or river and wash it by hand with soap.
If you’re worried about the quality of the lake water, then you may decide to clean your containers with tablets. This is by far the simplest method as it only requires you to drop a cleaning tablet into your jug, allow the minerals to dissolve, and then pour the water out. However, this option is the most costly of the three.
There are few things more valuable than clean water. And this is especially if you’re camping. The key to ensuring your safety and the health of your companions is to make sure that the containers you store your water in are always clean.