What are some ways to wash clothes while on the trail and 200’ plus from water? Large, heavy-duty plastic bag and some iodine? Or bleach or detergent? I’m not so concerned with clean as I am with killing bacteria. Tired of smelling like a homeless person.
bowlegs
A garbage bag is a good ideal as well as a gallon milk jug cut in half. A little soap and water should do the trick. The clothes do not need to be super clean to effectively ward off rashes and the like. Besides, they will be dirty again shortly after you put them back on and head on your way. All through hikers smell due to the exertion and subsequent sweat produced along the way. You will get use to it rather quickly. Unfortunately, non-hikers are the people most often offended.
Ever play basketball or work out in a small gym? No problem with odors if you are amongst the crowd exercising. It is only when you are not the one playing and picking someone up. Whew! Those places can stink!
:cheers
stealthblew
bowlegs: I stay clean (& mostly odor free) on my hikes by taking a head-to-toe towel bath every evening before hitting the sack and by carrying a clean sleeping/town shirt.
I typically heat up a pot of water & add about 20 drops of Dr. Bronners soap. I use a real washcloth (vs bandana, which isn’t nearly as good) to wash with and it doubles as a water bottle cooler for the desert sections (evaporation cooling effect).
Another tip: I regulate my hiking speed according to body temp so that I don’t sweat too much. When its really hot I dip my shirt in any available water and either put it back on or flip it over my shoulders & back - which is kinda like hiking shirtless, but with the added benefit of cooling on the skin that’s in contact with the backpack.
Final tip: I carry a frame-less pack (MLD Prophet) which means I can wash it with my clothes in town.
I have often been called the ‘cleanest thru-hiker on the trail’ on my various hikes - no doubt due to the towel baths and other strategies. (I also normally carry a tiny thing of deodorant.)
I do laundry every time I hit town.
I hope this helps!
freebird
I like the ideas of using garbage bags or big Ziplocs as “washing machines.” Very clever! My best personal hygiene advice - the disposable (biodegradable) wet wipe. Your nether-regions will thank you. And to maximize its usage, give your face or pits a quick cleansing before actually wiping with it.
Bullet
Bullet, Is there a particular brand of wet wipe you use/recommend? I remember using them on my son when he was a baby.
bowlegs
Bowlegs - No particular brand comes to mind. Just look for the flushable kind that will breakdown more easily when buried. I buy them in the small travel pack size and have a pack in my potty pack at all times. REI even sells a large size wipe they say you can bathe with.
Bullet
In all the miles I have hiked, I’ve only used the water in a stream, lake, creek, or whatever is handy to wash my clothes, then hang from my pack during the walk to dry.
To stay cleaner than most people, I use a shower head on my water bag and hang it from a tree or the side of the shelter to take a cold shower each day before dinner. On every hike I am razzed for having the waterbag and having the shower head, but soonet than later, someone asks if they can use it. As long as they refill my water supply, I say go right ahead.
Different socks
When I hiked the JMT we were required to use a bear cannister which made a great washing machine. Put in clothes water and biodegradable soap then roll it back and forth on the ground for a few minutes. I had to carry it so I got as much use out of it as I could. Made a nice seat also.
Big B
I’ve got a generic one sitting in front of me. Looks like it’s made out of the same stuff as Frogg Toggs, polypropyline (sp?). Not bio-degradable but weighs zilch when dry. Easy enough to pack out. Maybe different brands use different materials.
bowlegs
Next to my skin while hiking I wear a very thin cotton long sleeved shirt which squashes up really tiny when wet, small enough to fit in our 2-person cook pot. It’s a hippy-type fabric, no pockets or anything, folds up as small as a handkerchief. Fine for hot dry hiking, under a more substantial sunblocking shirt if needed. I wash it daily in heated water and biodegradable soap, and that seems to do the job. I soap up the armpit area and wash well. Ditto other smalls. I sleep in a polypropylene top that I don’t hike in (but could in cold weather). It (and the hiking trousers) only needs washing every few days at resupply points. Tiny bottles of liquid deodorant are worth their weight - honestly, you don’t need much deodorant for 4 - 5 days. I wash myself all over with a bandanna in slightly heated water every day, for hygiene and to check for ticks, scratches etc,. Like freebird, I also moderate speed so to try not to get really coated in sweat. Getting odorous was reported so much as being an inevitable part of backpacking, that I was dreading it, but with these measures, it really was not an issue on a 20 day mountain backpacking trip. I guess it depends what you are doing and what your priorities are. I was not doing 20 mile days 
… Washing hair was another matter …
Fresh as a Daisy
Washing clothes – that’s what the bear canister is for.
Datto
PS: The Concierge at the PCT campsite will take care of this for you while they’re warming the towels for your nightly bath. Best to tip them at the campsite.
I’m cracking myself up with that thought. Wow do I miss the cow manure in my bath. You just can’t get enough cow manure back here in civilization and having to pay a pet deposit is beyond my ability to adapt.
Datto
Please just remember when using soap, even biodegradable to wash well away from the water source. Even a small drop of soap can mess up the ph of the water for everything down stream. okay LNT rant over. Happy Trails;)
Sunbeam