3 Tub Dish Wash System

[Eagle69]

Anybody ever done it this way?

 

"1. cold water wash with soap; 2. cold water rinse; 3. rinse with hot water or cold water that has a sterilizer such as tablets or chlorine(bleach) mixed at 1 tablespoon per gallon"

 

I've used a 3 tub wash system for years, but it's always been 1. Hot with Soap 2. Hot/Warm Rinse 3. Cold Rinse.

 

I'm a bit skeptical that washing in cold water will clean dishes/pots/utensils of grease, etc.

[Eagle92]

Nope, always 1) Hot wash 2)Warm rinse 3) Cold sanitize. I'd always put the water on while eating so that it would be hot when I needed it after the meal.

[Stosh]

I've never used the BSA method because it doesn't make much sense to me.

 

1) Hot/warm water/soap

 

Soap and hot water to break up the grease and remove the last of the food particles. It doesn't need to be so hot the boys don't want to put their hands in to do a good scrubbing of the items.

 

2) Cold water/sanitizer

 

Cold breaks down the soap and removes it easier. Fill a kitchen sink with suds and then try to get rid of them with hot water. Then try with cold. Cold removes soap faster than hot water. It also encourages the boys to rub the items to make sure they get all the soap off that a swish might not get if the water is hot. Then the sanitizer kills all parasites. The sanitizer works equally well whether it is hot or cold water. Now you have rinsed and sterilized the items.

 

3) Very hot water - heats up the items so they dry faster.

 

With the cold at the end, it only prolongs the drying time. Using pliers and boiling water speeds up drying to just a few seconds rather than lying out drying for 10-15 minutes. If one dips an aluminum mess kit in boiling water and then fans in the air for 15-20 seconds, it is pretty much dry. The item is already sterilized with bleach so boiling doesn't do anything other than heat it up for drying faster.

 

When my boys would put the cold at the end, I always had to go to the fire and heat it up to dry anyway. Rinsing in hot water didn't always remove all the soap and no one wanted to stick their hands in really hot water to get it completely rinsed.

 

Stosh

[ScoutNut]

You don't rinse in boiling water. You use warm water you can put your hands into. I would not put my hands into a bucket with sanitizer.

 

Wash in hot, not boiling, soapy water.

 

Rinse in warm clear water.

 

Put dishes in mesh bag.

 

Dunk in cold/warm water with sanitizer.

 

Hang to dry.

 

Dishes should be ready to go for the next meal.(This message has been edited by Scoutnut)

[artjrk]

After reviewing several articles on the subject of sanitizers. They all call for the water to be warm to hot. Chlorine 70-100F, Iodine 70F All article I read indicate that the Sanitation needs to be done last, after rinsing. The organic material breaks down the ability of the sanitizer to work.

 

So I suggest Hot Wash, Hot/Warm Rinse, Warm Sterilize. One advantage to having all the buckets at least warm is on cold weather campouts, kids will not refrain from putting their hands into cold water. Note the Hot does not have to be scalding, just hot enough to breakdown grease no hotter than the hot water tap in your sink.

 

Most important to all this is boys should clean their plates of all food debris before starting to wash. Keep all that out of the wash water. If that means a Cold water pre-rinse so be it. But sometimes water is a bit on the scare side. We always teach the kids to "self-sump" their plates. add some hot water on plate, swirl it around with fork to loosen all food item and then drink it down. Yes it sounds gross but it helps get just that much more water into the boys and keeps the wash water debris free. First time I had to do this, we had salad with Italian dressing. not appetising but sure effective. Suggest to kids that licking their plate clean first also goes over well, since they aren't allowed to do that at home.

[Basementdweller]

We use it......with the cub pack and actually use a 4 tub system now.......Mom's just don't get the concept of scraping and wiping their plates to just shy of clean.

 

All water is warm. probably 100 degree

 

First tub soapy water, second tub less soap. third tub rinse , fourth sanitize...

 

the first tub gets totally trashed by the moms who think they are rinsing into their sink.

 

The patrols use the three dub, never a problem.

 

We use a commercial sanitizing tablet and use the mess bag spin for drying.

[le Voyageur]

I sump my bowl, scrub it out with a wee bit of grit/sand. Flush it out in the river. Toss in a hand sanitizer towelette into the bowl, add hotwater to the top, and let soak until the water is cool. Chuck it out, toss the towellette into the fire, and let the bowl air dry...piece of cake...

[chaoman45]

Eagle69, who told you that first method? I have never been told to wash with cold water and my mom would definitely not allow it to fly!

[Stosh]

le Voyageur

 

Sump the food particles in the fire, wipe out with grass, sand if necessary, rinse in the river, and hold over the fire to dry/sanitize. I've always trusted fire more than sanitizer chemicals.

 

Heck, I've cooked on cast iron for years and never used soap or sanitizer on it. Shouldn't be a major leap to the rest of the items to simply do the same thing.

 

Legal disclaimer: Do not try this at home.

 

Where do you think I learned it...

 

One other thing, this doesn't work with the plastic items used today. But also remember that the bacteria caught in scratches in plastic aren't addressed with hot water and/or sanitizer chemicals. This is why soft cutting boards made of plastic and wood are dangerous to use in the first place.

 

I've always used metal and have never in 55 years had a problem with camp sanitation.

 

Stosh(This message has been edited by jblake47)

[CalicoPenn]

Use cold water to wash clothes, not dishes.

 

Hot water to wash dishes, warm water to rinse. Sanitize? Why?? Know anyone at home that sanitizes their dishes after hand washing them? Know anyone who gets sick because their dishes weren't sanitized after washing them?

 

The only reason to sanitize dishes is if you're afraid they haven't been washed properly in the first place or if you're afraid the water you are using to wash the dishes in is somehow suspect. And that is how we got started with the 3 tub method - something learned from the military when they would be boiling river, lake, creek, swamp, etc. water to use for dishwashing. If you insist on a 3-tub method, then the last tub is boiling water - dishes placed in a mesh bag, and dipped unto boiling water for 10 seconds then hung to dry - no bleach or sanitizer added - it's not needed.

 

 

[Eagle69]

The SM of the troop I am currently ASM with told me this. I questioned it and he said that was what at Rocky Mountain Scout Camp.

 

I'm glad to see that no one else has heard of washing in cold water. In 35 years of doing this that was a new one on me.

[shortridge]

The only times I've used the sanitizer tablets were when forced to teach it to Scouts taking Cooking & Camping MBs at summer camp. Thought it was silly otherwise - never sanitized at home and never got sick. Hot water & soap to wash, hot water to rinse, dry.

 

Or if you're using a frisbee as a plate - toss around to dry.