Keeping nature off of you, and you off of nature - Staying clean while camping

We’ve all experienced tripping and getting our hands dirty on a hike, spilling food on our jeans, and (as much as we would hate to admit it) forgetting our toothbrushes. Near Zero offers a fabulous hygiene kit with eight pieces of absolute toiletries essentials, including mini toothbrushes. Of course, some may need added pieces depending on needs, and we want to share our tips to keep yourself and the outdoors clean!

What comes with Near Zero’s hygiene kit?

The small Organizer Lite ripstop bag comes with essentials for an overnight trip to keep you and your environment clean. The kit includes: 

• Pack-out bag; 100% compostable & made from plants; 2.6 gallons each
• Reusable large cleaning towel
• Klean Freak antibacterial body wipe; made of 100% biodegradable materials
• 10 Biodegradable wipes. Compressed coin tissues in a reusable tube
• All-purpose soap; concentrated and biodegradable. 20 ml
• Purell hand sanitizer 1 oz 
• Two single-use toothbrushes with Crest toothpaste, Scope mouthwash, and toothpicks; no water needed
• Burt's Bees lip balm

Other essentials you may want to take: 

• For added oral cleanliness, pack dental floss
• Feminine hygiene products and a sealable bag you can carry used products out in 
• An added plastic bag to store dirty clothes in
• A dedicated squeezing water bottle to clean your groin, armpits, feet, and other areas to avoid chafing  

The essentials you shouldn’t bring: 

• Sweet-smelling hygiene products - The sweet smells of your deodorant or soap can attract bugs, insects, and even bears! If your stench begins to bug you (pun intended), you can wash yourself with wipes or become one with nature and get used to your natural smell. 
• Razors - if you think you’ll shave during your trip, think again. Keep them at home. 
• Added garbage to take out - all those disposable wipes you carried in you won’t be able to throw away in nature, so be smart about what you consider “essential.”

Where can I wash off? 

In this day and age, you can buy a portable tub, but why add more weight to your pack when you have natural places to wash off all around the mountains? 

• Hop in a lake or a river and take an old-fashioned bath! But please, don’t use soap!
• Trail showers - Use your biodegradable soap, a sponge, and a washcloth with lots of water to clean your dirty body. “Shower” away from lakes, streams, and rivers to avoid contaminating them with soap.

One of the most fun parts of getting outdoors is being one with nature and roughing it in the dirt and mud, but there needs to be some cleanliness to avoid getting sick or contracting infections. We want you to enjoy time with your loved ones as long as you can, but some of them may only tolerate your natural smell for so long, so please keep yourself clean and nature clean from the trash you take with you.