GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #30 | Page 44

RV FEATURE S E IC T C A R P G IN V A S R E T WA PERSONAL HYGIENE Using a bucket to wash is an effective way to reduce water usage, as is ensuring you turn off your water during the wetting/washing/rinsing cycle of a shower. Both ways are more than enough to wash the smelly parts of your body without wasting unnecessary water. Hair washing only occurs once or twice a week. Being a hairdresser, I know this practice is actually good for our scalps (over-washing promotes higher oil levels on your scalp and can stress hair). To get more ‘wear’ in between washes, the boys wear hats and I use dry shampoo and different styles to keep dirty hair away from our faces. (If you don’t want to spend on dry shampoo, talc powder does the same thing – absorbing oils from the scalp). For our teeth we fill a cup, which all five of us use for wetting, brushing and rinsing. HANDS, FEET AND FACES For daily cleaning of hands, feet and faces, we have a box of cheap baby wipes as back-up. At other times, we have some water in a bucket that we all wash our dirty feet in before retiring to the van at night. Baby wipes double as great interior cleaning aids for walls and floors. Alternatively, we’ve found a mircrofibre towel and slightly soapy water in a spray bottle cleans well! WASHING THE DISHES Our dishwashing practice is to fill no more than half the sink. All dishes for that meal are done with the one lot of water before it is drained. 44 \