"camper's" or biodegradable soap

[Fishnwire]

When I spend more than a couple of day's straight at camp in the summer I like to go down to the river, jump in, get out, soap up, and jump back in. I don't do it very often so I just use whatever bar soap is laying around. This summer I'm laid off for eight weeks and plan on being there a lot. I'll want to take more than a couple of baths over the season, but don't want to pollute the river with all that nasty soap. I've seen "camper's" soap, which is supposed to be bio-degradable, but a little bottle of it is about 9 bucks...like I said, I'm laid off.

 

My question is this; Is there a reasonably priced soap I can buy at the drugstore which is not harmful/less harmful to the water. The fishing off my dock is pretty good, I want to keep it that way for my nephews.

[CLofchik]

Look for anything that's phosphate free and made from vegetable fat (instead of animal fat).

 

Dood, Sunlight bars.

Be careful though, they sink (as all vegetable based soaps do).

[Bly]

I think it is great that you are thinking of the environment and the waters

 

 

Here is a link that might help you out.....

Soap/Camp Info

[johnnyb]

My Bio-degradeable "Campers Soap" is made by coghlan's, is available at Wal-Mart...I thought it was only $6. Maybe it is $9, but I can tell you that I still have half a bottle after a few years...all I use it for is the dishes, and am suprised at how little is required. IF you're going to bathe with it all summer long...it may not last that long. But seriously...anything "environmentally friendly" is prolly gonna be a lot more than $9... Being "green" makes lots of "green" these days

Edited June 3, 2009 by johnnyb

[cram]

The best thing to do is bring a bucket with you and rinse off on land (even if you don't get it all -- one bucket of water should take most). Even just a few feet of soil and plant material can do a TON for filtering that stuff out.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

Camp soap is key. It lasts long. To wash you don't need to load it on like you would your bottle of Pantene Pro V. A single drop at a time will accomplish a lot. Most importantly, it lathers well in cold water. Factor in that it can also do dishes etc...

Fork over the few dollars for it and use it sparingly. My bottle is 3 or 4 seasons old and I haven't even used half of it.

[wuchikubo]

I was looking at something like that recently, I've come across something called Soap Nuts, a naturally occurring fruit which shell produces a substance that could be used for soap or shampoo. Sounds interesting, but I would need to test it out first.

[Fishnwire]

I guess I'll spring for a bottle...if it lasts as long as some of you have indicated, it's probably worth it.

 

Sorry Bly, but after 3 or 4 days of sweat, bugs, working in the bush and using an outhouse...a wash cloth is just not gonna do. Not if you want that "fresh" feeling down low. I promise I'll try keeping it to a minimum.

 

Thanks for everyone's input.

[Jonny]

You could always make your own!

 

Castile soap is supposed to be environmentally friendly.

 

http://www.millersoap.com/castile.html#FavCastile

 

Of course the ingredients would probably set you back some, but you'd have a whack of soap!

 

Maybe you can find commercially-produced castile soap at a reasonable price per bar. Might be something to watch out for.

[Jonny]

Ingredients in IVORY soap:

 

Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, water, sodium chloride, sodium silicate, magnesium sulfate, and fragrance. (This information is from the Material Safety Data Sheet prepared by the Proctor & Gamble Company.)

 

Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and sodium palm kernelate are all natural soap compounds produced from tallow, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil, respectively. Magnesium sulfate is also known as Epsom salts and sodium chloride you may recognize as common table salt. Sodium silicate is also known as soluble glass or sodium silicate glass. While the amount in Ivory soap is probably too small to be of concern, sodium silicate is harmful if ingested and in it’s pure form can cause burns through skin or eye contact. Of all the mass produced commercial soaps that this writer has examined, Ivory is closest to an all natural soap with a minimum of additional chemicals. Of more importance to the consumer could be what isn’t in Ivory soap. Notice that glycerin is missing from the list of ingredients. This cheapens the soap and removes one of the natural moisturizers for the skin.

 

And it will float in the lake!