Keeping Your Body Clean and Green Onboard
Spending time on the water is meant to be fun and enjoyable. For anybody spending more than a night away from the modern conveniences of land, a big part of the enjoyment comes from being comfortable. Being able to take a swim to cool down is an obvious way to feel good, but what happens when the water’s too cold, or the weather’s not right?
Keeping your body clean is essential if you want to have a good time on the water. Unless you’re lucky enough to cruise on a vessel with huge fresh water tanks, twenty minute hot showers are out of the question for most of us.
Making the most of what you’ve got, however, it is pretty simple to feel human after a few days or more at sea.
If your boat has a pressure water system and can generate hot water, the simple Navy shower drill works great. Turn on the water long enough to get your body when, then shut down the tap, soap up, then rinse. With a little practice, a 2 minute shower can be a lifesaver.
If you don’t have fancy plumbing a portable solar water heater will do the job if you can find some sunshine. Just fill these big flexible bags with water, hang it in the rigging or somewhere suitable and let solar radiation heat your bath water.
The greenest choice you need to make when it comes to body care onboard involves the products you’ll use to get the dirt out.
Organic, plant based soaps and cleansers are the obvious choice. Sure organic costs more, but chemicals just don’t belong on the water if you can help it. We’ve ranted and raved before about the evils of chemical cleaners, so we won’t repeat ourselves in detail here. Just suffice it to say that if you wouldn’t pour it over the side don’t use it to wash your hair. Even if you drain brown water to a holding tank and pump ashore when you reach the marina, you’re still just moving the nasty stuff from one place to another. Many marina pump-outs connect straight to a septic system with a drain field that lie dangerously close to the water.
In addition to the soaps you use, pay careful attention to all those accessories like conditioners, exfoliators, toothpaste, make-up,etc… Believe it or not one of the ingredients used in some of the less expensive exfoliating agents are small pieces of plastic. Instead of using oatmeal or some other natural ingredient, some genius came up with the idea of adding tiny plastic beads to help remove dead skin and stuff.
Most toothpastes, especially the big name brands with fluoride, also have all sorts of nasty ingredients. We continue to be amazed that a product meant to be put in your mouth and sloshed around comes with warning labels on the box advising you of the dangers involved with swallowing it.
Avoid cheap plastic brushes and combs, synthetic washcloths, towels, and other body gear that might go over the side and stay their forever. Use natural fibers towels, wood brushes and combs, along with other high quality implements instead.
When it comes time for the delicacies of feminine care, all sorts of chemical free, natural material options exist these days. Check them out and give them a try.
Remember that the same actions you take to keep your boat clean should apply to how you keep your body clean on the water.
