Poll Answer: Dirty Dishwater

Thanks to everyone who participated in our most recent poll:

What is the best way to dispose of dirty dishwater while camping?

Over 80% of the participants chose "B: Strain Out Particles and Scatter the Dishwater", which was the correct answer! In our last poll we discussed wildlife habituation, one of the causes being access to human food.

Even the little bits of pasta left in dishwater can be enough to attract wildlife, so straining out those particles (and treating them as trash you'd pack out) is the best practice. You can be creative about straining too; an actual strainer is great, but pantyhose, bandanas and socks have been known to do the trick as well.

Scattering is important because of the element of dispersal. The left over water is sure to carry some food smells, so dispersing it is preferred, as opposed to concentrating it in one place.

A number of poll participants chose A: "Use it to put out your campfire." While the intention is great (always make sure to put out your campfire), again, the concentration of all those food smells in the middle of a campsite will attract wildlife, which starts that process of habituation.

Thanks again for following our blog poll! Stay tuned for another question in the coming weeks.