Summer holidays are here again time for some family fun for many British people, that means camping. Mothers everywhere cringe at all the dirt and grime and germs associated with outdoor living, even if just for one night. My wife was one of those mothers and I’ll share with you how I’ve combated the icks and yucks my sons seem to gravitate to. Most of below is common sense, so just call this a recap.

Go clean. My sons are required to shower or bath before departure. This may seem like common sense, but I was surprised at how many children hit the camp ground without washing before they go. If your kids are clean when you go, they’ll be less dirty when they come back.

Cook clean. Bar-be-que sauce is a one of the top violators of cleanliness. Leave sauces off food, use dry rubs on meat and season veggies with some salt mixed with cumin, black pepper and dry oregano. Make skewered food, prepared ahead of time. The fewer plates and utensils you need, the fewer ways to get dirty. We always packed paper plates and plastic cups to ease on the washing up, through experiance no one ever wanted to do the washing up.

Wash and wash again. If your not on a certified camp site with access to fresh running water, and you take your own water for drinking, pack along some Wet Ones. They are similar to baby wipes but also contain an anti-bacterial solution, to kill those pesky unwanted germs.

Zip it up. Tents should always be kept closed to keep out bugs and dirt. Most tents are equipped with screens that can be left closed while you air out the tent by unzipping the door or window. Keeping dirt out will remind your family what clean feels like when you and your kids climb into sleeping bags at night.

Air it out. Remove all foods and clothing from your and tents. Then for at least 1 hour before packing up camp, let your tent air out. (keep those screens closed, though).

Bag it. Make sure you bring plenty of trash bags with you. In addition to waste, you can pack all of those stinky clothes in them before you head home. Deliver the bags to their destination (trash can, laundry room, kitchen) as soon as you get home. Otherwise, you’ll make your vehicle into a huge Petri dish.

Shower straight away. Everyone should take turns showering and changing into clean clothes as soon as you get home. In addition to cleaning off the surface dirt, the camping germs will go down the drain and take funky smells with them. As I said in the begining most of that was common sense.