Solar showers are an affordable and low-tech solution to bringing hot showers with you in the outdoors. A basic solar shower consists of a PVC bag filled with water that’s hung above your head. After being exposed to direct sunlight, the water inside will be hot enough to shower comfortably.
Clean your solar shower by filling the bag with 2 tablespoons of bleach and 1 quart of hot water. Then, rinse the bag thoroughly and air-dry the inside of the solar shower to remove any excess moisture and prevent bacterial growth and mold. Store in a clean, dry area.
In this article, we’re going to look at everything you need to know about cleaning your solar shower. Plus, I’ll answer a few questions about solar shower cleaning, drying, and storage.
Do You Have To Clean Your Solar Shower?
Many people who own a solar shower will wonder if it’s necessary to clean the bag once they’re done using it. After all, shouldn’t it be perfectly clean after all the water has been removed?
Your solar shower should be cleaned before it is put away. Doing so will help prevent bacteria and mold from growing, both of which can lead to illness, lung irritation, and foul odors. Over time, mold can deteriorate the inside of your solar shower and clog up the nozzles of the hose.
Well, no matter how clean you think your solar shower might be, you should still make sure to clean it on the inside and store it away after you’ve used it on a camping trip, for example…But why?
Well, don’t forget…even if you’ve used the hose to drain all the water from inside, there will still be some moisture stuck in there. Germs and bacteria love a warm and humid environment like the inside of a used solar shower bag.
So, how should you clean your solar shower?
Can You Clean Your Solar Shower In The Washing Machine?
Some people might think that a washing machine is an excellent way to clean a solar shower. Unfortunately, that’s only true for the exterior parts of the bag.
A washing machine might be fine for cleaning the outside of your solar shower, but not nearly enough water or detergent will make its way inside the solar shower. A washing machine may also damage the bag or the nozzle attachments.
A delicate setting would probably be just fine as far as not damaging your solar shower, but this still doesn’t solve the problem of not getting enough water and detergent inside the bag!
Can You Clean Your Solar Shower In The Dishwasher?
A dishwasher is also not an effective method of cleaning your solar shower. Dishwashers have a spinning arm that sprays water. Even though that might help clean the exterior of the solar shower, the inside will remain untouched.
Even less water would work its way inside the bag of your solar shower. You also run the risk of the bag wrapping around the spray arm of the dishwasher…potentially damaging them both.
What’s The Best Way To Clean A Solar Shower?
So, if the washing machine and dishwasher are out of the question, what’s the most effective way to clean a solar shower?
With the way solar showers are built, you’ll get the best results if you clean them by hand under a sink or even with a garden hose. Fill the bag with 2 tablespoons of bleach with 1 quart of water and let it soak for a few minutes. Thoroughly rinse with clean water and let dry.
More importantly, as you’ll see later, cleaning a solar shower by hand is also the most effective way to dry the bag once you’re done washing.
What Happens If You Don’t Clean Your Solar Shower?
It might seem like not a big deal, but there can be some negative outcomes from not cleaning your solar shower. Again, even though you may have drained all the water through the hose, there’s still moisture leftover inside the bag.
So, when you store the solar shower, germs and bacteria could end up growing inside. Worse yet, the bag and the tube can both see mold growth happen as well.
Needless to say, the next time you take that moldy, dirty bag out and try to use it, you’ll end up with a very unpleasant experience!
Washing, Drying, And Storing A Solar Shower
Generally, you can think of the cleaning process in three parts: washing, drying, and storing. All three are essential to have and keep a clean solar shower.
Washing
To wash the inside of your solar shower bag, you can use a little bit of bleach mixed in with warm water…a mixture of 2 tablespoons of bleach to 1 quart of water is a good proportion. Pour the mixture into the bag and let it sit for five minutes.
Once that’s done, drain the bag and then rinse it a few times. Rinse your solar shower as many times as it takes before the smell of bleach and anything else disappears.
Depending on the design of your solar shower, the bag might have a removable hose attachment. If you remove the attachment and the bag’s opening is big enough, you may want to use a bottle brush to clean the inside thoroughly.
That’s an excellent way to remove any buildup the solar shower might have on the inside.
Once you’re done, give it one more rinse just to be sure!
Drying
Washing the solar shower is a bit more straightforward than drying it out. This part can be quite a challenge, considering how the bag is mostly enclosed, except for the part with the hose attachment.
People have come up with very creative ways to dry out their newly-washed solar showers, such as:
- Ventilating: Take a small wire hanger and bend it so that it fits inside the opening of your solar shower. That should be enough to keep the bag wide open, even though there’s no water inside. By doing that, you’ll allow plenty of airflow into the bag to dry out any excess water left behind from washing the solar shower.
- Freezing: Another creative trick you could try is placing the bag in the freezer. The idea here is that this will freeze any excess water left inside the bag. Take the bag out of the freezer and squeeze it to break that frozen water into ice chips, which will fall out of the opening very easily.
- Dehumidifier: Lastly, you could also seal the solar shower in an enclosed area with some kind of dehumidifier or desiccant. This approach will thoroughly dry out the solar shower bag slowly. You can maximize this drying effect by combining this approach with the previous one where you ventilate the bag using a bent wire hanger.
Storing
Remember…the reason why it’s so important to clean your solar shower is that the warmth and wetness inside the bag make it very hospitable to germs, bacteria, and mold.
Sure, you can clean the solar shower using the steps mentioned above…However, if you want it to stay clean for a long time, you’ll need to be more mindful of how you store the solar shower as well.
Some people might be quick to throw it in a box in the garage or basement until the next time they need to use it. Unfortunately, these are some of the rooms in your home with the highest level of humidity.
Instead, try to keep it in a place with plenty of fresh air, in a room that does not get wet. Avoid bathrooms, and store them in common storage areas where you keep other things that can’t get wet, such as books. For this purpose, a normal bedroom shelf or cupboard will do just fine.
Alternatively, you could also keep it stored in a bag with a few small desiccant packets. Those will keep the solar shower dry and clean while in storage. That way, the next time you go camping or head into the outdoors, you’ll have a clean solar shower that’s ready to use right out of storage!
For more information on Solar Showers, check out this article: How To Use A Solar Shower
