# How do they wash their hands in the military if they have no running water? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215 "2013-06-29T18:56:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/1 "2013-06-29T18:56:36Z")
Some army and military bases in Afghanistan and other places have no running water, how do they wash and rinse their hands? Also when they are out in battle or on patrol for a couple days with no running water, how do they wash and rinse their hands? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/2 "2013-06-29T19:03:36Z")
Bottled Water, mostly. One can even bathe with just a couple of them. And if you grab some that have been sitting in the son all morning, the water is nice and warm. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/3 "2013-06-29T19:05:33Z")
You will also find things like this on some of the larger bases. [![](https://www.nkbaxter.com/store/images/4-Person-Hand-Washing-Station-PS14-1000-Lg.jpg) ](https://www.nkbaxter.com/store/images/4-Person-Hand-Washing-Station-PS14-1000-Lg.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/4 "2013-06-29T19:58:58Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Bottled Water, mostly. One can even bathe with just a couple of them. And if you grab some that have been sitting in the son all morning, the water is nice and warm. How do you wash your hands with a bottle of water unless someone else is holding it for you? You would get soap all over the outside of the bottle if you did it yourself, then transfer it to the other hand so you would still have soap on your hands when your done. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/5 "2013-06-29T20:25:07Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > How do you wash your hands with a bottle of water unless someone else is holding it for you? You would get soap all over the outside of the bottle if you did it yourself, then transfer it to the other hand so you would still have soap on your hands when your done. never heard of a [sponge bath?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathing#Sponge_bath) ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/6 "2013-06-29T20:30:26Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > never heard of a [sponge bath?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathing#Sponge_bath) I said wash hands, not the body. You dont use a sponge bath on your hands. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/7 "2013-06-29T21:08:08Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > How do you wash your hands with a bottle of water unless someone else is holding it for you? You would get soap all over the outside of the bottle if you did it yourself, then transfer it to the other hand so you would still have soap on your hands when your done. Not if you’re sloppy. Open bottle, splash water on both hands, Pick up bar of soap and lather. Pick up bottle with one hand and rinse other. While doing so, splash water on hand holding bottle, Switch hands and repeat rinse. Drink remaining water. Chuck empty bottle at the Taliban. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/8 "2013-06-29T21:10:03Z")
If you haven’t got much water in a combat zone, I can think of much better things to do with it then wash my pinkies . You know, war is hell and all that . ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/9 "2013-06-29T21:58:05Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > I said wash hands, not the body. You dont use a sponge bath on your hands. Woah, why so persnickity? Who made that rule?! A damp sponge and soap are great ways to wash your hands. If water were a limited commodity I think this would be a most efficient way to wash one’s hands. In fact, I have a gross shop sponge I’ll use to remove grease from my palms. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/10 "2013-06-29T22:07:57Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Bottled Water, mostly. One can even bathe with just a couple of them. And if you grab some that have been sitting in the son all morning, the water is nice and warm. I would have thought alcohol-based hand sanitizer. I very much appreciated these during training when I had to eat shortly after going to the bathroom. Is there a reason the military would not use this in the field? It’s much more weight and volume efficient than a bottle of water. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/11 "2013-06-29T22:23:25Z")
They have hand sanitizer available (usually). But they also have bottled water in large amounts, and nothing can replace the feeling of a water wash. I know that sanitizer is always one of the things they put in our “troop packages” from school. ---
**Author:** ![Kobalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/41988e/32.png) [@Kobalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobalt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/12 "2013-06-29T23:08:52Z")
When I was there, we used a lot of hand sanitizer and baby wipes. Water was trucked in daily and, while we had to conserve it, there was usually enough to flush the toilets and wash our hands. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/13 "2013-06-29T23:19:05Z")
Hand sanitizer doesn’t clean anything, and doesn’t really sanitize dirty hands, either. ---
**Author:** ![RememberMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@RememberMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RememberMe)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/14 "2013-06-29T23:50:02Z")
If ya got the water, then you do. If ya don’t, then ya don’t. We had times that water was scarce, and every drop we used was for drinking. That was during the initial part of OIF and I have not had the pleasure of spending time in the 'stan, but I am sure some of those remote combat outposts share similar conditions to what we had back in 2003-2004 in Iraq. We had bigger issues to deal with than washing hands. Maybe a bit off topic…After spending 47 months in Iraq, the only time I got sick was from eating the food on our own base, by our own cooks, when there was plenty of water and hygiene products available. And trust me, I ate things in places that would(and have) made many people cringe. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/15 "2013-06-30T00:40:18Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > And if you grab some that have been sitting in the son all morning, the water is nice and warm. I’m glad you’re not my dad. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/16 "2013-06-30T01:22:23Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I’m glad you’re not my dad. :snicker: sUn! > [@matt357](#): > > How do you wash your hands with a bottle of water unless someone else is holding it for you? You would get soap all over the outside of the bottle if you did it yourself, then transfer it to the other hand so you would still have soap on your hands when your done. Wet hands. Lather. Grab bottle using tips of fingers and thumb, instead of entire hand and palm. That only puts soap down one side (tips of fingers), and at one spot (the thumb) on the oppossing side of the bottle. Hold it like that and wash off the soap from one hand. Grab the bottle in a similar manner with the clean hand touching dry parts of the bottle. You could keep rotating the bottle and pick it up several times, never touching a soapy part. Though, to be honest, I never really thought about how it was done. It just never seemed to be an issue. Though it was all down mostly without thinking about it, I am pretty sure this is how I did it most of the time. That, and/or also using more than one bottle. > [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > I would have thought alcohol-based hand sanitizer. I very much appreciated these during training when I had to eat shortly after going to the bathroom. Is there a reason the military would not use this in the field? It’s much more weight and volume efficient than a bottle of water. The military uses a lot of hand sanitizer in the field. It is even issued to Soldiers in Basic Training. However, it should never be considered a replacement to soap and water if the latter is available. > [@Hero](#): > > A damp sponge and soap are great ways to wash your hands. If water were a limited commodity I think this would be a most efficient way to wash one’s hands. A small wash cloth also works great. ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/17 "2013-06-30T01:40:35Z")
Read the great book With The old Breed by E B Sledge. He tells about the Marines living for weeks on Okinawa immersed in excrement and rotting body parts and they never washed anything. As you can imagine, the Japanese didn’t find them to be polite company. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/18 "2013-06-30T02:41:07Z")
Having spent no small amount of time hiking outdoors, I can attest that sand makes a great hand cleaner. Even some fine soils do a good job. It is great for removing crap from your hands: grease, blood, oil, sap, literal crap, and most other stuff. You rinse by first shaking off the excess, and then running your hands through your drenched-in-sweat hair, or wiping them off on your drenched-in-sweat shirt. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/19 "2013-06-30T06:15:47Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Not if you’re sloppy. Open bottle, splash water on both hands, Pick up bar of soap and lather. Pick up bottle with one hand and rinse other. While doing so, splash water on hand holding bottle, Switch hands and repeat rinse. Drink remaining water. Chuck empty bottle at the Taliban. I don’t think splashing a little water on the bottle while your holding it with a soapy hand would rinse off all the soap. In fact I think it would put even more soap on it because the hand holding it still has soap on it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215/20 "2013-06-30T06:33:55Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > I don’t think splashing a little water on the bottle while your holding it with a soapy hand would rinse off all the soap. In fact I think it would put even more soap on it because the hand holding it still has soap on it. Have you actually tried it?:dubious: If not, I suggest you go do so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-wash-their-hands-in-the-military-if-they-have-no-running-water/662215.md?page=2)