I have tried to search this, couldn't really find anything. just wondering if its safe to wash dishes and pans on my camper sink and rinse down drain? for example, say I have BBQ sauce on my grill, can I clean that and rinse it down the drain? same with say bacon grease from the pan? is food residue safe in the gray tank, or should that be left to just soap and water? I go first time camping in two weeks and just want to know whats safe or not before I have a big OOPS..lol.. I did search around this board and couldn't find this info..thank you...

I would not put grease down the drain. Wipe it out and throw in garbage. As for food juices left on plates, I do rinse it off if there is only a little but make sure the drain catch is in. If it is not just a slight film of sauce, I wipe it off and throw in garbage. I try to prevent anything extra going in that tank! Have fun.

I would agree. Start a good habit of wiping everything off before washing dishes. Bacon grease can be frozen and thrown out. An extra roll of paper towels is a lot cheaper than potential plumbing fix.

Gray water can smell as bad as sewer if food gets into it. We wipe off our plates and try to keep as much food as possible out of the gray tank. Plus grease can build up in the traps and pipes.

actually, the more I think about it, its sooo cheap to buy paper plates,cups, utensils its probably easier to just throw plates out... and I think im gonna buy a small plastic tub and just wash any utensils or cooking grids,right under the outside shower with soap water and just find a place to dump the soapy water. im not sure if this is legal or not at campgrounds? im sure alittle soapy water dumped in the dirt isn't harming anything?

Paper towels is your friend. Wipe the grease off and remove as much food as possible.

washing dishes-is grease and food safe down sink drain?

RandK-M
Explorer
May 15, 2013
rockhillmanor wrote:
We have always treated out RV sink like our home sink.

Most residential sinks have a grease trap. RV's don't.

Maybe new construction these days, but not most. Commercial kitchens have grease traps, but at least around here just regular sink traps are the norm - Same as the trap in my camper.

That said, I don't dump grease in my home sink, so I wouldn't in my camper either.

Ray
rockhillmanor
Explorer
May 15, 2013
We have always treated out RV sink like our home sink.

Most residential sinks have a grease trap. RV's don't.
Hoosierdaddy47
Explorer
May 15, 2013
We use paper plates almost exclusively. After meals, grease and such goes on the dirty plates, and the whole mess goes in the campfire. Cooking dishes are washed in the sink, and rinsed in a plastic tub; 30 gallons of potable SOUNDS like a lot, but...
Oasisbob
Explorer
May 15, 2013
We have always treated out RV sink like our home sink. No problems in many many years. We also do not use black tank deodorizer or special toilot paper and never have. Just my experience free of charge. Happy trails
napadan
Explorer
May 14, 2013
I agree with the suggestions above: wipe off plates with paper towels; use paper/plastic for messy foods; a screen in the sink; flush soapy water down toilet. This avoids a smelly grey tank. Good posts for this topic from the forum members.
PAThwacker
Explorer
May 14, 2013
Pa state parks have stainless steel sinks at most of the comfort stations..
Camper_Mama_Bea
Explorer
May 14, 2013
some campgrounds have utility sinks by the bath house. when we are particularly dirty (greasy) pots, pans hubby will take them up there to wash. I have seen people fill a Rubbermaid type bin with all their dirty dishes and wash them at the utility sink.
anything like ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressings get washed down the drain. anything with a chunk left in it, chunky tomato sauce, ketchup that has food pieces in it, gets scraped into the garbage. grease does not go down the drain.
wmoses
Explorer
May 14, 2013
yankeeslover wrote:
I have tried to search this, couldn't really find anything. just wondering if its safe to wash dishes and pans on my camper sink and rinse down drain? for example, say I have BBQ sauce on my grill, can I clean that and rinse it down the drain? same with say bacon grease from the pan? is food residue safe in the gray tank, or should that be left to just soap and water? I go first time camping in two weeks and just want to know whats safe or not before I have a big OOPS..lol.. I did search around this board and couldn't find this info..thank you...

No grease as it will gum up sensors over time. Particles are okay but best to use a sink strainer and dump the particles in the garbage. Pour off grease and then wipe the pan with paper towels before washing in warm soapy water.
brirene
Explorer
May 13, 2013
yankeeslover wrote:
so flushing small food particles/ dirty soapy water down the toilet into the black tank is ok? wont plug it up at all?

No. When you think about other things that go in there, you're just, well, cutting out the middleman, so to speak. And the most important thing to do with a black tank is make sure there is plenty of water in it.
bikendan
Explorer
May 13, 2013
yankeeslover wrote:
im sure alittle soapy water dumped in the dirt isn't harming anything?

many parks and places will fine you for this. are you saying there won't be ANY food particles to attract insects, pests or animals?

we simply dump it down the campground toilet or the campground bathroom's outside sink or in the designated gray water dumping sites.