What shower soap to use

[PhilPB]

We currently use a body wash in the shower, which drains into sump and then overboard. What soap is best to use, not gunk up the sump, and is environmentally friendly?

 

[dhays]

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Practical Sailor once again.

Regardless, I stay away from any bar soaps and they tend to clog up drains and sumps more than liquid soaps. I also squirt a little Raritan C.P. down the shower drain after all the daily showers are done. This has kept the shower sump working well.

 

[psneeld]

Can always use Dawn dish soap.

Have known a lot of people that have used it underway...can't remember if it suds in saltwater though (tropical showers in the old days).

 

[Comodave]

Not sure I would regularly use Dawn since it strips oil so well. It may dry out the skin.

 

[psneeld]

Not sure I would regularly use Dawn since it strips oil so well. It may dry out the skin.

Works well if you have oily skin, lots of sweat and dirt.

If you think Dawn dries out the skin, try salt water showers and your laundry done in salt water.

 

[Comodave]

No thanks…

 

[psneeld]

Both rec boats and USCG cutters have better tech these days, but Dawn isn't as bad as you would think.

 

[Comodave]

Maybe in a pinch but I would not make it a part of my regular plan.

 

[BruceK]

Maybe in a pinch but I would not make it a part of my regular plan.

Doubt I`d use body wash to do the dishes either. We use soap, no problems.

 

[ofer]

i only use one soap on board.

dish washing liquid!
shampoo
body wash
boat soap
OfCourse dishwashing.
laundry detergent.

 

[ksanders]

I use whatever smells good and never have a problem. My whale grewater sump has several years of trouble free performance.

 

[O C Diver]

Back in the day, Joy dish washing soap worked well on liveaboards without water makers. Soap up; jump in; get out quickly. Getting out quickly and drying off kept the salt from drying on your body. A fresh water rinse was even better.

Because of a skin allergy, I use Jergens bar soap. No residue or buildup in any of the drain components after 8 years of cruising.

Ted

 

[High Wire]

How can Dawn be bad? They wash ducks in it! Don’t you believe the commercials?
We don’t use anything special and no issues after 9 seasons.

 

[dhays]

We currently use a body wash in the shower, which drains into sump and then overboard. What soap is best to use, not gunk up the sump, and is environmentally friendly?

Just a reminder that the OP asked for environmentally friendly as well.

One of the things that I think of when we are in an anchorage with other boats or in a marina, is being a good neighbor. We are cognizant of the noise we make on the boat, we keep our holding tank in good shape, and we think about what we are putting out into the water. The latter is something that we have become more concerned with recently. Granted it is "just soap" but I have started to think about using products that are not harmful to the environment as well as not leave a trail of suds floating downcurrent from our boat.

 

[mvweebles]

As a result of numerous remodel projects, we've had several glass shower enclosures installed. The glass companies seem to recommend glycerin-based soaps such as Neutragena (bar or liquid) to reduce spotting and build-up. On the boat, we use Castile Soap in an effort to be more environmentally friendly. Works well enough, but not as "latherly as traditional soaps.

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That said, their instructions state use should be followed by a mildly acidic rinse or your hair will be matted and tangled.

Peter

 

[PhilPB]

Sounds like there is an incredible amount of options. My biggest fear is gunking up the shower sump and need something that rinses off easily as we only have 75 gallons of water capacity (79 if I include the water heater).

 

[O C Diver]

Sounds like there is an incredible amount of options. My biggest fear is gunking up the shower sump and need something that rinses off easily as we only have 75 gallons of water capacity (79 if I include the water heater).

Without going to far into personal hygiene, less is probably more with boat bathing.

My brother in-law now lives with us. The amount of soap he uses to wash dishes wouldn't work on my boat relative to the amount of water he wastes to rinse it away. I'm wondering while on land if some experimentation with reduced amounts of soap might require less water to rinse while still getting clean. Many Americans are fixated with time in the shower that clearly wouldn't work on a boat.

The one last point that I will offer is higher pressure for reduced flow. I increased the water pressure (to 45 PSI) in my boat and swapped the shower wand for a significantly lower flow rate. The net result was a better rinse with lower water consumption. Also having a trickle feature on the wand head allowed for immediate water usage as opposed to water waste until temperature became balanced again.

Ted

 

[Stephen P. Jackson]

When I was younger and doing delivers from the west coast to Hawaii, we always had Prell Shampoo aboard for saltwater baths/showers. Works well makes you feel clean and foams up with salt water.

 

[Long Island Boater]

I’m a fan of Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap.

 

[Bigsfish]

In the ‘50s to the 90 ‘s Joy was used for showers salt and fresh and also dishes then came Dawn.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Wussies! My personal record is 23 days 7 hrs same clothes
( Big 2 pig boat)

 

[SteveK]

Wussies! My personal record is 23 days 7 hrs same clothes
( Big 2 pig boat)

sounds like a great epitaph

 

[psneeld]

In the ‘50s to the 90 ‘s Joy was used for showers salt and fresh and also dishes then came Dawn.

Irv, I think I only knew one boater in the 60s-80s that worried about showers or soap while boating.

Then again I was mostly with the fishing crowd like you, not the yachting crowd.....