OK,
So, I've tried camp suds, Dr Broners, etc... trying to be environmentally friendly while traveling in the out of doors. Those are all fine and dandy when it's time to clean myself... (not that I do while camping less I really start to offend the others) but that stuff just doesnt cut the greese very well.

I know it's taboo but I'm leaning tward taking in a detergent that I know will do the trick. Am I the devil? Is there something else people are using that works? Do others use these chemical laden detergents?

Hex

I'm deffinately not a dish soap gooru. But from what I've heard "DAWN" dish soap is suppose to be environment friendly.?? That's what I've always used and it seems to work ok. But then again, I havn't had the opporutinity to chat with the foliage on the ground where I dump my dishwater. I'm open to any new suggestions myself.
HBN

Here is a pan you won't have to use nasty soap on and you get clean everytime. I have had this pan for 2 years now and I have thrown away every other pan I have had because If I ever need another pan I will buy another. I have always use camp suds on it. NO PROBLEM!! For the small price of $27 you will not scratch it and it will the the last piece you buy and you can feel confident Ma Nature will love you.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?productId=10045827&storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&langId=-1

Here is a pan you don't need soap on. I have used it for 2 years and it still looks like the day I got it. I threw away all other pans I had because there is no reason to even have any of that other junk around the house. They do have pots too. just camp suds for this gear

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=10045827&parent_category_rn=6525424

I have found that when cleaning used pans or pots after a cooking session, it is best to fill the pan or pot up with some water. The water doesn't have to be purified or anything, just some lake water will do.

Let the pots and pans filled with water sit over the fire untill the water is boiling or close to it. Doing this will get all the hard to clean stuff stuck to the sides off. Just having one of those green scrubby things to scrap off that junk is also good to have!

As for good cleaning stuff, my father usually buys it and just hands it to me, so I'm not sure what he uses.

I have used Dawn on most trips. Maybe I'm evil or ignorant. I always wash dishes well away from shore and camp. I use only a small amount of soap as that is all thats needed. I rinse everything with good amounts of water. Given this I can"t see that it can have any significant lasting affect on the area I love. I believe that with a little common sense we can use detergents like Dawn, we bring items in that are much more toxic than detergent, DEET, Yard Gaurd, white gas, not to mention Tang.

I did my dishes the same way I do them when on a self-contained bike touring trip. Take your largest pot, put water in it and warm it on either you stove or fire. Next wash each dish in it w/ a scubber of some type. Once all dishes are clean to the look, I get rid of the water that is dirty (usually this isn't much more than a 1/4 cup), small hole away from camp. Next I get some more water warm it again and them go over each dish, utensil w/ a wash coth after rinsing it in the warm water. This water doesn't end up getting too dirty. I put the dishes away in the dish bag until the next meal.

I have to weigh in on this...
No paddler is inherently evil (by definition) except for those goons that leave fishing line, trash and twist ties at the beautiful sites. Ignorance is debatable and bliss.

In truth, NO soaps are environmentally friendly. Not the Dr.'s not Dawn not any hippie glycerin bar, not even the lard based stuff of yesteryear. Anything that creates "suds" is adding something unnatural to nature. The reason soap works to cut grease is that it breaks the surface tension of water. As the BWCA is based on water, all the dishes we do out there are eventually adding suds to the lakes. So what is a camper to do?

I try to exercise "Leave No Trace" as militantly as possible. The soap thing bugs me every time because I know the soap is bad. I attempt to use as little soap as possible. For really greasy messes, I use sand first, burying the greasy mud far away and then employing the hot water trick. Most grease cannot stand up to scalding water. Sure, doing dishes with hot water creates a fuel issue, but I would rather cut back on suds by carrying more fuel.

Ever invisible,
Sag