I am planning on carrying 25 gallons of water. I don’t want to waste any drinkable water, so I started looking around for a solution to washing dishes that did not involve a sink full of water. I don’t have a sink anyway.

” I’ve cleaned plates with a few drops of water and a small sprinkling of baking soda. Use your fingertip to work the baking soda into the plate. Go over the entire plate. The action of your finger, the abrasive quality of the baking soda, and the grease removal ability of the baking soda does and excellent job. Wipe with a rag. Then rinse the plate with a tiny amount of water, perhaps a couple tablespoons, that has a few drops of vinegar. The vinegar neutralizes the film of baking soda that will remain and your plate will be absolutely clean, using minimal water, baking soda, and vinegar. ” from permies

I learned from some of the more full time van dwellers like Bob W. to fill a spray bottle with a dilute mixture of white vinegar and H2O and immediately after eating, spray the utensil and wipe with a paper towel…it will evaporate and the smell will dissipate but you can always have another spray bottle of clear water to spray with after the vinegar has disinfected…… fromVanDweller forum

A blog about cruising on a small boat made the suggestion that a watering can is the perfect tool for rinsing dishes.