All Support articles, with the exception of minor editing work, are written by Thumper.

Cleanliness is next to…… well you know.  But sanitation procedures also keep your team healthy. As a support crewperson, this is also your job!

FIRE, FRESH WATER, and SOAP.  It does not get more basic than this.  FIRE burns trash & waste, heats water to a boil for cleaning or cooking.  Fire is to be used sparingly as smoke can give away a position.  But when in a base camp for an extended period of time, fire should be used to burn all forms of bodily waste.  The frequency of burning waste will depend on the number of people in camp.  The more the people, the more the waste.  To bury it will saturate the ground and ground water around you, leaving you with very un-sanitary conditions.  Here is a good tip: If you use rivers or streams for waste removal, remember to do it down stream from where you collect your fresh drinking water.

Bucket toilets are the easiest to use, just put two plastic liner bags in, add a little kitty litter for absorption and change the bags when they are 1/3 full.  Next you can dig pits with hand made seats for comfort.  These pits are open and will develop an aroma very quickly, causing you to burn more frequently.  The plastic bags can be tied shut (keeping the aroma in) until they are burned, making burnings less frequent.

Toilet paper or leaves, the choice is yours.  But either way, washing your hands will make your food taste better.  A great number of diseases can be avoided around the world if people simply washed their hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers are quick to use, but nothing beats good old soap and water.  Fresh, clean and hot water should be made available at the end of each day.  Ivory soap is best because it will lather up in hot and cold water.

If fresh water is plentiful, showers can be easily set-up.  The Sun Shower system is simple, you can add warm water or let water heat-up by the sun light.  Hang it from a tree branch, it holds a little over a gallon of water.  Navy showers here, wet down - stop.  Lather up and then rinse off. Short, but you are clean now.

Carrying a small bottle of hand sanitizer, like the ones at your drug store, can be handy for those quick wipe downs, especially for your nether-regions when you have a private moment in the field. Keeping your feet dry and powdered frequently can go a long ways toward keeping healthy.

Please consider reading FM 21-10 - Field Hygiene and Sanitation

Also, Geo-Outdoors has an excellent Field Hygiene page here.

Botach Tactical has some useful field hygiene items here.