Frequently Asked Questions

Campsuds Usage & Dilution Guide

Please use Campsuds sparingly and with care, especially in alpine wilderness areas. In general we recommend using less Campsuds than you think you’ll need until you have had some experience using this concentrated product.

Always soap up and wash at least 200 feet away from alpine lakes and streams. Dig a hole 6 to 8 inches deep for disposing of soapy wash and rinse water. This allows bacteria in the soil to completely and safely biodegrade Campsuds.

Approximately 4 fluid ounces of Campsuds should last one person 14 days for all their camping cleaning needs. Because there are many variables in camping circumstances and personal cleaning and washing preferences, this is only an estimate, actual usage may vary.

For machine washing of normal laundry use 1 fluid ounce (2 Tablespoons) per load. For heavily soiled laundry up to 2 fluid ounces (1/4 cup) may be used.

For general clean up use about 1 teaspoon of Campsuds per gallon of water. More or less may be used depending on how heavily or lightly soiled the items/surfaces to be cleaned.

Metric conversions for general clean up:
1 teaspoon of Campsuds per gallon of water.
5 milliliters of Campsuds per gallon of water.
1.5 milliliters (approximately) of Campsuds per liter of water.

Campsuds Changes to a Clear Liquid in White Bottles

We have been making some changes in our Campsuds products. Beginning in 2019 we have been transitioning to opaque white bottles and phasing out the clear bottles. The green color in the Original Campsuds formula is also being phased out. The new Original Campsuds formula will be exactly the same except for removing the green color. The Citronella Campsuds formula is unchanged. The Campsuds in the Nalgene® 4oz bottle has also been phased out due to problems with supply.

The green liquid in clear plastic bottles has presented various problems over the years and, after careful consideration, we believe these changes are our best solution.

Problems with the green liquid in clear bottles:
• The green food-grade color in the Campsuds formula fades over time, and fades very quickly when exposed to direct sunlight. (Note: Campsuds that has faded to a clear or yellow liquid is just a change in color and doesn’t affect product performance.)
• The white print on the clear bottle is difficult to read as the green liquid is used up, or if the green color fades.
• Over the past few years we have experienced much greater variations in the base color of our raw materials. This has resulted in unacceptable variations in the green color of the Campsuds formula.

There are always some challenges and adjustments to be made when anything old and familiar changes, but after over 50 years of the same look, we believe this is a good time for a change in Campsuds. And the new formula is even a little environmentally “greener” without the green! We are happy with the look and feel of the new Campsuds and we hope you will like it too.

Sierra Dawn Products Campsuds Ingredient Lists 2020

Original Campsuds

Ingredients: Purified Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Chloride, Oil Lemon Lime Blend, Isothiazolinone.

Citronella Campsuds

Ingredients: Purified Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Chloride, Lavender Oil, Peppermint Oil (Mentha Arvensis), Citronella Oil (Cymbopogon Winterianus), Isothiazolinone.

Download Campsuds SDS Sheet