The sanitary areas are the "heart" of any equipped campground's infrastructure: it is precisely their condition and convenience that most determine how comfortable the holiday will be. They include the toilets, showers, washbasins, laundry, drying facilities, dishwashing areas and often a first-aid point and a sauna. All of them are united by a common principle — these are spaces of collective use, where rules and mutual respect matter no less than cleanliness. Let us go through what sanitary areas there are at a campground, how they work and which norms of behaviour make them comfortable for all guests at once.

What the campground sanitary areas include

The makeup of the sanitary infrastructure depends on the campground's level, but it usually includes:

  • toilets with cubicles and washbasins;
  • showers;
  • sinks and dishwashing areas;
  • a laundry with washing machines and a drying area;
  • sometimes a first-aid point, a sauna, separate washrooms for less mobile guests.

All these areas are usually concentrated in a sanitary block or several blocks across the territory, access to which is often by key or card issued on check-in. The higher the class of the campground, the richer and cleaner the sanitary infrastructure — this is one of the main criteria when choosing a place.

Showers

The shower is one of the most in-demand areas, especially in the morning and evening. Cubicles come with or without a changing space, with free hot water or by tokens and a timer. The main rules here are not to occupy the cubicle longer than necessary at peak times, to enter only in your own rubber footwear (protection against fungus), to clear your hair after yourself and not leave bottles and rubbish. Hot water is a limited resource, so wash economically on the "navy shower" principle. These simple norms let the shower serve dozens of guests and stay clean.

Toilets and washbasins

The shared toilet and washbasins work on the same principles of collective use: cleanliness after yourself, saving water and paper, only paper in the bowl (everything else into the bin), washing hands as a mandatory finish. The washbasins by the sanitary block are used for hygiene, not for washing dishes and laundry, if there are separate areas for that. Tidiness here is the basis of sanitary safety, for it is exactly the shared toilets and sinks that become points of infection transmission with careless handling.

Dishwashing areas

Many campgrounds have separate sinks for washing dishes, so as not to load the sanitary-block washbasins and not wash dishes in the showers. Their own rules apply here: do not leave food residue in the sink (use a strainer and bin the scraps), do not pour grease, wash quickly at peak time and leave the sink clean. If there is no separate area, dishes are washed at your spot in basins, and the grey water is drained at a designated place rather than splashed onto the ground.

Laundry and washing

At equipped pitches there is sometimes a laundry with automatic machines running on tokens or a card. The rules of use: collect your laundry straight after washing, do not leave other people's things soaking, free the machine on time, observe the queue. Somewhere there is a separate shared washing machine — treat it as carefully as any shared resource. Washing at the laundry unloads your water tank and is more convenient than by hand, so large items are sensibly saved up until a campground with this service.

Drying laundry

For drying, campgrounds provide tumble dryers, covered drying areas or spots with lines. Stringing your own lines between trees and other people's pitches, hanging laundry on fences and in walkways is usually not done — it is both unsightly and gets in others' way. Use the areas designated for drying, and at your own motorhome hang laundry neatly, within your plot, and take down what has dried, not occupying the shared dryers for long.

Sauna, banya and spa areas

At higher-level campgrounds you find a sauna, and sometimes spa areas. They work on a schedule or by booking, often for an extra fee. The rules here are to observe the timetable, the queue and cleanliness, to come with your own accessories (towel, flip-flops), not to occupy the spot beyond the allotted time. A sauna after a day in nature is a pleasant bonus, but it is a shared area, and respect for other guests matters here too.

First-aid point and medicine kit

At large campgrounds there is a first-aid point or at least a medicine kit at reception and trained staff for first aid. Check on arrival where to turn in case of injury or illness, where the nearest pharmacy and hospital are. Even with a first-aid point, your own medicine kit is essential: it covers small everyday situations (cuts, bites, an upset stomach, a headache) without turning to anyone.

Accessibility for less mobile guests

Modern campgrounds often fit out separate washrooms and showers for people with limited mobility — with handrails, wide doors and space for a wheelchair. If you do not need them, do not occupy them without necessity, especially at peak times. And if your family includes a less mobile person or a baby in a pram, it is worth checking for an adapted sanitary area in advance — it seriously affects the comfort of the whole trip.

Peak times and routine

All the sanitary areas live to one rhythm: the peaks fall in the morning and evening, when guests gather or prepare for sleep. At these times queues are inevitable, and the main rule is not to linger, freeing the resource for others. If possible, shift visits to off-peak hours: fewer queues, more hot water, a calmer atmosphere. This simple trick makes using the infrastructure more comfortable both for you and for everyone around.

The water point as a sanitary area

The drinking-water point also belongs to the sanitary infrastructure. It too is a shared area with its own rules: do not clutter the approach, do not wash dishes, shoes and food here unless it is provided for, do not touch the tap with a dirty hose and leave the place clean, without puddles and dirt. The cleanliness of the water others will take after you depends on tidiness at the water point. The drinking and "dirty" (drain) hoses here fundamentally do not cross. A respectful attitude to this area is part of the same sanitary culture as in the shower or toilet.

The service station and drainage

The mirror area to the water point is the service (drain) station, where the grey and black tanks and chemical-toilet cassettes are emptied. This is a "dirty" sanitary area, and the rules here are strict: drain only into the designated receptacles, work in gloves, always rinse the area after yourself, do not occupy the station longer than necessary when there is a queue and wash your hands afterwards. Grey and black water are not confused with each other's receptacles. The cleanliness of the drain station after you is a sign of a cultured caravanner and care for those who come next.

Hygiene in shared areas: protection from infections

All the sanitary areas share one risk — they are places of heightened transmission of infections and fungus because of the damp and the large flow of people. The basic protection is simple and universal: your own rubber footwear in the shower, washing hands with soap or sanitiser, a personal towel not laid on shared surfaces, and your own accessories. It is especially worth being attentive with children, who reach for everything and love to walk barefoot. These measures cost nothing, but it is exactly they that protect both you and the whole camp from health troubles that can spoil the whole holiday.

What to bring for using the sanitary areas

It is convenient to keep an assembled "sanitary" kit so a trip to any area does not turn into packing:

  • a wash bag with toiletries in compact bottles;
  • rubber flip-flops and a personal towel (better quick-drying);
  • wet wipes and hand sanitiser;
  • the key or card for the sanitary block, tokens for the shower and laundry;
  • a bag for wet and dirty things, a pouch for valuables;
  • a torch for evening and night visits.

The general culture of use

All the sanitary areas are united by one principle: this is a shared space, and it stays comfortable exactly to the degree the guests are tidy. Cleanliness after yourself, observing the queue, saving shared resources, reporting breakdowns to reception — that is the basis on which comfort rests. The state of the sanitary areas is the most honest indicator of a campground's level and its attitude to guests, and every visitor contributes to that state by their behaviour. Respect for the shared is what marks a cultured traveller. And the more often each guest asks themselves the simple question "in what state would I like to find this area myself?", the more pleasant and clean the sanitary blocks become for everyone without exception.

A short set of rules

  1. In all shared areas — cleanliness after yourself and observing the queue.
  2. Into the shower — only in your own footwear, wash economically and quickly at peak time.
  3. Wash dishes in the designated areas, without grease and scraps in the sink.
  4. At the laundry collect laundry on time, dry in the designated places.
  5. Sauna and first-aid point — by schedule, with your own accessories.
  6. Shift visits away from peak times and report breakdowns to reception.

Campgrounds with rich sanitary infrastructure — a shower, laundry, sauna, first-aid point — are easy to choose through the catalogue and on the map.

Related articles