Deter Bugs From Your Dishes While Camping With This Household Item You Already Have

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When you're out in the woods or at a campground, one of the little annoyances we're all too familiar with is pesky insects finding their way into your food. Whether it's bees buzzing over your picnic plates, ants crawling across your sandwich, or flies landing on the pasta salad, it's enough to make some of us (especially the more squeamish) wish the outdoors were bug-free. Luckily, there are a ton of DIY camping hacks that will instantly improve your outdoor adventure — and many of them address this very issue. A super effective and cheap solution many seasoned campers swear by is something you can easily pick up at a dollar store: shower caps.

Shower caps are originally meant to keep your hair dry in the bathroom, and that elastic band that helps them fit around your head works the same on your plate. The lightweight, waterproof material makes them perfect for covering bowls, plates, and serving dishes while camping. Unlike plastic wrap or aluminum foil that can blow away or be a nuisance to pack and use, a shower cap easily stretches over a dish and holds snugly in place with almost no effort. Caps are reusable during a trip (if kept clean) and super easy to pack, making them a favorite anti-bug hack for campers who want to protect their meals from pests.

It may be one of those camping tips that no one tells you about — but many campers have said it works like a charm. Becky Hoskyn, in the Facebook group CAMPING IN British Columbia, called it their "best camping hack," adding that shower caps are also useful for covering dirty shoes and carrying a bundle of small items together.

Using a shower cap as a food cover is as straightforward as it sounds, which is part of why campers like it. First, choose shower caps that are large enough to fit over your plates, bowls, or other dishes — cheap multi-packs from dollar stores or online (like this 100-piece pack of shower caps on Amazon) work great. Pack a handful in your gear, and when you're ready to eat, simply stretch the cap over your dish.

Because shower caps are designed to be waterproof and elastic, they work particularly well if the weather turns damp and can double as covers for wet dishes or leftovers. Plus, it's a cheaper fix than purchasing the plastic covers that are sold in kitchen sections, like these reusable silicone food storage lids from Basic Haus. Those covers are designed to form an airtight seal to keep food fresh and protect it from dust and bugs during outdoor meals — and while a shower cap won't be airtight, it still works to protect food temporarily in a pinch.

However, one thing to be aware of is that shower caps aren't technically food-safe. If this is something you're worried about, food-safe bowl covers are a better alternative. Other alternatives that work well for frequent campers include mesh food tents (like these food covers from Rindion) designed specifically to exclude bugs while letting air circulate. These are effective but take up more space in your pack and cost more. On the other hand, frequent campers can also consider reusable fabric stretch covers or food-safe elastic covers, which look exactly like shower caps, actually. For more camping tricks, check out our tip for keeping insects far away from your campsite.