For those who are of the opinion that nature is the best place to be during those hot summer months, camping is their own personal slice of heaven. That is all fine and good but there are some pretty important tips for camping that should not been neglected, some of the most vital ones include cleaning up after yourself before you head home.

True vacationers should keep in mind that if we don’t tidy and take of everything before we leave the campground, it will soon be no longer good for that oh so special family trip. Camping safety is as important as anything else in life, so be sure to go prepared.

Here are some essential tips to clean up after your family trip to the woods:

• Recycle, recycle, recycle

Recycling is something that each and every one of us should be doing day to day. Whether it’s putting out your blue box (blue in Canada anyway) filled with your empty milk cartons, plastic containers, pop or beer bottles and newspapers, it’s a definite must when it comes to protecting the environment. If you are staying in a campground that doesn’t have recycling facilities or you plan to just pitch a tend in the middle of a forest, bring your empty recyclables with you to put out when you get home.

• Use biodegradable camp soaps

Chances are good that if you are going away for more than a night you will want to bathe and wash some of your pots and dishes. In this case, be sure that you choose biodegradable soaps and cleansers that will not harm the wilderness and the animals that call it home. Bathing in lakes and streams is something all people should experience, just make it an experience that is harmless to everyone and everything.

• Don’t leave any food on the ground

Leave no food behind. Or out in the open while you are there either for that matter. Many people, when camping in areas with bears and other wild animals who like to forage any food hoist the foodstuffs up into the trees. There is more than one reason for this.

1) Hungry animals will come calling and someone could get injured

2) People food is not healthy for animals and you don’t want to make any wildlife sick.

If they get fed once they will come back again and again, and when you have gone home and some other unsuspecting campers come by they could find themselves in a world of trouble with animals like bears, coyotes and even cougars.

• Leave no trace

Leave your campsite as clean, undisturbed and pristine as when you got there. Pick up everything you brought, even little food scraps that many tend to leave behind. Take everything!

• Proper campfire etiquette

MAKE SURE your campfire has been put out the right way. Just because it looks like it’s out doesn’t mean it is. Fire can live underground and pop out when least expected and start a forest fire. Oh, that reminds me, don’t smoke when camping unless you use a bowl or cup of water as an ashtray. Millions of fires have been caused by cigarettes.