Water

In the main room of the cabin is a ceramic cistern for dispensing potable water. A 5-gallon (18.9-litre) bottle of water can be upended on this cistern. When the bottle is empty, remove it and replace it. Before opening a replacement bottle and installing it on the cistern, spray the portion of the bottle that will come into contact with the cistern with a vinegar/water solution, and wipe it dry with paper towel. (We keep this solution in a spray bottle beneath the sink.)

There are two kettles on the stove. Use the smaller kettle for boiling water for coffee, tea, etc.; use the larger kettle for boiling water to wash dishes.

Garbage, recycling & compost

Place a heavy black plastic bag inside the square metal bin in the kitchen (the one with the foot pedal). Use this for garbage.

Place a blue plastic bag inside the rectangular plastic bin outside the kitchen door. Use this for recyclables. The following items are not recyclable in our municipality: styrofoam containers, soiled tissues, and paper products soiled from food.

We don’t have a composter. You can hurl small amounts of certain food scraps (uneaten fruits, vegetable peelings, and the like) off the north side of the deck into the forest. Everything else that is not recyclable should be treated as garbage.

When you travel back to the gate, bring your garbage and recycling with you:

Place each black plastic bag in one of the black (garbage) bins.
Empty the contents of each blue plastic bag into one of the green (recycling) bins, and then discard the bag. Recycling must be loose inside the green bins, or it will not be collected.
Do not put anything in the brown (compost) bins. The Proctor Lake Community Association recommends that residents, instead of using these bins, either compost on their own properties or, if their primary residence is in Québec, take compostable materials with them when they leave the lake.

Items that aren't appropriate for either regular garbage or recyclables may be taken to the écocentre in Huberdeau:

110, chemin de la Rouge, Boileau, QC J0T 1G0

For 2023, the écocentre is open every Saturday from 0800 to 1400, from May 6 through November 25.

General cleanliness

Sweep the floors periodically to keep them clean.

After a rainy period, the mats inside and outside the camp may be quite soiled. Once the sunshine returns, hang these mats over the deck railings to dry. Once the mats are dry, beat out the dirt and return them to their places.

The outhouse

Near the back wall of the outhouse is a large Rubbermaid bin that contains lime powder and a ladle. Every three or four days during your stay:

Raise the tin flap on the back wall of the outhouse, and secure it to the back wall using the hook-and-eye.
Use the wooden stick inside the outhouse pit to level the waste in the pit as much as possible.
Using the ladle in the Rubbermaid bin, sprinkle two or three ladlefuls of lime powder over each pile of waste.
Close the tin flap and the Rubbermaid bin.

Lime powder is a powerful irritant. Take care not to get it in your eyes, nose, or mouth. After completing this task, scrub your forearms vigorously in the lake.