ravenmore

I'm sure this has been covered here, but I did a couple of quick searches with no results.

I ride into work almost everyday. It's 20 miles each way, and this is TX, so I can be pretty sweaty when I get there. There is no shower facility though. What I've been doing is soaking a wash cloth with rubbing alcohol and swabbing off with that. It works in that it cools you off and you feel surprisingly clean afterwards. The problem is that it dries out my skin badly. I've started trying to create my own concoction by adding witch hazel and lotions/aloe and what not. Just wanted to see what others did for this situation.

ravenmore

doh - simplified my search and finally found a couple of threads. Still, if you want to comment on mine it'll make me feel special.

donnamb 

I use facial toner on more than my face. I would suggest that you stick to rubbing alcohol for your underarms, however. It has that bacteria-killing property that witch hazel does not.

I'll bet your homemade "toner" works better than anything you could purchase, though.

d2create

Baby wipes or similar and body spray like Axe.
Keep a towel at the office to wipe down with.
Cool off for a few minutes before cleaning up so you don't re-sweat.
Shower, shave, etc before leaving the house so when you get to work it's just a quick cleanup.

derath

There is a product that sounds similar to what you are trying to concoct yourself called Rocket Shower. I keep meaning to buy it and try it out. It is a bit expensive, but I figured if I bought it once I could probably formulate something similar myself.

-D

road_rascal

When my wife had knee surgery a few years ago and couldn't shower she used a pre-moistened microwavable shower cloth (bought at Walgreens) to clean up. I think there were 5 in a package. Those may work well in this situation.

bjornb

When I traveled Europe we took the Axe body spray which we actually used on our clothes as well as the body with good effects. (Women attack you though).

Buglady

Baby wipes (the unscented kind). Works like a charm and even took the chain grease off my leg (I don't know why I can't get within ten feet of a bicycle - ANY bicycle - without getting a chainprint...).

lil brown bat

Witch hazel with cosmetic pads is my standard cleanup, with powder to follow. DO NOT take the advice to wear Ass, I mean Axe body spray.

ottawa_adam

For the sake of others, please do not use Axe, colognes, perfumes or even
Febreeze. There are a lot of people out there that are sensitive to scents, which can cause ill effects. Alcohol, wipes, baking soda, salts are far better ways to kill potential body odours.

Jonahhobbes

I've said it before, if you have no shower then the sink is your friend, add some antibacterial shower gel, a flannel/puff-thing and a micro-towel - almost as good as a shower. No sink then baby wipes.

FlyingAnchor

Not having a shower is a pain at times, our bathrooms have no hot water so what I do is take a towel into the kitchen and use that warm water. Then I take it into the bathroom and wipe down and use deoderant afterwards.

Kid at school can be really truthful if you stink.

Steven

Nachoman

I'm the same way. Chain grease wipes right off with baby wipes. They also work great in the pits and crotch.

Sirrus Rider

As a fellow Texan I feel your pain; however, going the alcohol route is a little extreme. What I would suggest is finding unisex or handicap bathroom that is lockable so that you can access the sink and give yourself a quick soap and water sponge bath. Then I'd rinse out the hand towel and air dry it at my desk. Barring that I would look for the microwavable sponge bath packs that hospitals use and keep a supply in your office to use when you arrive. (I would nuke a couple in the lunch/break room then retire to a toilet stall in the bathroom to perform my abolution's then change into my work attire) The third option would be the modern "G.I. Bath" which is the liberal use of baby wipes. Option one is the cheapest in my opinion.

emptgrave

I came over to the commuting forum for this exact thing and who would know it is a recent topic.
I am transferring to a different location that will be riding friendly.
I will only be doing 7 miles to work, but I get hot and sweaty really fast.
I will give it a shot, but I don't want to feel like crap all day.

ravenmore

Well, the alcohol route does make you feel REALLY clean. You feel like you've showered actually. That fresh. It was just drying my skin out badly in places. The thing with baby wipes is they're so small and flimsy. A wash cloth or hand towel is much more robust. And lets face it - rubbing alcohol is really cheap. Maybe I just need to dilute down a bit more with the witch hazel or something.

Oh, there's not really a good place for me to take a "sink bath" without probably freaking some people out.

Bolo Grubb

I commute in Tucson Az so I can understand your situation.

I shower at home just before I leave and use baby wipes at work. Since I tend to have helmet hair when I get to work, I totally wet my hair down in the sink with cool water. This also helps to cool your entire body down so you stop sweating. Then it is baby wipes in the the large handicap stall and a change of clothes.

This worked well for me all last year, even in the summer.

emptgrave

Do you all have trouble with deodorant holding up all day? Seems that the little bit of bacteria you start with from the ride would give you a bad start.

ravenmore

with the alcohol route not at all. Shoot, my skin's surface is probably completely sterile when I'm done.

richardmasoner

I bike commuted to my office job in hot and humid Texas summers for a few years in the previous century. I "showered" in the sink with a wash cloth, soap and water after my 20 mile daily commute. I never felt like I needed to use alcohol.

Richard Masoner

ravenmore

yeah - the sink shower thing won't work for me. The only bathroom is a large public one and I think my coworkers might frown on the sight of me swabbing down a la natural at the sink. Yeah, I can see me having a HR moment real quick...

richardmasoner

I'm not particularly immodest, but it was never a problem for me. I did my changing inside a handicap stall.

Richard Masoner

CliftonGK1

I'll throw another vote against Axe, Bod and all the other body sprays.

Use baby wipes, take a hobo-shower in the sink... anything aside from body spray, please. There's a guy at work who uses those travel-sized body sprays as if they're single-serving canisters. The whole locker room reeks of New AXE EXTREME OLFACTORY SLEDGEHAMMER! scent the rest of the day, and you can tell 30 minutes after the fact that this guy has walked though the room.

Bill Shanks

Wearing wool helps. Lightweight Merino wool, as cool as any synthetic, absorbs and evaporates sweat and doesn't stink. https://www.rivbike.com/products/list...g#product=none If you shop around, you can sometimes find it for less: https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...0226&langId=-1

porq

I've been using this for years before I ride in. That and a quick wet down of my face and hair are all I do.