spivonious

I've interviewed for a new job which seems like it would be a great fit for me. The problem is that they have no shower facilities, so commuting in would mean staying sweaty all day long. My current job has a shower that I can use.

Does anyone have any ideas? There is a nearby high school and two nearby gyms. Do you think any would let me use the showers without paying for a full gym membership?

What do others do who are in this situation?

aquateen

shampoo in the sink and baby wipes for body. also showering before leaving helps reduce bad smell

Steely Dan

i've ridden 15 miles every morning to my job that doesn't have showers for over 5 years now.

1. shower before you leave home.

2. take off sweaty bike clothes when you get to work.

3. towel off, reapply deodorant, sink shower if necessary.

4. put on clean work clothes.

this method has been working just fine for me for years. sweat doesn't smell by itself, it's the bacteria that grows in sweat that's allowed to linger that stinks. so get the sweat and sweaty clothes off of you when you arrive at work. a full blown shower is a nice way to accomplish that, but it's not necessary.

HardyWeinberg

+1

squegeeboo

Non scented baby wipes in the bathroom.

spivonious

Okay, it's good to hear that others don't seem to have problems without a shower at work.

My shower is usually just a quick soaping of the smellier areas (armpits, groin) and a rinse, then a change of clothes. On the cooler mornings recently, I've skipped the shower altogether and it seems to work out.

stringbreaker

We have those paper towel dispensers that dispense in short pieces but if you trip the sensor light three times I can get enough to wet down and go one of the stalls and wipe my body down and the I have some baby wipes that I use after. They smell like baby powder but that's ok (some of the ladies at work have remarked how nice I smell) so it ain't all bad. After all the clean up I just change into my work clothes and that's it.

Drew Eckhardt 

If you take a shower first you won't stink, you can wipe off excess sweat, and change into dry clothes.

If you rode in wearing cycling clothes they'll be dry by the time you go home or head out for a lunch time recreational ride. Cotton may not be.

silmarillion

Yep, take a shower in the morning, have deodorant at work.

I also use one of those little garden flower watering nozzles that I screw onto the end of a garden hose. In the summer when I really get hot and sweaty, I just rinse off, in my cycling clothes and all. Wring them out and hang them up. They are ready by the time I head home.

I don't use it in the winter though. We have a big sink in the shop and I just wipe down really good.

himespau 

Baby wipes new deodorant and some gold bond powder always worked for me unless it was really not and then it's "*****'s bath" (cleaning in the sink) time. I was fortunate at my last work to have bathrooms where there was just one toilet and you had the whole bathroom to yourself. My current bathroom means I have to wet paper towel or 3 and take them into a stall with me.

pdlamb

As others have written, cool-down, baby wipes, and change clothes works acceptably.

You might want to ask the nearby gyms if they'll sell you a shower-only membership. They probably haven't thought of it, and they just might do it!

Alupang

Instead of spending money on baby wipes...I use a good old fashioned soaped up wash cloth to clean my upper body before putting on a clean shirt. Then I rinse the wash cloth to use another day. I hate buying things you throw away.

gecho

Works for me, changing clothes is the important part and why I don't ride in the clothes I plan on wearing that day.

I've noticed that it is only the next to skin layers that really seem to develop an odor. I have a poly jacket that I wear as a mid-layer during the winter. It gets damp during the ride, but dries if I wear it for about 20 minutes after changing. It never gets smelly despite polyester's propensity to latch onto funk. The same principal of wearing a skull cap keeps my helmet from getting rank.

terrapin44

As others have said, I use baby wipes, deodorant, and a change of clothes. The other thing I do is go a little slower. I find slowing down just a little bit (1 or 2 mph) reduces sweat, makes me more refreshed and ready to work sooner, and only adds about two minutes to my 6.5 mile commute. On the way home, I tend to ride a little faster.

That said, I'd look into the gym. Some of them have good shower-only or other limited plans. The gym on my campus (I work at a University) doesn't offer shower-only options, is pretty expensive for faculty/staff, and is at a bottom of a hill 3/4 of a mile from my office so I decided it wasn't worth joining.

clawhammer72

I just get to work early to give my body time to cool off. Then deodorant and a change of clothes. Works just fine.

MNBikeguy

+2
You don't need a shower.
I keep wet wipes, deoderant stick and a small towel at work.

E.S.

+1

mtbikerinpa

The other art is how hard to push to not get as sweaty. In the summer it is a little slower, faster winter. When I worked as a store clerk (7mi) where fashion was a bit more sensitive, I would use a cycling suit and wear a shirt and pants over unless it was really hot on the way in. The suit tended to dry fairly well, wet paper towel around other places, cool and dry off and by the time the hear rate settled I could dress up for work. Never had a prob or complaint.

Current job is a longer run (10 mi) with hills and city traffic so the tapering throttle is not much of an option. It means more cargo, but now I carry the day clothing in the bag and switch on site in almost the same manner. The new job is semi industrial however so it doesn't matter as much, but it is nice to still be one of the cleaner ones in spite of the workout.

Bluish Green

Same here. My commute is only 6 miles, but same principle. Also, as at least one other person mentioned, arrive early (15-20 minutes for me) to give time to cool down and change, etc.

The only bad thing about my workplace is changing in a bathroom stall next to other stalls which tend to have men pooping more mornings than not... but that is not going to dissuade me, I will not go back to car commuting ever, if I can help it.

noglider 

I just sit at my desk very still until I cool off. No one complains. Either I don't smell bad or my cow-orkers are very polite.

Mr. Hairy Legs

I slap on extra deodorant before I leave, then wash my face and arms when I get to work. I leave clothes at work that I can change into. There are other people there that smell worse than me even without exercise, so that isn't really an issue.

zacster

Make sure your helmet is clean. If there is one thing that is hard to get off without a shower it's helmet stink. I use Oxyclean.

illdoittomorrow

This. I was once in a (non-commuting) situation where this was my only means of bathing (that and washing my hair in the sink). It worked as well as showering, and I stayed as fresh as a daisy throughout.

Edit: I also hate buying stuff that's designed to be used once and tossed.

spencewine

Showers are way over-rated. I just finished hiking for 17 days with only one shower for the entire trip. I'm not condoning showering twice a month, but you definitely don't need it after riding to work or every day for that matter. Imagine the water that could be saved if the average household showered every other day...it would be pretty magnificent. I think in the future you'll start to see that showers will use grey water rather than fresh water. Anyway...don't sweat it (pun intended).

Forrest74

Same here for the most part. I wash everything weekly, gloves, helmet liners, etc. and I am odor free (wife confirmed after return ride home).

This may be an out-there comment but I am also a strict vegetarian, this can effect the oiliness and PH of sweat to a certain degree. Maybe try limiting your meat intake, and your sweat may dry a bit cleaner and with less bacteria. <--- much speculation.