How do you deal with sweaty clothes and wet towel?
#26
I like cats.
I don't use a towel. Right after my shower I apply lotion as nine out of ten dermatologists recommend. After that's finished I'm still soggy but no longer dripping, so I just put on my work clothes and am usually fully dry after a few minutes.
DC also gets pretty hot and humid in the summers but I can't say I've had too many issues with the sweaty clothing. On really severe days I will take off the t-shirt on my ride in. Maybe consider borrowing a page from basketball/volleyball and going with some type of mesh tank top on really hot days? Or alternatively could you leave a portable washing machine in the work locker room? They typically don't take much space and have high velocity spin cycles that wring out most of the water in just a minute or so. You could soak the gear in the sink quickly, then spin and hang in the locker.
DC also gets pretty hot and humid in the summers but I can't say I've had too many issues with the sweaty clothing. On really severe days I will take off the t-shirt on my ride in. Maybe consider borrowing a page from basketball/volleyball and going with some type of mesh tank top on really hot days? Or alternatively could you leave a portable washing machine in the work locker room? They typically don't take much space and have high velocity spin cycles that wring out most of the water in just a minute or so. You could soak the gear in the sink quickly, then spin and hang in the locker.
#28
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#29
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#30
Meet me at spin class!!!!
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#32
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Before I had retired, I used to discretely lay out my bathtowel on my desk behind the computer. It's warm back there. We had the good luck of several shower rooms. As for my cycling clothes, I would arrive to work in the morning so they wouldn't have been that sweaty. So I just hung them in the personal cabinet at my desk which all my coworkers also had.
Last edited by Daniel4; 05-22-22 at 07:20 PM.
#33
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Can you speak to your employer about setting up a drying room or if not a drying room, investing in a clothes dryer? I live/work in the UK and it rains pretty much all winter and sometimes all summer. In winter, I set-up a little drying station in the dressing rooms (I work in a theatre in a university) with a small portable heater and a costume rail. Might be something you could do in the locker room if neither a drying room or a dryer are viable options.
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#35
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my $.02
I'm in SLC. I've been working at my current employer for several months now. The bike ride to work is not easy/short enough for me to be doing it every day at this time, but I've been pretty good about riding 2-3 days a week since I started there (even through winter). This company has the best bike commuter setup of anywhere I've worked so far; indoor bike parking, lockers, and two handicap shower rooms. Through the winter, I didn't sweat much while riding in. Now that things are warming up and the ride to work is all uphill, things are getting pretty sweaty/wet; this will only get worse as we approach the 100 deg F temps that are coming soon in the summer. My clothes are beginning to get soaked from sweat on the ride to work, and then there's the wet towel to deal with after my shower at work. I hang everything in the locker until I go home at the end of the workday, but I ride home in whatever clothes I wore during the workday because 1) I don't want to put that stinky/damp clothes back on from the ride to work, 2) I'm not getting sweaty/dirty on the ride home because it's all down hill, and 3) I just want to go home and not fuss with changing clothes again.
The big issue is my stinky, sweaty, wet clothes and wet towel sitting in my locker all day. They're accumulating a smell of mildew that I can't stand. I ride to work in clean clothes every time, but the towel stays in the locker for a week before I bring it back home for a wash. I've tried washing the towel after every use, no difference.
So, those of you who sweat on the way to work and shower when you get there, what are you doing with your sweaty, smelly clothes and wet towel? Ideally, I'd like them to be dry by the time I go back home. I've though a bout a battery powered fan inside the locker to move air around, but not sure if this would work because the locker has pretty pathetic vents that probably won't allow for much air exchange.
The big issue is my stinky, sweaty, wet clothes and wet towel sitting in my locker all day. They're accumulating a smell of mildew that I can't stand. I ride to work in clean clothes every time, but the towel stays in the locker for a week before I bring it back home for a wash. I've tried washing the towel after every use, no difference.
So, those of you who sweat on the way to work and shower when you get there, what are you doing with your sweaty, smelly clothes and wet towel? Ideally, I'd like them to be dry by the time I go back home. I've though a bout a battery powered fan inside the locker to move air around, but not sure if this would work because the locker has pretty pathetic vents that probably won't allow for much air exchange.
"Who’s gonna steal bike shorts?" they may not steal shorts but I had my towel stolen once. I had it hanging out of my locker at that job. I then put it in the bike commuter lockers which had holes for air flow.
#36
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Where do you lock your bike? It might be better to hang your clothes to dry on the bike itself.
Personally, I would just wear less on the way to work, it's legal in Portland Just some short shorts and then when I'm close to work I would put on some clothes before people see me
Personally, I would just wear less on the way to work, it's legal in Portland Just some short shorts and then when I'm close to work I would put on some clothes before people see me
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#37
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I strongly recommend you find a way to hang your clothes properly. You might find a "data closet" where people rarely go. It might even have good circulation.
My recent summer commuting routine was to change in the office without showering. I was lucky enough to have a private office. I hung my clothes up in the office. People rarely visited, and I did my best to hide the clothes. While changing, I rubbed witch hazel on my sweaty bits. It's an astringent that does not dry the skin. It stops my sweating!
This summer I start student teaching at a high school. I do not know what I will do. One possibility is that I won't change or wash. Maybe I won't be too unsightly with my sweat?
My recent summer commuting routine was to change in the office without showering. I was lucky enough to have a private office. I hung my clothes up in the office. People rarely visited, and I did my best to hide the clothes. While changing, I rubbed witch hazel on my sweaty bits. It's an astringent that does not dry the skin. It stops my sweating!
This summer I start student teaching at a high school. I do not know what I will do. One possibility is that I won't change or wash. Maybe I won't be too unsightly with my sweat?
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#38
Full Member
I shave all my body hair (from the neck down) at least once a year between March-September. Just shaving your armpits will make a world of difference in the way your sweat smells, not only helps with sweat evaporation but keeps away alot of the bacteria from breeding in moist areas of the body. I used to ride in full kit on my road bike in the past years (20 miles round trip), however, this year I got a Brompton and don't ride in full kit anymore, now I ride in a looser gym tshirt (Under Armour or whatever, long/short sleeve depending on temperature) compression gym shorts and sandals. I don't use cotton while riding or exercising. I sweat the same amount on my road bikes as on my Brompton. While I love cycling in full kit on the weekends, I prefer this casual setup on my commute to work, much more enjoyable commuting experience.
Obligatory shower and deodorant in the morning right before I begin the ride to work. Last mile or so I take it ultra easy to get my heart rate down and, usually, body and kit is all dry before I arrive at the office. Don't have shower facilities at work so I rinse my face in the sink and change in clean office attire. If it's extremely hot ( very rare in Uk, still use a long sleeve shirt in the morning and it's June now) I use some extra deodorant spray, not liquid, gel or bar as they stay wet for longer and accentuate the sweat smell.
I take a batch of clean clothes in with me (usually on Monday, sometimes Friday) for the following week and keep them in a drawer, I bring home with me every day the shirt/tshirt/underwear/socks I use during the day, trousers stay at work and usually have 2 pairs in rotation for the week. I reuse the tshirt and shorts for my ride home as they are dry, sometimes they may stink a bit but don't care on my way home.
I work in the same office as the company director, had no complaints whatsoever in the past 6 years I've been working for this company.
Obligatory shower and deodorant in the morning right before I begin the ride to work. Last mile or so I take it ultra easy to get my heart rate down and, usually, body and kit is all dry before I arrive at the office. Don't have shower facilities at work so I rinse my face in the sink and change in clean office attire. If it's extremely hot ( very rare in Uk, still use a long sleeve shirt in the morning and it's June now) I use some extra deodorant spray, not liquid, gel or bar as they stay wet for longer and accentuate the sweat smell.
I take a batch of clean clothes in with me (usually on Monday, sometimes Friday) for the following week and keep them in a drawer, I bring home with me every day the shirt/tshirt/underwear/socks I use during the day, trousers stay at work and usually have 2 pairs in rotation for the week. I reuse the tshirt and shorts for my ride home as they are dry, sometimes they may stink a bit but don't care on my way home.
I work in the same office as the company director, had no complaints whatsoever in the past 6 years I've been working for this company.
#39
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I'm in SLC. I've been working at my current employer for several months now. The bike ride to work is not easy/short enough for me to be doing it every day at this time, but I've been pretty good about riding 2-3 days a week since I started there (even through winter). This company has the best bike commuter setup of anywhere I've worked so far; indoor bike parking, lockers, and two handicap shower rooms. Through the winter, I didn't sweat much while riding in. Now that things are warming up and the ride to work is all uphill, things are getting pretty sweaty/wet; this will only get worse as we approach the 100 deg F temps that are coming soon in the summer. My clothes are beginning to get soaked from sweat on the ride to work, and then there's the wet towel to deal with after my shower at work. I hang everything in the locker until I go home at the end of the workday, but I ride home in whatever clothes I wore during the workday because 1) I don't want to put that stinky/damp clothes back on from the ride to work, 2) I'm not getting sweaty/dirty on the ride home because it's all down hill, and 3) I just want to go home and not fuss with changing clothes again.
The big issue is my stinky, sweaty, wet clothes and wet towel sitting in my locker all day. They're accumulating a smell of mildew that I can't stand. I ride to work in clean clothes every time, but the towel stays in the locker for a week before I bring it back home for a wash. I've tried washing the towel after every use, no difference.
So, those of you who sweat on the way to work and shower when you get there, what are you doing with your sweaty, smelly clothes and wet towel? Ideally, I'd like them to be dry by the time I go back home. I've though a bout a battery powered fan inside the locker to move air around, but not sure if this would work because the locker has pretty pathetic vents that probably won't allow for much air exchange.
The big issue is my stinky, sweaty, wet clothes and wet towel sitting in my locker all day. They're accumulating a smell of mildew that I can't stand. I ride to work in clean clothes every time, but the towel stays in the locker for a week before I bring it back home for a wash. I've tried washing the towel after every use, no difference.
So, those of you who sweat on the way to work and shower when you get there, what are you doing with your sweaty, smelly clothes and wet towel? Ideally, I'd like them to be dry by the time I go back home. I've though a bout a battery powered fan inside the locker to move air around, but not sure if this would work because the locker has pretty pathetic vents that probably won't allow for much air exchange.
#40
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Thanks!
Thanks, everyone, for the input! I’ve started leaving my towel on the bike to dry and that seems to work pretty well. I also learned that when clothes get that mildew-ey smell that doesn’t seem to go away even after washing, if you add a cup of vinegar to the wash it’ll kill the orgs that are responsible for the bad odor; that has also helped tremendously. I seeme your have sorted out a good system for summertime riding. Now we’ll have to see it it still works well for winter…
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#42
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I dried my towel and damp clothes on my bike during the day. Just hung everything over the bars and top tube.
But I also brought in a clean towel daily. I commuted with panniers and just brought everything in and out.
But I also brought in a clean towel daily. I commuted with panniers and just brought everything in and out.