Life without a shower...

[buggi]

I'm kind of new to all this cycling malarchy,but I find that since I've been using rock salt as an all over deodorant ( 8 years ish ) that I never get body odor,even in the most extreme circumstances. Plus it has the added benefit of not giving you cancer

?? explain please??

 

[Maz]

Is there a disabled toilet in your office? If so, this will do nicely for getting a nice wash and brush up in the morning.

Yes there is. I'll check it out next week. Thanks.

 

[John Ponting]

... since I've been using rock salt as an all over deodorant ... Plus it has the added benefit of not giving you cancer

?? explain please??

It's new to me but google found this

http://www.saltlamp.co.uk/benefits.htmhttp://www.saltlamp.co.uk/benefits.htmhttp://www.saltlamp.co.uk/benefits.htm

http://www.saltlamp.co.uk/deodorant.htm initially.

 

[bonj2]

I'm feeling really sad at the moment because I've just been told from our facilities manager that our shower block is going to be shut down for good from next week (apparently, the lease on that building has expired). It's a real shame cos it's a great shower block...6 cubicles, 2 hair-driers, loads of lockers. It's really nice.

Anyway, now I need to know how to make do without it. What do those of you who never even had the luxury of a shower at work do to make yourself presentable in the office? Towel down and a quick spray of Lynx Java?! And how long is your commute? (mine's 6.5m, enough to make me sweaty).

Not looking forward to it...

or voodoo.

anyhow it's a myth that sweat smells, only stale sweat smells. Fresh sweat doesn't smell.
Most important thing is to have clean clothes and have a shower every day, doesn't matter whether it's necessarily after a ride.
Just keep a can of deodorant in the office so you can have a quick spray around lunchtime if you think you're getting a bit musty.

Another thing I would say is that if the company has decided to remove the showers or not bother to keep up the lease on them, then it obviously doesn't matter much to them whether people are sweaty or not.

 

[bonj2]

Is there a disabled toilet in your office? If so, this will do nicely for getting a nice wash and brush up in the morning.

There'd better be otherwise the PC brigade'll be on your arse!

I'm kind of new to all this cycling malarchy,but I find that since I've been using rock salt as an all over deodorant ( 8 years ish ) that I never get body odor,even in the most extreme circumstances. Plus it has the added benefit of not giving you cancer

how does that work then? Take a salt shaker and put a bit on your hand and rub it over yourself?

You are right to be wary though Maz. Before I started work with my current employers, the previous "cyclist" in the department had a reputation for smelling like a deli counter. He didn't shower. Apparently he never knew of this problem and no-one felt brave enough to tell the man. He was simply whispered about.

This is my worst nightmare, and I'm paranoid about it. Cannot speak to anyone before I've had my shower in the morning. No worse way to be known than being the smelly boy I reckon, in office life.

Take the bus til the showers are fixed! Or train in, cycle home.

But it's not going to stop you getting a promotion. If you're smelly, you don't get MORE smelly the higher up the greasy pole you rise, so it's not going to hamper your prospects.
You're lucky to have showers. But don't get too hung up about it - if you've had a shower the last night or that morning and you've cycled in in clean cycling gear then you won't smell before you have had a shower. Guaranteed. When you would smell a bit possibly is if you then kept that cycling gear on all day, by the afternoon there might be a bit of a whiff.

 

[PrettyboyTim]

I cycle 6.7 miles to work, and when I first started I used to shower as soon as I got in, all hot and sweaty. However, showering when you're still hot is no good as you end up still all sticky after the shower. So then I decided to wait half an hour to cool down before I went to the shower. The thing is, after that cooling down period I found that I didn't seem to need a shower anyway. I shower before I head off to work and a bit of sweat after that doesn't seem to make me smelly. I will shower if I get exceptionally sweaty, but it doesn't seem to happen much. I wash my face to get the sweat off, and change into a new set of clothes, but that's about it.

 

[Terminator]

In the 26+ years I have been commuting I have never had the luxury of showers at work.Just recently have we got the luxury of our own cycle racks as opposed to being chased by a manager for parking our bike "illegally" yet again.Or the bikes being fiddled with by some comedian which has happened twice in the almost 19 years I have been at Waterloo.I generally wear my cycling gear and change and wash up in the sink when I get there.Dumbasses at work cant understand why I wear cycling gear and I try to explain it would not be a good idea to wear my uniform and that it isn't a fashion exhibition.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

But it's not going to stop you getting a promotion. If you're smelly, you don't get MORE smelly the higher up the greasy pole you rise, so it's not going to hamper your prospects.
You're lucky to have showers. But don't get too hung up about it - if you've had a shower the last night or that morning and you've cycled in in clean cycling gear then you won't smell before you have had a shower. Guaranteed. When you would smell a bit possibly is if you then kept that cycling gear on all day, by the afternoon there might be a bit of a whiff.

Agreed, definitely lucky to have showers. My paranoia has nothing to do with promotion prospects, in fact I don't know where it stems from. I take an instant dislike to folk that stink. Shallow I know but there you go.

I used to work with a bloke who never wore pants under his trousers. It was possible to smell his balls whilst standing talking to him. I didn't like him because of this.

 

[Fnaar]

... I used to work with a bloke who never wore pants under his trousers. It was possible to smell his balls whilst standing talking to him...

Did you just bend down or something? He didn't mind?

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Did you just bend down or something? He didn't mind?

He may as well have worn them as ear-studs. The smell was atrocious. Beefy wee bastard.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

the other problem that having no showers or and changing facilities presents is that of what to do with wet/sweaty cycling gear. many years ago i cycled 10 miles each way to a job that had no such facilities. the girls in the studio i was working in were prepared to tolerate wet cycling gear on the studio radiator for usually less time than it took for them to dry.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

the other problem that having no showers or and changing facilities presents is that of what to do with wet/sweaty cycling gear. many years ago i cycled 10 miles each way to a job that had no such facilities. the girls in the studio i was working in were prepared to tolerate wet cycling gear on the studio radiator for usually less time than it took for them to dry.

I'm not very popular when the radiators are festooned with festering, steaming cycle kit.

 

[fossyant]

I'm fairly lucky - no showers.... but own office..

Bike clothes are washed every evening, so on arrival at work, I lock up bike, walk about 400 yards to my office, get changed in the office and hang my cycling kit on the radiators - (I need to buy a fan for drying in the summer though - going cheap at my local morrisons...) - as the stuff is washed every day, it smells fine on the radiator.

I use baby wipes etc for wiping down, and have deo etc. already in the office...

The main thing is finding somewhere to dry your kit - it's possible to dry your stuff an a hanger with a desk fan under your desk if you are in open plan offices... just did a two month stint contracting in an a/c open plan office with no fans etc.... took some practice hanging my stuff off the rucksack under the desk - just didn't dry if I got wet in the morning.

 

[Maz]

Get a job as a glassblower, you'll be sweating in the first 15 minutes anyway, so it won't matter... bah @ office nambies.

Judging by your avatar, Brock, you don't even have toilets at your place, never mind showers.

 

[Brock]

Judging by your avatar, Brock, you don't even have toilets at your place, never mind showers.

Toilets are for pansies! I just crap in my lunch box... (After lunch)