Smelly Lockers

[gaz]

We recently had some lockers put into the changing rooms at work. Great. Now they are first come first serve and they are cleaned out at the end of every month and you can attempt to get one on the following monday if you are in early enough.

This means you get a different person above or below you each time, so you never know what is going to be stored in them.

Me, I either like to store a set of work clothes for a week or hang my cycling clothes in them.

Now here comes a problem, the ventilation for the lockers is not out the door with some vents as one might expect, the vents are between the lockers, shared with the one below or above you. It has never been a problem for me before but now the person below me is storing some wet kit in a bag and it absolutely bloody stinks! He must have put it in at the end of the last week, as I only noticed the smell in my locker at the end of last week. Now this is obviously a problem for me as I can't now keep anything in the locker I have as it will end up smelling.

What should I do?
I'm not sure a note will work, I have no idea if the user goes to his locker everyday. Blocking its probably the best option. Already used some of my deodorant but it didn't actually have much effect in the long run. Throw his stuff on the ground? Well it's tempting but that won't solve anything in the long run, no need to make enemies. I have already mentioned to those who fitted these lockers that having vents going into each locker was a stupid idea, I'll follow it up with them but I'll doubt they will do anything to resolve this.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Duct tape the vent holes up, the gaps in the doors and put this on it...

 

[MrJamie]

Keep your stuff in an airtight(ish) bag?

Our lockers at work are similar and people leave a stinky change of shoes in there I'm paranoid of the person above flooding my locker with leaky drink etc.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Piss in his locker

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Maybe try pelting the vents with an odour neutraliser like Febreeze rather than a masking spray like deodorant.

Is there any chance of success if you had a word with house management/HR to have the stuff removed and returned to whoever has booked the locker out or stored in isolation (outside?) for the hygiene and comfort of other users - one instance where playing the H&S card might be a good idea?

 

[David Parry]

Spray whiskey though the ventilation holes on the suspected source.

 

[Leodis]

Pour urine through the holes and seal.

 

[markharry66]

Remove your clothes, find where smell is. Go to local fishing shop buy yourself some Casters. Drop them through vents of offending locker. Blue bottle city in less than three days.

 

[Lanzecki]

Complain to HR. They just love stuff like this.

 

[400bhp]

buy some bicarb of soda (can get from hardware stores like Wilkinsons). Open the pack and leave in your locker. It's pretty amazing stuff for getting rid of pongs.

At the same time have a word with HR or whoever deals with the locker organisation (gets changed once a month so clearly someone has responsibility).

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

@gaz what about a new domain

www.smellycyclists.com

 

[fossyant]

I assume you can't change lockers mid month as they are all 'taken' ? So what happens, once a month cleared out, then I assume you have to use your own padlocks ?.

Complain to Facilities !

I can only hope we get vented lockers at my new office come summer, but we recon we'll have to dry our kit under our desks in a new open plan office.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Try the note first and if you get no joy from that, buy this.
Then use it to completely fill his locker via the vent.

GC

 

[gaz]

Cheers for all the comments. I'll add that there is no way to lock the lockers, so I have access to his locker.
It also means there is no way to tell who uses it, unless I see them using it.

 

[Melonfish]

Duct tape the vent holes up, the gaps in the doors and put this on it...

THIS!
just stick it on the locker they'll get the idea eventually.