Comments on: Man vs. Towelette: Commuting to a Showerless Workplace

By: Bill Graham

Bill Graham — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:59:36 +0000

I commute 6.49 miles to work every few days. I live in Dallas and this includes the summer months. Last year, we had 30+ straight days of 100+ weather. I thought it would be hell, but eh. Not too bad. My biggest archenemy is wind. Wind kills my mood. I hate windy days. I’d take a 105 degree day with no wind versus and 80 degree day with lots of wind.

Anyways, here is my routine. I think bringing my clothes to work would be a definite deal breaker. It would require panniers and the less stuff ON my bike, the better. I keep a pair of dress shoes, two pants, along with several undergarments, shirts, and wipes at the office.

Once I arrive, if I need to I wait to cool off. In the 100+ degree weather, this may take 20 minutes or so until I no longer sweat profusely. Then I use Action Wipes, which are reusable natural towelettes that are much larger than normal baby wipes. They have a Tea Trea Oil scent which is quite pleasant, and you can wash them afterwards and use them as sturdy towels.

I wipe face, arms, back, legs, and finish up with the nether regions. Then I dress into my work clothes. I do this in the bathroom stall and it takes 5-10 minutes.

I always shower and shave before work. I also bring lunch and dinner with me in the form of smoothies. In fact, I can bring enough supplies for an 8 hour work shift including lunch, and I eat every three hours… That’s what water bottle holders are for!

I always have an emergency mini pump, tire levers, a multitool, and a spare tube.

By: Susan

Susan — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:04:54 +0000

After reading this article I ordered some of the Safari Towels. My commute is far enough and my climate hot enough, that during the summer, I definitely want to clean up. I have to wait about 30 minutes to stop sweating.

Have the ability to keep an extra set of makeup and a hair dryer around, but never cared for baby wipes that much, so a wet wash cloth and a dry hand towel have been my main clean up at work.

These were great. Much better than my current practice, and the sheer size of these make it significantly more practical and functional than typical baby wipes.

Thanks. I’m getting more!

By: Ted Johnson

Ted Johnson — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:24:36 +0000

Hair is the Oppressor

By: Fig

Fig — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:18:46 +0000

OOOh one more potential issue:
Not all work bathrooms have outlets in convenient places for doing hair. (My hair dryer has a relatively short cord and needs an outlet to be adjacent to the mirror for me to be able to blow dry successfully. )
Find a bathroom that has the right set up, or invest in an extension cord and keep that with your hair stuff.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 23:07:53 +0000

@ the ladies,
Isn’t doing your hair at home and doing it at the office just taking time from one place and putting it in another? Like, if you don’t do it at home, it saves you that time, so you can go to the office earlier, and then spend that same amount of time getting it right once you get there?

By: Karen Voyer-Caravona

Karen Voyer-Caravona — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:19:31 +0000

@Cori: I’ve had very short hair but find that it’s harder and more expensive to maintain than the classic bob. I wear my hair in a lightly, lightly layered classic bob and it is easy to shape up again after a ride wearing a helmet. For especially hot days when I might get sweaty hair, I keep a paddle brush and comb along with a desk sized blow dryer in my desk drawer. I just have to leave for work a little earlier than I normally would to get my hair back i shape. Then again, I mostly bike in lanes or on a segrated bike path so quite often I just don’t bother with a helmet.

By: Rick

Rick — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:24:34 +0000

I usually shower the night before and bring a change of clothes. I don’t really wipe down when I get to work because that way people stay out of my office and I can get more work done. Just kidding, well kind of… One thing that does help Is when I change my clothes I will usually wait about 30 minutes or so till I’m dry so I am not covered in sweat and jumping into clean clothes Although not everyone can afford this luxury.

By: Ted Johnson

Ted Johnson — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:45:59 +0000

Hooray @Karen!

One of these days I’m going to write my manifesto: Hair is the Oppressor, and people around the world will rise up and ignore it.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:01:38 +0000

@Cori – I did the same as mombrakes4bikes and got my hair cut fairly short. When I get to work if my hair is damp (from sweating) I just comb it into the closest possible semblance of the natural style I usually wear. If it’s not damp I wet my hands and run them through my hair, then comb.

Also agree about timing on showering. I shower when I get up and apply deodorant. If necessary when I get to work I reapply deodorant. I have a couple of trustworthy office mates who’ve promised to tell me if I’m ever smelling ripe – hasn’t happened yet.

By: BluesCat

BluesCat — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 21:46:00 +0000

Okay folks, think of my nom de plume.

Okay, now expand that thinking to include where the critter described by that nom de plume goes to the rest room.

Now think of the aroma of that clay-filled box on day like today in Phoenix: 110° F … sun so bright the vampires retreat to the SUB-sub-basement.

That’s probably what the Ol’ Cat smells like when he parks his bike at the office. Once again, I am SO happy I have a shower not a hundred paces from where I park the bike. I don’t think a CASE of Anti Monkey Butt Safari Towels would work for me on days like this … maybe during the winter.