Commuting 101: How to stay fresh and clean at work

If you work in an office place where showing up to work sweaty and smelly isn’t exactly encouraged, this can be a major deterrent to commuting by bike. Especially with the summer months upon us, getting cleaned up once you’ve arrived at the work place is important and necessary. If you actually have showers and other facilities then you’ve got it easy, however for most of us we have to clean up sans shower.

Below are a few tips for getting cleaned up and fresh once you’ve arrived via bicycle to your office.

  1. Wear the right clothes – I’ve written before about just wearing your normal clothes, however if you sweat a good bit and need to wear a suit and tie at the office then that’s probably not the best route. You can go for some wicking materials and other bike specific clothing that will help the swear evaporate off your body quickly and keep you cool. It will also keep your office clothing clean and dry.
  2. Have the essential toiletries on hand – You basic necessities such as deodorant, hair products, etc are obvious. But also bring along a few things specific to getting ready after a bike commute. Flushable moisture wipes are a must to wipe yourself down and clean off the perspiration. Also, wrinkle releaser spray is great for your office clothes if they were folded up in your bag on the way in.
  3. Give yourself time to cool off – Towards the last five to ten minutes of your commute in, slow down and take it easy. Give yourself enough time for your heart rate to drop and to stop perspiring. Once you’ve arrived to the office finish cooling down so your clean up will “stick” and you won’t continue to perspire once you’ve cleaned up and changed.
  4. Keep your commuter cleanup kit at the office – Consider keeping your toiletries, wipes and other items at the office so you don’t have to cart them back and forth every day. Also, although it takes a bit of forethought, consider driving into the office on Mondays and taking in all your clothes for that week so you won’t have to worry about forgetting something each day or having your clothes rumpled from being stuffed in your bag.

What are you tricks to staying fresh and clean at the office?

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