Has Anyone Here Perfected a "Shower-Free" Method of Cleaning Up After a Run?

most important aspect shave your head

it's quicker and easier

Tough one.

One thing that has been semi successful. One towel that is wet with cold water, one wet with soap and water. Wet down with first, soap with second, wet with first again to rinse. Put on deodorant (assuming you showered night before or morning before run). That would keep the funk out. The impossible thing to stop is the post run sweats that happen when you cannot cool down enough. Even if I showered totally for 10 minutes, I would immediately sweat through my t shirt and dress shirt for 20 minutes after. It never smelled, but I looked like I was having a heart attack I was sweating so profusely. In a Florida summer, I just do not think this is viable, unless you are not planning on being in a meeting or seeing people for the first hour of work.

Good luck!

Hmmm... That's a good one. I actually would probably have a good 20 to 30 minutes to cool down a bit, both outside and then in my office (they run at 5 AM, so I've got some time). So that may help with the post-run sweats...

Rothermj wrote:

Tough one.

One thing that has been semi successful. One towel that is wet with cold water, one wet with soap and water. Wet down with first, soap with second, wet with first again to rinse. Put on deodorant (assuming you showered night before or morning before run). That would keep the funk out. The impossible thing to stop is the post run sweats that happen when you cannot cool down enough. Even if I showered totally for 10 minutes, I would immediately sweat through my t shirt and dress shirt for 20 minutes after. It never smelled, but I looked like I was having a heart attack I was sweating so profusely. In a Florida summer, I just do not think this is viable, unless you are not planning on being in a meeting or seeing people for the first hour of work.

Good luck!

Get a gym membership at a gym near your office.

AXE. Spray it on. Let it harden, break it off you and you are good to go. haven't you seen the commercials?

Honestly, i would love to find a shower free method. I'm a sweaty smelly guy, according to my friends and back in the day my mother. I have to do a lot of exfoliating with a loofa to get the smell off me. I wish baby wipes would work but now quite...

But now, actually afer starting to write this, i realize i have done one thing one time that worked.

It was a random time when i was studying abroad and everyday we used to go to this one university about 45 minutes from our houses. we had a two hour lunch break so i decided to run a couple times there. They did not have a shower at the school but there was a fair sized private bathroom. So what i did the couple times i did this run was this:

I packed my running clothes, a loofa, some body wash, and a small towel in my backpack. i would run and then afterward i would got to the bathroom, undress all the way, scrub myself with water, then body wash, and then water to rinse off again. I didnt go crazy on the water, but i still would get the bathroom floor a little wet. i would try to use the paper towels to clean up the mess a bit. but in any case it worked pretty well. it was helpful if i had a bit of time to cool down before i did the loofa wash because like in florida it was hot where i was too, and if i loofa washed while still sweating, i just continued to sweat through it and smell bad.

so yeah, after writing this i kind of inspired myself to take up this method again. i might try some new routines out at work. so thanks for reminding me! best of luck

I thought about this, but (a) I'd only do this once a week or twice a month, so it's not worth the $50+/month, and (b)there's no gym that's really that convenient.

Kanye North wrote:

Get a gym membership at a gym near your office.

Maybe not for a FL summer sweat, but dusting your pits and crotch with gold bond can fake your way through an afternoon.

Thanks for the suggestion. It seems like we should have perfected some sort of super-strong form of baby wipes for these situations, but I guess not.All of these posts make you realize how important it is to have several towels. I think with enough time and enough towels, I could possibly not offend someone with my odor.

hmmmm, wrote:

I packed my running clothes, a loofa, some body wash, and a small towel in my backpack. i would run and then afterward i would got to the bathroom, undress all the way, scrub myself with water, then body wash, and then water to rinse off again. I didnt go crazy on the water, but i still would get the bathroom floor a little wet. i would try to use the paper towels to clean up the mess a bit. but in any case it worked pretty well. it was helpful if i had a bit of time to cool down before i did the loofa wash because like in florida it was hot where i was too, and if i loofa washed while still sweating, i just continued to sweat through it and smell bad.

simple - you just need to find a girlfriend who lives near the office. go see her every morning after your run. if you play it right she'll be cooking you breakfast while you are showering.

I have taken an ice cream bucket and rag to races before and took a shower in the parking lot between my car doors before. I have brought smiles to alot of passing females that way also.

Shower before you run and wear clean clothes. Towel off. You won't smell.

Some folks advise rubbing alcohol, but that isn't really necessary.

Used to use rubbing alcohol, but now I swear by a dilute bleach solution, applied to body junctions before and after. It is the one thing that kills the funk and KEEPS doing so. Do it right and you'll have a faint whiff of having done a session at the pool (I happened on this by pool workouts)

Unless you are a prepubescent girl, you are going to stink - especially in Florida! Wash up in the bathroom. Even with a shower, you will likely keep sweating for 30 min afterward.

ccrunner609 wrote:

I have taken an ice cream bucket and rag to races before and took a shower in the parking lot between my car doors before. I have brought smiles to alot of passing females that way also.

This seems like a good idea. You could bring a couple gallon jugs full of water and some body wash and get it done in the back corner of the parking lot. I would leave my shorts on and just use a wash cloth to get the parts "down there" which would eliminate the need to strip fully naked. Towel off and you're good to go.

Dude, just buy a camper with a shower you can park in the parking lot. On the weekends, you can drive it to the races and save money on hotels.

Public beach with outdoor showers nearby? Public pools or YMCA with daily pass fee? Sneak into hotel with pool/shower?

lets go rving wrote:

Dude, just buy a camper with a shower you can park in the parking lot. On the weekends, you can drive it to the races and save money on hotels.

You need to get a camper like Gonzo had on Trapper John MD!!

Water hose will get the initial layer of sweat off, and cool you down. Finish the job in the bathroom after walking to the office.

I'm all for getting my training in and I'm willing to do any of the above from time to time but this isn't any way to live your life.