You poured over countless gis, researching every aspect of their construction until you finally found your perfect gi. It has the perfect fit. It gives you extra performance, and it meets all of your training needs and competition demands. So that’s the end of it right? Well, no. That’s just the start.
Once you have a great gi, you have to take care of it. Just like anything else, even the best gis wear out and fade if they’re not properly cared for. And, with just a few simple “do’s” and “don’ts,” you can give your gi the care it needs to always perform at its best and last you for years.
Of course, if you have a low quality gi, then even the best care in the world won’t help that gi from ripping, fading, and wearing out. So, before you jump to the care tips below, make sure you check out the CRNR Gi Collection, which features elite gis made with meticulous detail and used by world BJJ champions like Mark Vives. Check out the collection here. Moving on, let’s jump into the “do’s” and “don’ts” of caring for your gi.
Care Tips for Your Gi
To keep your gi in top form, make sure to do the following care practices.
1.
Starting with the obvious, wash your gi after every class or tournament. Consistent washing ensures your gi is always clean and fresh.
2.
Wash your gi by itself, not mixed in with your other laundry. A solo wash for your gi gives you more control over the cleaning process like ensuring colors from your other clothes don’t bleed into the gi.
3.
Before you put your gi in the washing machine, make sure to turn your gi inside out. Turning your gi inside out before you wash it helps protect your gi patches from excessive wear and tear that can slowly separate your patch from your gi.
How to Remove Stains from Your Gi
Even with the highest quality gi, stains are inevitable. So, make sure you’ve got a solid stain removal routine ready to go. To remove a stain from your gi, we recommend these steps.
1.
First, pre-soak your gi in cold water. This helps loosen the stain, which makes it easier for the washing machine to do its job. The sooner you pre-soak your stained gi, the easier it will be to remove those stains.
2.
If your gi is really smelly, add a ½ cup of vinegar to your pre-soak. The vinegar helps remove unpleasant odors while also loosening the stain.
3.
After the pre-soak, make sure you use a high quality detergent to wash your gi. Don’t skimp here. If you need to, you can get a smaller bottle of high quality detergent to keep on hand just for your gi. Since you should do a solo wash for your gi anyway, you can save money by having a separate, smaller high quality detergent just for your gi.
4.
Next after the pre-soak and the high quality detergent, make sure you use cold water to wash your gi. Cold water helps prevent your gi from shrinking and losing shape. Removing the stain is pointless if you accidentally shrink your entire gi. So, always check the dial, and turn the wash to cold water for your gi.
5.
After you remove your gi from the washing machine, hang it on a sturdy hanger. Let it air dry in a well ventilated space. This will help keep it looking its best and smelling good.
How to Remove Wrinkles from Your Gi
Just like you can’t escape stains, you also can’t escape wrinkles. Even elite quality gis can get wrinkles. However, you should NEVER use an hot iron or machine dryer on your gi. Instead, to remove wrinkles from your gi, follow these steps to either steam or hang dry your gi.
Steamer Method
- If you’re using a steamer to remove wrinkles, first, make sure your gi is fully dry, and then lightly mist your gi with water.
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Next, hang your gi on a sturdy hanger or lay it flat.
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Then, slowly move a garment steamer over the wrinkled areas of the gi while gently pulling the gi’s fabric smooth.
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After that, let your gi hang until it’s completely dry.
Regular Wash Method
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If you don’t have a steamer and/or to help prevent wrinkles before they happen, use this regular wash method. First, promptly remove your gi from the washer. Don’t leave your gi bunched up in the machine after it’s done washing.
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Next, while your gi is still damp, use your hands to straighten and lightly stretch your gi’s sleeves, jacket body, lapels, and pants before hanging.
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Then, hang your gi up and let it air-dry at room temperature or in shade. This is crucial because hot dryers and strong heat will shrink your gi.
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After that, once your gi is fully dry, fold it neatly, and you’re good to go. DO NOT go through all of these steps just to skip folding and stuff your gi into a gym bag, unless you want your gi to be smashed and wrinkled??
Even More Care Tips for Your Gi
We’ve looked at what you should do to keep your gi in prime condition. But, there’s also several things you should NEVER DO if you want to keep your gi in top shape. Make sure you never do these things.
1.
NEVER leave your gi in your gym bag, ESPECIALLY if it’s dirty and smelly. Leaving your gi crammed in a bag causes the gi’s fabric to break down and eventually lose it’s shape and fit. And, of course, leaving a dirty, smelly gi stuffed in a bag for days allows the dirt and odor to embed themselves deep into your gi’s fabric, which makes even the best stain removal routine basically impossible.
2.
NEVER put bleach on your gi or in your gi’s wash. Bleach will discolor your gi patches, weaken the gi’s material, and risk discoloring your gi’s fabric. Use the stain removal and cleaning routine above instead of bleach if you want to keep your gi clean and in prime condition.
3.
NEVER use fabric softeners in your gi’s wash. Fabric softeners intentionally break down clothing fibers to create “softer” clothes. This might be ok for your t-shirts, but it’s the exact opposite of what’s best for your gi. Breaking down the fibers in your gi’s fabric will cause your gi to lose its shape and strength over time.
4.
NEVER use hot water to wash your gi. Like we talked about in the cleaning routine above, it’s always best to use cold water to wash your gi. Hot water (and even warm water) will shrink your gi. And, what’s the point of having a great gi that’s super clean, if it doesn’t fit? So, always, always use cold water.
5.
NEVER use a machine dryer to dry your gi. Just like using hot water, using a machine dryer will shrink your gi. Also, using tumble drying or a “delicate” drying mode doesn’t help. Those are also hard on your gi’s fabric and will cause your gi to lose its shape and condition.
6.
NEVER iron your gi. Are you seeing a pattern? Hot water, hot drying, and hot ironing will mess up your gi. Using an iron on your gi can especially distort and compromise your gi’s collar. Instead, follow the steps above to remove wrinkles from your gi.