Washing Hakama & Belt

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[RED]

Am I nasty? I don't wash the hakama... :/ never have... my teacher doesn't either... :/

[ruthmc]

Am I nasty? I don't wash the hakama... :/ never have... my teacher doesn't either... :/
You may not need to if you don't get it covered in sweat (your own plus other people's!), and your training surface is clean (and kept regularly and properly clean).

Unfortunately in our case we never clean the training surface, both our jigmats and foam mats plus canvas are 2nd hand, the jigmats especially are in a poor state of repair, somewhat stinky, and kept in an outdoor shed full of dust and spiders between each weekly use :(

We can't clean the canvas - it's enormous and we don't have anywhere to clean it properly, so it only gets spot cleaned for blood. It's full of dust too (you can tell when a hand slaps down and a cloud rises up!) but it's kept at a large community sports centre at which we have limited time, so no chance of even vacuuming it :crazy:

As for sweat, the training environments we are in can be somewhat variable in terms of interior climate, so some of our sessions get very hot and sweaty indeed!

All we can do is to clean ourselves, our dogi, and occasionally belts and hakama in order to avoid smelling bad.

I do envy those of you having private / sole use / permanent tatami which can be cleaned properly!

Ruth

[RED]

My training surface is always clean...and I wear a judo gi...my hakama never seems wet no matter how much i sweat.(i'm not a sweater anyways..Floridians, go figure.)
My hakama never seems dirty at least, or smelly. :/

My teacher told me to never wash the belt..... bad luck. The truth is the belts shrink in the wash. Plus if you wear a white belt long enough you won't have to buy a new one when you come up for shodan.

[Basia Halliop]

My teacher told me to never wash the belt..... bad luck. The truth is the belts shrink in the wash. Plus if you wear a white belt long enough you won't have to buy a new one when you come up for shodan.

I wash my belts whenever I wash my gis. I suppose it's possible they did shrink a tiny bit the first time, but unless they're just barely long enough it doesn't matter. And it makes them less yellow or grey and sweaty... I don't buy the bad luck thing either! Why would it be bad luck to be clean? Seems better to be cleaner. I suspect 'more traditional' to keep as clean as possible, too.

Plus a new belt is kind of stiff and hard to keep tied until it's been washed once or twice...

[Walter Martindale]

I wash my belts whenever I wash my gis. I suppose it's possible they did shrink a tiny bit the first time, but unless they're just barely long enough it doesn't matter. And it makes them less yellow or grey and sweaty... I don't buy the bad luck thing either! Why would it be bad luck to be clean? Seems better to be cleaner. I suspect 'more traditional' to keep as clean as possible, too.

Plus a new belt is kind of stiff and hard to keep tied until it's been washed once or twice...

Someone probably washed their belt once and then got hit by the shinkansen, so it's bad luck to wash your belt.
However - it's one of those traditions - people rarely wash their obi. I know someone wearing a black belt that's so worn that it is white in a lot of places - 16 years and counting, never washed.
The gi gets cleaned after almost every training (well, mine does), and the hakama once or twice a year, usually after a hot sweaty summer.
W

[RED]

I took a class by Peter Bernath Sensei. I asked why he was wearing a white belt.. I mean he's a 7th degree Shihan. :/ I was told it used to be black most likely.

[ninjaqutie]

The silk covered black belts lose their color in no time. If you have ever seen a person wearing a black belt that is mostly white (and they have had it like a year), that is more then likely the type of belt they have. The completely dyed cotton ones hold their color a lot longer. Just depends on preference. :)

[Adam Huss]

I believe the idea of not washing an obi...in pre Jigoro Kano days...was so one could show how hard they trained/experience they had. This was pre-colored belt system (hence Pre-Kano Sensei).

During a Dojo trip to Japan for the Kamakura Festival, it was revealed that many students don't wash their dogi after class...they hand them up in the dojo to dry between classes. Yuk.

[Basia Halliop]

I believe the idea of not washing an obi...in pre Jigoro Kano days...was so one could show how hard they trained/experience they had. This was pre-colored belt system (hence Pre-Kano Sensei).

I've always heard that this is a myth. It also doesn't fit very well with what I know of Japanese culture (which seems very conservative in its attitude towards cleanliness).

[RED]

Damn, I wash my dogi like once a month. :/ I've gone like 6 months before. It is a heavy judo top. I hang up to dry everyday. No one ever said it smelled...I don't think it smells...and it stays white. Maybe I should wash it more. I wash my pants everyday...cuz that's just nasty!

[Chris Covington]

My vote is nasty. Sorry. Stuff like MRSA is not cool. I think the double weave is worse because it has the extra layers to trap who-knows-what and you're less likely to notice it. http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/mrsa_initiative/skin_infection/mrsa_photo_003.html

Just because it doesn't smell or you can't see dirt on it doesn't mean it isn't there. Since budo in general and aikido in particular have close associations with Shinto I think it is important to stay nice and clean. See number 1: http://www.wikihow.com/Worship-at-a-Shinto-Shrine

Wash the belt a few times a year by hand and let it air dry. I wash my hakama every other time I wash my dogi. If you do a lot of idori work maybe everytime you wash your dogi. I think staying healthy is part of budo and some of the nasty viruses and bacteria are more deadly than anything you'll have to deal with outside of the dojo in most cases.

Best regards,

[lbb]

I wash all my clothing when it needs it, which includes hakama and belt. Why not? It's no big deal to do it. I wash the hakama on the gentle cycle (yay front loader), and hang it up on a skirt hanger to dry. The hakama probably gets washed once a month, the belt probably a bit less often. Gis get washed after a single wearing, no exceptions.

Also...there's a guy at my dojo, nice guy, everyone likes him, but the truth is, he doesn't wash his gi nearly enough. AFAIK no one has ever said anything to him directly, but...he's notorious. So, just because no one says anything doesn't mean that no one has noticed a certain funk in the house.

[RED]

there was a rule administered in the dojo for one person. his gi was stinking the place up so much he was forced to wash it regularly....everyone seems to be very vocal about funk around here lol

[Adam Huss]

I wash my dogi as needed...usually every other class. I think it helps greatly if you hand it up to air out as Maggie said. If I am too lazy to hag up my dogi after a class it smells kinda bad (not like stinky BO, but more like musty/soured smell like if you leave laundry in the washing machine for a couple days).

Basia,
I could find out which dojo does that...I have pictures of this somewhere on one of the CDs from the Japan trip (there are literally like thousands of pictures as everyone traded discs with the photos they took..and I don't want to look through them all right now). I'll post it when I find it. And yes, it is kind of anathema to the focus on cleanliness that many attribute to the Japanese culture.

Chris,
So I'm kinda pissed now. I noticed you have what appears to be the Takeda crest on your user ID and your location is Baltimore, MD. I spent a little over two months in Hanover and was desperate to find a place to train! I trained at a few different places...but none as conducive to my Yoshinkan training mentality as I assume Daito Ryu would be. I would kill to get those months back and train at a Daito Ryu place for a couple months (I never have before!). Agh! I'm so mad at myself.

[Neal Earhart]

I have never washed my black belt.

I wash my gis after every class...it is a simple sanitary courtesy to the other people you work out. You may think your gis don't smell after a few classes, especially in the summer...but, they do. They also get dirty...nothing is more unsightly than a sweat-stained, dirty gi....

Also, take some clorox to them every so often...maybe every 10-15 washings or so...and no, it doesn't ruin them. I have cloroxed the heck out of many of my gis and I assure you, they are just fine...and some of them are quite old.

Wash your gi...!!!

I have multiple hakama. I use a deluxe polyester from Tozando for Iaido. That hakama gets washed regularly. I have Iwata indigo cotton hakama for aikdo. It gets washed about once every 2 months...or as needed.

I just don't understand how people can practice, sweat, come in contact with other people's sweat, and a mat surface and not wash their gis.

I was at a seminar in NJ in early May. There were a lot of participants who clearly never washed their gis or if they did...it was on a yearly basis...needless to say, I avoided working out with them...:yuck:

[ruthmc]

Damn, I wash my dogi like once a month. :/ I've gone like 6 months before. It is a heavy judo top. I hang up to dry everyday. No one ever said it smelled...I don't think it smells...and it stays white. Maybe I should wash it more. I wash my pants everyday...cuz that's just nasty!
Hi Maggie,

I think you're getting away with it because you train in a clean, well ventilated environment, and you're not a sweaty person, or getting much of other folks' sweat on your dogi.

However, you may find as you get older that you will sweat more - I'm a lot more sweaty in my late 30s than I was in my early 20's :yuck:

Some of our training sessions can be pretty intensive, and my dogi and hakama are both damp afterwards - I wear an Aikidogi which is made of thick cotton like a Judogi - so of course it must go straight in the wash! It's actually part of our dojo rules that you must wash your dogi after every class, and at Summer Camp many people wear a clean dogi in the afternoon because their morning one has got sweaty and dirty :) The laundry room there is always really busy :D

As for the not washing your belt thing, yes that is nasty and not based upon any kind of logic - an instructor may not need to wash belt and hakama as often as a student because s/he isn't getting such a workout, they're not sweating or rolling around. Fair enough. However, if the student doesn't wash their belt and is sweating through their dogi jacket regularly, then it will discolour and start to smell - ugh :yuck:

It's only fair on your training partners to wash your clothing as often as is required for it not to be an unpleasant experience to train with you :) And as your circumstances change, this may mean more frequent washing is required!

Ruth

[Keith Larman]

Just to state the obvious... A gi that smells obviously needs to be washed if for no other reason common courtesy. However, there are a *lot* of bad buggies out there that come off skin, the mat, blood, sweat, whatever. They exist everywhere. And they don't necessarily make a stink. A sweaty gi is probably a better host environment for many bad things, but that doesn't mean a dry, clean smelling gi is clean. Frankly a gi that has been through a month of workouts but hasn't been washed could very well be vastly more "bacterially dirty" than a gi that smells like the owners garlic chicken dinner from the night before.

I wash my gi after every class. I will line dry it when I can (sunshine is a wonderful thing). I periodically wash my belt and hakama (I know, sacrilegious). Every now and then I add a small bit of bleach (1/2 of what they recommend on the bottle for cleaning) for the gi itself. I fill the tank, let it agitate for a minute to mix the bleach and detergent, pause it, then drop in my gi. I let it agitate until the gi is saturated, pause it, then let it soak for a while. Then I turn it back on to finish the wash. It doesn't take much bleach to kill buggies, certainly less than it takes to "bleach" something white. At higher concentrations bleach will start to damage fiber. So if you're finding your gi is wearing out prematurely, cut back on the concentration. But constant washing will also wear things out faster. But that's what it costs to stay clean...

[Lyle Laizure]

I wash my hakama two maybe three times a year but in between washings I like to hang it up to air out.

[Janet Rosen]

The aikiweb public health nurse supports regular washing of all the things we wear :-)

[ninjaqutie]

My gi gets washed every other class. More in the summer because men leave big sweat puddles on the mat. GROSS! As far as my hakama goes, I have had it for a few months and have never washed it (though I only wear it in iaido). As for my obi, I have never washed it. Even belts I had for years in my previous style were never washed. The few people I know who wash their belt end up shrinking, fading, getting damaged or turn a completely different and ucky color. One guy in our dojo washed his white belt and ended up with a pinkish/brown belt. :O/

[Janet Rosen]

The few people I know who wash their belt end up shrinking, fading, getting damaged or turn a completely different and ucky color. One guy in our dojo washed his white belt and ended up with a pinkish/brown belt. :O/

Well clearly they need lessons in how to properly sort laundry, sheesh.....That is no excuse for not laundering.

[RED]

Hi Maggie,

I think you're getting away with it because you train in a clean, well ventilated environment, and you're not a sweaty person, or getting much of other folks' sweat on your dogi.

However, you may find as you get older that you will sweat more - I'm a lot more sweaty in my late 30s than I was in my early 20's :yuck:

Some of our training sessions can be pretty intensive, and my dogi and hakama are both damp afterwards - I wear an Aikidogi which is made of thick cotton like a Judogi - so of course it must go straight in the wash! It's actually part of our dojo rules that you must wash your dogi after every class, and at Summer Camp many people wear a clean dogi in the afternoon because their morning one has got sweaty and dirty :) The laundry room there is always really busy :D

As for the not washing your belt thing, yes that is nasty and not based upon any kind of logic - an instructor may not need to wash belt and hakama as often as a student because s/he isn't getting such a workout, they're not sweating or rolling around. Fair enough. However, if the student doesn't wash their belt and is sweating through their dogi jacket regularly, then it will discolour and start to smell - ugh :yuck:

It's only fair on your training partners to wash your clothing as often as is required for it not to be an unpleasant experience to train with you :) And as your circumstances change, this may mean more frequent washing is required!

Ruth

Really? I'll get sweatier as I get older? lol I never factored that in. :confused:
I take usually 2 classes a day(1 iif I'm hurty, which I have been this week because of a weekend seminar :( )...that might warrant more washing.
There is actually a laundry mat down from the dojo. I've been wondering if we should start collecting gi's for a regular washing. Honestly, some of the boys need to wash it more. They get this rotting milk smell :(

[RED]

Now,
I've only known one instructor that actually washed their hakama. The dojo is very clean and well ventilated though.
I'm wondering if it is normal that for the most part we don't wash the hakama.

[lbb]

I've only known one instructor that actually washed their hakama.

How many instructors do you know?

[RED]

How many instructors do you know?

my school has 7, only one washes the hakama.

I known many outside my dojo, but I can;t comment on their washing regularity because I'm not around them as much.

[Neal Earhart]

There have been times at seminars or while practicing at other dojos, where upon folding my hakama, it would "speak to me" telling me it's time for a washing. When I would say "time to wash my hakama" aloud...I was looked upon by others as if I were from outer-space...:crazy:

[cguzik]

As a matter of courtesy for my training partners, I would not show up on the mat in a keikogi that had not been washed since my last practice.

[Adam Huss]

Maggie,
That's pretty gross. Someone should definitely say something to those guys with stinky dogi. Some people don't realize that if you smell something...whatever is causing that smell exists even though you can't see it! I visited a dojo in Chicago where they had a washing machine in-house and most people just left their uniform there while dojo cho tossed them in the wash while he stayed after/in between class to take care of whatever he has to take care of. My dojo has a good relationship with the cleaner's a couple blocks down the street...in another thread one of the student's wrote about getting his pleats stitched there...so I think your right on target with wanting to check that place next to your dojo out. You can probably work our deals if you give them enough business.

Question for all:
How does bleaching do on uwagi with colored patches on them? My patch has black, red, gray, and gold thread in it. I normally wash it and pre-spray with one of those stain getter-outter bottles...but I'd like to no-kidding bleach my dogi once in a while as well.

Sweat comment:
I've noticed that I sweat way more now...I'm 27...than I did when I was 15 or even 23. I switch back and forth between three dogi so I'm not constantly washing one and wearing it out. Our reishiki dictates that everyone have clean breath, clipped nails, and a serviceable and clean dogi for every class (obviously judgement call...I've only seen people corrected for hygiene-related issues a few times)

V/R
A

[Phil Van Treese]

When I wear the hakama in class (rarely), I just get it drycleaned when needed. May cost a little but it comes out much nicer. The Gi gets washed every week, or more, depending on the usage. Can't stand, nor tolerate, someone with a smelly gi. YUK!!!! And I have come across a few like that and have refused to work with them. I could tell you horror stories about working out with people with smelly gis but won't. Have a good day.

[ninjaqutie]

Several of the yudansha at my dojo only wash theirs a few times a year. They mostly hang them up downstairs after class. Interesting to hear all the different views.

Like Adam, I have aquired a couple gi, so I really have no excuse not to wash mine. Each gi gets washed every other day. I actually have three gi, but one pair of pants has a hole in the knee... so I stopped wearing those. :D

[Adam Huss]

Oh yes,

Does anyone have experience washing a silk (or silk-based, rather) obi? I'm guessing its best to hand-wash belts anyway...

[Robert Jackson]

Well think about this for a moment.

You're on this mat training barefoot...
You're sweating, then falling/rolling/tumbling on the mat.
Your fellow students are doing the same.

Thus no matter how often you clean your mat, it's not clean once you start training. As you train germs, dirt, sweat. and funk from everyone in your class gets transferred to your hakama.

I dry clean my hakama (simply because ironing it will take to damn long). at least once a month.

I wash my belt about the same. (sometime I wonder if I should go to weekly...)

Personally I'm flabbergasted that people DON'T was this stuff.

[RED]

Maggie,
That's pretty gross. Someone should definitely say something to those guys with stinky dogi. Some people don't realize that if you smell something...whatever is causing that smell exists even though you can't see it! I visited a dojo in Chicago where they had a washing machine in-house and most people just left their uniform there while dojo cho tossed them in the wash while he stayed after/in between class to take care of whatever he has to take care of. My dojo has a good relationship with the cleaner's a couple blocks down the street...in another thread one of the student's wrote about getting his pleats stitched there...so I think your right on target with wanting to check that place next to your dojo out. You can probably work our deals if you give them enough business.

Question for all:
How does bleaching do on uwagi with colored patches on them? My patch has black, red, gray, and gold thread in it. I normally wash it and pre-spray with one of those stain getter-outter bottles...but I'd like to no-kidding bleach my dogi once in a while as well.

Sweat comment:
I've noticed that I sweat way more now...I'm 27...than I did when I was 15 or even 23. I switch back and forth between three dogi so I'm not constantly washing one and wearing it out. Our reishiki dictates that everyone have clean breath, clipped nails, and a serviceable and clean dogi for every class (obviously judgement call...I've only seen people corrected for hygiene-related issues a few times)

V/R
A

It took us a month once to track down a smell in the dojo. Turns out it was coming from the men's changing room...from one particular gi. :yuck: The owner(you know who you are!) was corrected, and there was a decision to force them to wash that gi regularly. But I think he literally went more than a month without washing it.

We got the same thing about hygiene. There are nail clippers and mouth wash, and Deodorant spray in the bathroom for a reason.
But I think only me and the Sensei have yet to use the mouth wash. We've had the same bottle for a year... :uch:

[Keith Larman]

Well think about this for a moment.

You're on this mat training barefoot...
You're sweating, then falling/rolling/tumbling on the mat.
Your fellow students are doing the same.

Not to mention those who walked into the rest room then came out on the mat. Or those who were walking around their house barefoot all day, toss on shoes, go to the dojo, take them off, then step on the mat... Next rub your gi into the brew repeatedly. Sweat a bit. Let it dry. And repeat. Hmmmm, sounds yummy...

I have a couple gi. Heck, on some nights when I do multiple classes I'll sometimes change gi tops to "retire" the first sweaty one. Just out of courtesy for my fellow students. Get home, toss them in the wash, maybe add a bit of bleach, and hit go. By the time I'm wound down enough to get some sleep they go in the dryer. All at late night "reduced" rates for energy.

[akiy]

In looking through the polls I used to conduct here on AikiWeb, I ran across one taken a little bit over five years ago:

"Do you wash your aikido belt?"
http://www.aikiweb.com/polls/results.html?poll_id=217

-- Jun

[ninjaqutie]

Thanks Jun!

[Janet Rosen]

Not to mention those who walked into the rest room then came out on the mat..

UGH! I HATE THAT!!! I always put my shoes or zori or SOMEthing on my feet before going into the bathroom.

[Walter Martindale]

A few comments...
Our dojo in Christchurch has a pair of "jandals" (flip-flops) inside the door of the loo, and people are expected to wear them between the door and the toilet.
I don't iron or dry clean the hakama. Throw it in a big net bag and wash it, and immediately take it out and fold it with all of the pleats. Then, lay it out (not all bundled up, but the pleats folded) on a towel on a drying rack, or on the ironing board, and let it dry. Creases stay in.
I'm currently working on a gi top that was purchased in 2000 - it's on its last legs and starting to get pretty thin in a lot of places - a gi that was purchased in 2006, and waiting delivery of one purchased through Takase sensei (NZ Shihan) connections with a Chinese gi manufacturer. Whether the gi gets washed or not depends on what training was done in it - if it was a hard one, the gi will be full of sweat (and all the other nasties) and will get washed. If the gi is essentially dry, the wash happens after session #2.
Re: Stink... On rare occasions I forget to take the gi out of the car boot/trunk between training sessions. I know right away whether I'm training next time when opening the gi-bag, by the smell. No smell? Training. Smell? Watching the practice... I won't impose that stink on myself, let alone others.
Once, in a summer in Vancouver, BC, I sweat about 4 kg during a judo practice, threw the gi in the trunk of the car after training, forgot about it, and couldn't even bear handling the thing when I arrived at the next scheduled training session. It was almost like I'd put a steak in there and closed it for a week in the summer. Washed it twice before I could use it again.

I think that after tonight's session I'll give the hakama a wash - it has, after all, been a few months.
Walter

[RED]

In looking through the polls I used to conduct here on AikiWeb, I ran across one taken a little bit over five years ago:

"Do you wash your aikido belt?"
http://www.aikiweb.com/polls/results.html?poll_id=217

-- Jun

lol, thanks Jun, I feel less crazy now.

[RED]

UGH! I HATE THAT!!! I always put my shoes or zori or SOMEthing on my feet before going into the bathroom.

Meh, the biggest pet peeve is when people run out the door barefoot, then back onto the mat. Their feet are black!

[Adam Huss]

It took us a month once to track down a smell in the dojo. Turns out it was coming from the men's changing room...from one particular gi. :yuck: The owner(you know who you are!) was corrected, and there was a decision to force them to wash that gi regularly. But I think he literally went more than a month without washing it.

We got the same thing about hygiene. There are nail clippers and mouth wash, and Deodorant spray in the bathroom for a reason.
But I think only me and the Sensei have yet to use the mouth wash. We've had the same bottle for a year... :uch:

There's always one... (that guy)

[Adam Huss]

Meh, the biggest pet peeve is when people run out the door barefoot, then back onto the mat. Their feet are black!

We've actually been really pushing that at the dojo. Not so much running outside...I don't think anyone does that...but there are two areas where one can exit the mat to the rest of the dojo (separated by a wall). One area goes to the carpeted area with benches/chairs that leads to the rest of the dojo...the other area exits to the tile floor in front of the doorway where we store shoes. Shoes are not permitted on the carpeted floor and Sensei wanted us to ensure people aren't exiting the mat onto the tile area as that is where all the crud from outside sits (until we sweep at the end of class).

Also, we mop every night with professional mat cleaner.

[RED]

We've actually been really pushing that at the dojo. Not so much running outside...I don't think anyone does that...but there are two areas where one can exit the mat to the rest of the dojo (separated by a wall). One area goes to the carpeted area with benches/chairs that leads to the rest of the dojo...the other area exits to the tile floor in front of the doorway where we store shoes. Shoes are not permitted on the carpeted floor and Sensei wanted us to ensure people aren't exiting the mat onto the tile area as that is where all the crud from outside sits (until we sweep at the end of class).

Also, we mop every night with professional mat cleaner.

The cleaner the mats the less dirty you get. I think that's important.

[Adam Huss]

i remember when in high school the majority of the wrestling team got ringworm because they were cleaning the mats and the weight room. Good thing I lifted at the YMCA! It was really gross. We made them all sit together at lunch and not associate with the rest of us until they were fixed!

[lbb]

We got the same thing about hygiene. There are nail clippers and mouth wash, and Deodorant spray in the bathroom for a reason.

On a safety note -- sharing nail clippers is not a good idea. Skin breaks are common when using nail clippers even if there is not visible blood, and there are pathogens -- hepatitis B, to mention just one -- that will live happily for a week on a pair of nail clippers, just waiting to be transmitted to the next person who uses them.

[Adam Huss]

I always referred to the dojo nail clippers as the clippers of shame! They were pretty nasty and rusty looking and I think it served as a reminder to not forget to have hygiene taken care of before you come to the dojo. I am sure if someone really needed on the spot nail clipping, one of their friends would have relatively clean clippers...I know I always did. And there is always some kind of peroxide or alcohol to douse those things with if needed.

Now on to the discussion about boys from the kids class not taking time to aim when they go to pee! I think my teacher had to take them into the office with their parents and have a little "come to Jesus" moment with them. As he said to me "I see one of those kids go into the bathroom and they come back out like four seconds later....they can't be that good." Regardless, one of the seniors usually rush to mop the heck out of the bathroom before we start (after kids class). Its always a priority.

[Christine Morris]

It's been enlightening to read everyone's take on hakama, obi and gi laundering frequency, and aikidoka hygiene in general.

As far as hygiene goes, I'm happy to report that everybody I train with at my dojo (with the exception of *one* guy who will remain nameless) not only are clean, they often smell damn good. Several of my sempai dry-clean their hakama from time to time.

I hand-washed my hakama for the first time last week; I got it in July. I hung it on the line to dry. I washed my obi too, risking the wrath of the gods: I was teasingly warned that doing so would "wash the training out." I wash gi's after every use. Hell, I even started using a bit of fabric softener so they come out extra-fresh. When it comes to aikido training, I appreciate training partners who have high standards of cleanliness, and I imagine they feel the same way. ;)

[Keith Larman]

lol, thanks Jun, I feel less crazy now.

Well, I don't see how that is much consolation. First of all they're talking about the obi only. That is usually hidden away for the most part under the hakama. Not washing a gi for an extended time is another thing entirely...

Heck, there are those who claim that upwards of 30-40% don't wash their hands after using a public restroom. That so many don't is hardly a good excuse.

[Adam Huss]

Heck, there are those who claim that upwards of 30-40% don't wash their hands after using a public restroom. That so many don't is hardly a good excuse.

That's a conservative estimate. I travel a lot and I hardly ever see people washing their hands after they go potty. I've said stuff to a few people, but mostly I just give em dirty looks.

[Walter Martindale]

That's a conservative estimate. I travel a lot and I hardly ever see people washing their hands after they go potty. I've said stuff to a few people, but mostly I just give em dirty looks.

There's a really bad joke.. Army guy says, "we're taught to wash our hands after we use the toilet". Navy guy says, "we're taught not to get any on our hands." There, I said it was bad...

I keep a bottle of Purell or other equivalent in the map pocket of the car for after Aikido - we grab our feet during warm up. We scrabble on the floor, we grab other's wrists (and others grab our wrists) after grabbing their feet, using the toilet, etc., and - I wash my hands or use the Purell...

While we need to not be obsessive about cleanliness - our immune systems need some stimulus - use it or lose it, we also need to look after ourselves and attempt to not share too many bugs.

Whee.
Walter

[ruthmc]

I washed my obi too, risking the wrath of the gods: I was teasingly warned that doing so would "wash the training out."
Aaaarrrghhhhhh! How can a piece of cloth have any memory of your training? This is about as logical as thinking that your jo can remember the kata or your bokken can remember the suburi... :rolleyes:

Aikido training is remembered in your mind and body, not in anything you wear or carry - c'mon people can we have some logical thinking about this please?

Ruth

[Keith Larman]

While we need to not be obsessive about cleanliness - our immune systems need some stimulus - use it or lose it, we also need to look after ourselves and attempt to not share too many bugs.

Yeah, I don't see this as a complicated or difficult issue. To me it is simply common courtesy. I don't particularly care if someone has poor hygiene habits in their home or with their family. Whatever. However, the moment they step into the dojo it becomes everyone's concern.

Wash the damned gi...

I worked for a few years when I was in college sterilizing medical instruments. The stuff I read and learned while doing that forever convinced me of the absolute power of a little water, soap, and rubbing. Some bad bugs are really hard to kill once they get entrenched. But those same things are so easily prevented most of the time by simply keeping everything reasonably clean. An ounce of prevention...

[RED]

Well, I don't see how that is much consolation. First of all they're talking about the obi only. That is usually hidden away for the most part under the hakama. Not washing a gi for an extended time is another thing entirely...

Heck, there are those who claim that upwards of 30-40% don't wash their hands after using a public restroom. That so many don't is hardly a good excuse.

Yeah I never wash my belt lol

I DO wash my gi for the record :p

[David Board]

It's a hockey stick not a Jo but this thread reminded me of this ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Vf-uazeAA

Of course, there is nothing like hockey equipment for skin infections.
http://ozoneshockers.com/hockeydirtysecret.htm

[Eli]

I washed my belt once and now I know why they call it bad luck. My belt became soft as a tie and had to buy a new one. :p

Might be good to use under the hakama though later when I get it.