crisp white gi's
Hi there,
I'm wondering if you do anything extra to keep or revamp gi's the condition you bought them. I know mine turn a pale white after a while and the stains on the insides of the collar, wrists and waist of pants become more and more, well, like yellowish/brownish stains. Usually I wash them after class either the same evening or the next morning on medium heat with a detergent for white clothing. I feel like using a light bleach soon to make them turn white again. Bad idea or not? Thx! |
Re: crisp white gi's
I wash mine in cold water with regular detergent and a bit of bleach. My original gi is a cheapie lightweight cotton karate gi and its only just beginning to really show wear after a year of being used 3x a week.
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Re: crisp white gi's
Bleach if diluted as directed is fine; too strong and it eats the cotton. You could also try old fashioned "bluing" (an optical dye) in the washer water. It is good for keeping whites bright by counteracting the yellowing; however, if you already have extensive yellowing it probably is too late. The staining should have been addressed right from the start. :-(
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Re: crisp white gi's
I buy my gi laundry detergent from a neighborhood mercado. We have a very high Hispanic population in our area and I use "Foca" brand on my gi. I was tipped off by a friend who had noted how bright and white socker player's uniforms are and why. I don't recommend bleach at all because it tends to damage the fabric, even if you use it properly.
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Re: crisp white gi's
I'm fairly anal about keeping my gi clean. Shout! stain remover, White Brite, and white vineagar are my laundering tools and they have served me well.
Shout! is a great stain remover to use around the collar or other problem areas each time prior to washing. White Brite is great for removing yellowing and brightening up dingy whites. Give a good long soak - even overnight - if your gi is in really bad condition. (http://www.summitbrands.com/brands/WhiteBrite.aspx) White vinegar does charms as a rinse cycle additive. Helps keep the gi soft, white, and odor free. Good luck! ...rab |
Re: crisp white gi's
Normal wash with a drop of bleach, I still have two ``white `` Milom Judo gi's that I bought in the late 1950s
Henry Ellis http://kenshiroabbe.blogspot.com/ |
Re: crisp white gi's
Try rubbing liquid detergent directly into the collar or wherever it is yellowish. Then put into the laundry as usual.
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Re: crisp white gi's
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Re: crisp white gi's
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For regular maintenance, the white vinegar is typically added to the rinse cycle. About 1/2 cup. I do this whenever I have the white vinegar on hand and remember. You can certainly do it with every wash with no fear of harming your clothes (much gentler than bleach). It's a great inexpensive and natural alternative to fabric softener, which can leave residue on the gi and interfere with its moisture absorbing capabilities. ...rab |
Re: crisp white gi's
Hey all,
Thank you very much for all the input!! :D I'll try the vinegar thing, I already do the liquid detergent directly on the stains prior before washing. Any ideas on how much bleach to use? Say I want to wash 2 gi's at ones, how much bleach would you use? How much should I defintately NOT use? Should have done these things long as soon I started using gi's... let's see how white I can get my gi's again. |
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Re: crisp white gi's
For those who suggest adding white vinegar, doesn't that make the uniform smell like vinegar?
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Re: crisp white gi's
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I have one gi that has shrunk a lot with warm water and hot laundry dry. Now I only wash it in cold water and hang dry. I just ordered a new gi and I'm a little hesitant to "break it in" for fear of shrinkage. ~Scott |
Re: crisp white gi's
I just wash mine with detergent in cold water. When it gets too worn, I buy a new one :)
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Re: crisp white gi's
Thats what I do with the one I have currently even though I did initially wash it in hot water and machine dried it to break it in.
Might just cold wash the new one from the start if it fits good. |
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The hotter the water, the more the gi will shrink - especially if you run it on the agitation cycle multiple times. With cold water, the agitation doesn't shrink the gi to nearly the same extent - though it still may a little bit. I've personally never found this to be a problem since a half inch shrinkage in a gi is not usually an issue for me. So - for a gi that is slightly too large, I'll wash it cold and break it in with the repeated agitation and vinegar. For a gi that is much too large, I'll wash on the hottest cycle and add a pot of almost boiling water to the load as well. I let it agitate several cycles. Then I rinse on hot and throw it in a hot dryer. Sometimes, I need to do this twice or three times to get the shrinkage I need. If you have a gi that fits you perfectly - then I would baby it. I would probably only break it in with an overnight cold vinegar soak - no extra agitation. Run it in a normal cycle on cold, rinse in cold, and line dry. It may not be a soft as you'd like but better to start off a little too stiff then a little too small. It'll always get softer on the mat. |
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