One of the most essential things for Jiu Jitsu is a clean Gi. A bulky, tough material; often absorbing sweat. Ever had a partner that left a pungent wake? Most definitely they forgot to wash their Gi after last class, left their Gi in their gym bag overnight! Or perhaps a newbie didn’t know when to begin washing their uniform. Well some of Master Marcus’ steps to taking care of this important uniform might benefit a training partner or you!
When washing this essential piece of wear you must wash the Gi the night of your training, you wouldn’t want the scent of sweat to mature into the fabric. When washing your Gi, you would take the same care as any normal clothing; using laundry detergent, fabric softener, and in the normal temperature of water. However, to avoid shrinkage…DO NOT put your Gi in the dryer! As well, DO NOT put your belt in the washer or dryer! Doing this could shrink your belt, remove your stripes and over time wash away the pigmented colour of your belt. You can keep your belt free of germs by hanging to dry after training and spraying with some lysol. You could hang your Gi overnight for it to dry completely. Marcus personally pust his Gi in the dryer for 20 minutes and then hangs to dry. The Gi may be tough to touch but not tough enough to ward off the stench of the nightly roll.
Although traditional, the white Gi can become inconvenient. Often turning a light brown from sweat and a build up from friction. A recommendation for cleaning your white Gi, is stepping away from the traditional, and toxic bleach and turning to OXICLEAN! Soak the pristine white in a tub of water with a scoop of oxiclean overnight and let the magic happen!
Another problem with the white Gi would be blood! How heartbreaking it would be to have your white Gi stained from blood. However, a personal recommendation from Master Marcus is to spray with peroxide immediately and STEP BACK TO THE MAT! The blood will disappear!
If maintenance for the traditional white Gi becomes too much of a hassle…keep your white Gi for that special event such as; tournaments, gradings, team events and team pictures! And opt in for the more convenient options such as a Black or Blue Gi. (still colors that are typically allowed at most major tournaments). Eventually if you are enchanted into the BJJ lifestyle and adapt a more rigorous training regime you will want to have more than one Gi. Rotating Gi’s is another way to make your Gi’s last longer and avoid one Gi getting overly abused with your sweat.
One more very essential piece of advice is keeping your undergarments fresh. You haven’t trained BJJ long enough if you haven’t accidentally left your Rashguard or other under garments in your bag overnight. Do not make the mistake of giving these things a wiff just to see if they smell! Trust! It will smell like a cat urinated in your bag! Just throw those suckers straight into the machine. If these undergarments are left to stew too long in your bag or unwashed in a ball on the floor, please your partner begs you, do not think you can get away with wearing them to class! It is very likely that these gems are now tossable. Your Professors and gym owners also really appreciate when you take all your belongings home, there is nothing worse then picking up a Gi or sweat soaked rash guard that isn’t yours, or even worse discovering it a couple of days later and wondering what that wretched smell is as you walk into your gym!
So protect your partners noses, protect your mats and keep them disease free and protect your investment and wash your training gear the night of your training and if you absolutely can’t get to it that night, lay it out to dry and wash first thing.
