washing your Gi

dineshm · Yellow Belt

The NW3 doesn't shrink that much at all.
After the first wash , or 2, that's about it(in cold water of course).

NewEnglands_KyoSa · Pre-Black Belt

my instructors uniform for tsd is very thick and very dense so i was it in cool water with tide (no fabric softener it tends to yellow it) and then i dry it because i have no fear of it shrinking and i dont care if it does, i just want the wear and tear of the dryer so if will continue softening up! as for my kempo uniform, i can wear whatever i want as long as its black, so i have a middleweight uni and i just wash it however because i don't have to worry about stiffness. i do hang it though because i DO have fear of that shrinking.
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"Smile. Show everyone that today you're stronger than you were yesterday."

white owl · Orange Belt

I wash in cold water and I hang dry. For sweat stains I soak in dish soap and some oxiclean and little bit of gain laundry powder. It takes alot of the yellow out from sweat. For shrinking I went through 2 gi tops one mine and the other my husband before figure out not to dry them. DO NOT DRY. Seriously. And a student used bleach on his proforce gi and it ate holes in it, I never had a problem using a little bit of bleach but I stoped after I seen what it did to his gi.

ying&yang · Purple Belt

I keep getting this smae question , just wash it like you would your other cloths there is no difference.
Cold/cold wash and dry naturally.
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I think that there is no 1 style , and that to truly become a great martial artist and person you must take information from where ever you can.

blackxpress · Yellow Belt

My Century heavyweight gi shrinks no matter what I do. OTOH, my Kamikaze heavyweight gi never shrinks, although I wish it would. It was always a little too big and now I've lost some weight so it really doesn't fit me that well. I wash it hot/cold and dry it on high after every class and it still doesn't shrink. Go figure.

NewEnglands_KyoSa · Pre-Black Belt

Ninjanoir78 · Yellow Belt

JohnASE · Yellow Belt

Obviously, there's no single answer to this. Different brands or even different models within a brand will not wash the same way. To be safe, wash in cold and hang dry.

SHRINKAGE
How much a gi will shrink depends on a lot of factors. Generally speaking, heavier weight gis shrink less, and tighter weaves shrink less. Many gis are pre-shrunk, but there are varying degrees of this. Most high quality gis are 100% cotton, especially the heavy weights, but some of them are synthetic blends. Synthetics tend to shrink and wrinkle less, but typically don't breath as well. Most gis should be washed in cold but many are okay in warm.

BLEACH/FABRIC SOFTENER
As mentioned, bleach can eat holes in gis. I've seen it happen lots of times. Even when it doesn't eat holes, it can make the material weaker and more brittle. I recommend not using bleach. Even be careful of detergents with bleach in them. Many have had good luck with non-bleach whiteners. Also, I've heard that fabric softeners can damage fibers in the long run, but I don't have a reliable source for that.

HOT HOT WATER
One reputable gi manufacturer told us that washing gis in extremely hot water will not only make them shrink, but will actually damage the fibers. I don't remember how hot he said it was, nor do I remember if that applied to a hot drier, too. It's better to avoid high heat.

INSIDE OUT
Some people recommend washing clothing inside out. One friend's gi developed holes along the creases. I bet if she washed her gi inside out, that wouldn't have happened, or at least not as quickly.

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