BJJ Gi Care Guide
Ever wondered what the best way to care for your new Gi is? Most newcomers to the sport will think you can just wash and dry it like the rest of your clothes. Wrong! Doing so could be a costly mistake and wreck your GI in more ways than one.
Washing
You should always wash your GI straight away after class. Leaving it in a gym bag even if it is just overnight can lead to the GI discolouring, smelling and also harbouring germs. Don’t be that stinky germ spreading guy. It’s not nice for your instructor or fellow students.
You should always wash your GI inside out on a cold or 30 degree wash. This will minimise the shrinkage and colour fading. (40 degre is OK). Washing it on a higher heat setting can result in excessive shrinkage, colour fading and warp the lapel.
Drying
Let us start by saying that you should NEVER put your GI in a tumble dryer.
You should let your GI dry naturally by hang drying. Any excessive heat can fade the colour, damage and/or weaken the stress points, warp your lapel and melt certain types of patches.
Make sure that when drying your GI it is fully opened out and is free to have air pass around it on all sides. So, no bunched up sleeves or letting it dry on a flat surface. This can cause it to dry unevenly and make the GI smell damp as it cannot dry quick enough.
Ironing
Please do not!
Shrinking
We need to point out that all GIs will shrink a little after the first wash but depending on the material the GI is made from and how you wash and dry your GI will determine how much it shrinks.
Some will shrink loads on a standard wash whereas some other materials will not even shrink an inch when washed on a high heat.
Please note that putting your GI in a tumble dryer will definitely shrink your gi!