The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Your Karate Gi
Hang drying karate uniforms in front of the AC unit in my home.
How to Wash your Karate Gi
Karate uniforms are often white. They are also often made from a slow-drying heavy cotton canvas. These attributes are not ideal for workout clothing, especially for the many of us who train hard and sweat a lot.
Allow my personal experience of 20 years of unintentionally destroying my own karate gi to help you not make the same mistakes I did and be able to consistently show up to class with a sparkling white uniform! ✨🥋
Step 1: Wash out the sweat and kill all of the bacteria and mold
Your sweat has bacteria in it that can grow into mold and start to smell. We need to kill this bacteria and the best way I have found to accomplish this is regular detergent, Borax and cold water. Borax is an alkaline agent, which not only kills mold and bacteria, but also enhances the cleaning ability of laundry soap, which works best in an alkaline environment. Cold water is the other key because mold and bacteria love to proliferate in a warm environment.
Step 2: Ensure the gi stays sparkling white
Core to maintaining a gi for years of practice is to make sure it stays a brilliant white. While many turn to bleach for this, it can cause issues like causing yellowing and prematurely break down the fabric. Instead, I recommend a bluing agent (like Mrs. Stewart’s Bluing).
As white clothes age, the blue dye that is in them that makes them appear extra white when you buy them starts to wear out. Bluing agent counteracts this natural yellowing by basically slightly redying it with each wash. Mix a few drops into a cup of water and then toss it into the laundry load before starting the cycle.
Step 3: Dry the gi as quickly as possible without shrinking it
After washing, the last step is to remove all moisture from the fabric before any remaining bacteria or mold can grow, without accidentally shrinking it. The key to this is to hang dry it in a place with plenty of airflow until only the collar remains damp, then throw it into the dryer on low until it’s fully done. Hang drying in the sun is the best possible option because the UV in sunlight both kills bacteria and naturally whitens fabrics; win-win!
Fast Facts Summary:
🧼 Throw a scoop of borax in with your gi, alongside your regular laundry detergent to kill everything in there.
🦠 Bacteria prefers to grow in a warm environment. Use cold water only for your wash cycle to both further prevent anything staying alive and to avoid shrinkage.
💙 Mix up a few drops of bluing agent into a small cup of water and pour it into the laundry load to keep your gi bright white.
🌞 Hang dry until only the collar is still damp, then throw in the dryer to finish the job. This prevents shrinking from the dryer, while stopping the moisture that grows mold dead. Bonus points for hang drying in the sun.
“Do you train multiple times a week? Buy two gi and cycle between them, this will extend their life exponentially and allow you to properly clean and dry them before each training session. ”
And that is it! I have followed this process for years cycling between two extremely expensive made-in-Japan heavy-weight karate gi from Isami and have been mold-free the entire time. Good luck with your training and your laundry! Osu!
The Isami K-420 karate gi is a premium lighter weight uniform designed for full-contact styles like Kyokushin and Yoshukai. Built from a premium, brilliant white cotton canvas, this gi includes many full-contact specific features including:
Extra-wide leg and gussets for easy high kicks
Shorter sleeves and no jacket ties to prevent ripping during intense kumite
Draw-string waist
Jacket/Pants only, no belt
100% Cotton, No 11. Katsuragi bleached white canvas with reinforced stitching
Designed in Japan, made in China
This is a truly beautiful, premium karate gi. The sparkling, polished white canvas is light-weight but feels extremely durable. The fabric has a very smooth, tight grain to it, making it feel cool to the touch.
Isami produces some of the finest gi available and is well-known in Japan for their quality and attention to detail.
Need a New Karate Gi?
Already accidentally destroyed your gi, or just need an upgrade? Don’t worry, we got you! We sell some of the best quality uniforms, straight from Japan, right here in Canada!
