Keep Your Karate Uniform Clean

By Author: Weston Barnes
Total Articles: 1
Comment this article

As a martial arts student, your uniform is an important symbol of your hard work and developing skills. You may be practicing tae kwon do, karate or another form of martial arts, but there’s a very good chance that your gi is white. This often presents a serious challenge as you spend a lot of time working out and sweating in your uniform. How can you possibly hope to keep the uniform clean and your white bright and looking great? Fortunately, there are a couple of habits you can develop that will help you protect the fabric of your karate uniform, adult or child sizes. Plus, take a look at how to treat any karate gloves for sale that you purchase.

Fabric

Most uniforms, or gis, are made of a cotton/poly blend or 100 percent cotton. The fabric may be lightweight, middleweight, or heavyweight. The lightweight options tend to be cheaper and are intended to fit children who will grow through multiple uniforms. Mid-weight uniforms are a bit heavier, but still not as durable as an advanced student might need. Adult or instructor uniforms are generally made of 100 percent cotton. A blend of cotton and polyester tends ...
... to be easier to care for, but the heavier cotton karate uniform adult gis will last longer, sometimes offering up to 10 years of heavy activity.

Presoak

This is one of the most effective things you can do to get your uniform clean and protect its nice white color. Start with a large bucket of warm water and then add a cap of heavy duty laundry detergent and one cup of baking soda. The soda will neutralize the odor of your heavy workouts. This is an especially important step when you are washing a karate uniform adult size (with accompanying smells, etc.) Leave the uniform to soak for at least an hour. An overnight soak would be best, if you can manage. If you have hard water, you’ll need to add one other ingredient. A water conditioner (not fabric softener) will work with the detergent to ensure better results.

No Bleach

Sometimes people are tempted to bleach their uniforms, but this can weaken the fabric and may result in permanently yellowed fabric. Bleach might also destroy any patches or decorative embroidery on your gi. Instead, wash your gi in its own batch, without any other clothing. Use your favorite detergent in warm water and do not use any fabric softener. Once the wash cycle has finished, hang the gi to air dry. Allowing it to hang in the sun will result in a brighter white.

Gloves

If you have additional gear, such as those karate gloves for sale in many shops, you’ll want to give it some attention as well. The exterior can be wiped off with a mild bleach/water mix. You can reduce the smell and grime on the inside of your gloves by wearing a hand cloth. Alternatively, you might hand wash the inside of the gloves with detergent and a disinfectant. Keep this in mind when you buy those karate gloves for sale.