Wash BJJ Gis That Are Black Without Turning Them Gray:
Last week, I showed you guys how I prefer to wash my white jiu-jitsu gis when they are extra funky or getting dingy. In all honesty, I try to use at least some of those methods even if I don’t have the time to soak my gis, because the lawd knows how the bjj gear can stink to high heaven after years of sweat hard work.
Great! We have a good starting point for washing our bjj gis. But, what about our black bjj gis or other dark bjj gis (I know tatami has come out with an array of colors for bjj gis)? Well, as I told you guys, I suffer from a lot of obsessive compulsive behaviors, so I can’t have my black gis turning gray on me. No sir! That will just not do.
What to Use to Wash Your Black BJJ Gis:
- White Vinegar
- Black Coffee
- Woolite Extra Dark Care
Vinegar
Like I told you: Vinegar whitens, freshens (yes, freshens), and softens fabrics. Add 1 cup (and not a drop more!) along with your regular laundry detergent. DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE VINEGARY SMELL! It dissipates after it evaporates and the fabric is dry. It can also be used with stains; spray a stained spot with 100% undiluted white vinegar before washing.
Black Coffee
Coffee is widely known by the DIY and frugal community as a natural deodorizer. It can also work as a dye. I brew two full pots of black coffee to wash my 3 dark gis and nogi stuff (a full, but not stuffed, washer). What else do you need to know to use this!? It will deodorize all of the nasty sweat your body produces as well as the sweat you borrowed from all of your training partners. Although I’d love for my Gis to smell like coffee, the smell mostly fades and gives in to the smell of your detergent.
Woolite Extra Dark Care (Detergent)
I don’t know how it’s made, how it works, or what is in it. But, what I do know, it just works. Period.
Note:
I recommend you use this method as often as possible if you want to keep your black, dark, and blue gis looking as new as possible.
To wash my black bjj gis, I prefer to use all of the aforementioned ingredients and let everything soak overnight in COLD water. If you have your own washing machine, washing your black bjj gis is very simple: start the washer with cold water, add the detergent, and then add at least two cups of brewed black coffee per gi (the more the better in my observations, like I said, I use as much as two full pots), and finally add a cup of vinegar. Allow the wash cycle to begin for a few minutes to agitate the fabrics and begin the cleaning process, but stop it before the rinse cycle begins. Then, soak for as long as possible (preferably overnight).
When you are ready to wash, bring the knob back to the beginning of the wash cycle and let it run all the way through. Then, hang to dry inside your house where it’s safe from sunlight as sunlight will cause the black and colors to fade.
If you don’t have your own washing machine, do what I do; simply turn your shower tub into a soaking station.
How to Wash A BJJ Gi When You Don’t Have A Washer:
- Make sure the water won’t drain
- Fill up the tub about an 1/8 full (this isn’t exact science just eye ball it) with cold water
- Add all of your washing tools including your detergent
- Swish the mixture around using the handle part of a broom, or what-have-you, until it’s dissolved,
- Add your black bjj gis or black clothes
- Make sure there is enough water to barely cover all of the fabrics
- Use the broom to agitate everything as if you were washing by hand
- Soak for as long as you possibly can (a couple of hours is good, overnight is better)
- Transfer to a washing machine and wash as normal
There you have it folks. Use these methods to wash your black bjj Gis or black clothes to keep the dark and majestic look you intended. Ladies like their men tall, dark, and handsome. This won’t make you any taller, handsome (like me), or even darker, for that matter, but it will show them that you know a thing or two about a thing or two.
The Gi I wore on the day I received my bjj purple belt, is a cheap Woldorf Gi that I bought way back in 2008 when I was still a white belt. So, trust me, using these things will definitely help keep your black Gis from fading.
This is also How I Wash A Blue Gi to Clean it Well and Preserve the Color on a New Gi…
I’ll let you in on a little secret; I use this exact same method with my blue Gis. In fact, I wash my blue bjj Gis with my black bjj Gis together using these methods and they look/smell great.
How Often Should I Wash My BJJ Gi?
After every training session! Don’t be that guy that thinks it’ll be okay to wear his gi twice, or, dare I say, thrice before washing your bjj gi. YOU MUST WASH YOUR BJJ GI AFTER EACH AND EVERY TRAINING SESSION. Period.
Follow me: @rubeneavila
Thanks for the info! I just got my GI and this post was so thorough.
Hey Jessica! Thanks for coming here and letting me know. Hope it helps!
Wow this is very informative for me. Unfortunately a year late, my blue gi looks like it’s been sandblasted. There is also my black rash guard that smells great out of the wash, but as soon as I warm up slightly when training, the weird funk smell returns. I stopped wearing it, but I will try your method so I can wear it again.
John, thanks for coming by and posting a comment! Terrible news about your blue gi sir, but at least now you know. If I may, I suggest you soak the rashguards for as long as you can to really help the smell get out of there. Every time my rashguards start to smell, a good soak in my washing solution makes a huge difference.
When i transfer my black and blue gi’s to the wash do I add more detergent or just let the water hit it?
Hi Chris, sorry I didn’t see your comment. I don’t typically add any more detergent. I haven’t seen the need for any more. Thanks for stopping by and asking a question. Sign up for the newsletter for more updates.
1 cup of vinegar per GI or just one toatl
Hey Troy, thanks for stopping by. One cup could work for up to two gis.
Hi, just wondering if you also need to add oxi clean ? As you mentioned before “vinegar softens the fabric”, will it actually damage your gi faster ?
Lastly, do you fill up the washing with water and everything else first before you put your gi in or just put the gi in first and fill it up with everything ? Does it matter which way?
Thanks for the great article!
Do you need to add oxi clean? No, I don’t think you do. Vinegar has not deteriorated my gis any more than natural wear and tear. In fact, only one of my Gis has ever torn and that is because I used bleach like an idiot (for the white gis). I put the Gi in last. Thanks for dropping by Richard!
You mentioned that vinegar whitens. How does it help keep the black color of my Gi if it whitens? I am confused.
Apart from that, you let your Gi soak in the vinegar and coffee and he next day you wash it right?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Carlos, thanks for dropping by. I don’t have an answer for you, unfortunately. It just works. Everything I have researched shows that it’s great for setting colors and preserving dark fabrics from fading. Yes, soak it in the coffee and vinegar after distressing it a bit. It’s crazy but it works with the benefit that the Gis will smell a little like java. =D
I’ll have to quote a line from Joe Dirt here,”Hey! How exactly is a rainbow made? How exactly does a sun set? How exactly does a posi-trac rear-end on a Plymouth work? It just does, baby.”
So yeah, it just does. lol
Hi Carlos, vinegar doesn’t actually whitens your white gi, from the little thing I know about chemistry (and don’t quote me on this) I believe vinegar has particular enzymes that reacts with sweat/stain. So it doesn’t technically whiten your Gi, it just eats away the stain to make it look whiter.
And I suppose it’s the same thing with the black gi, just that it doesn’t react with the dye, so your black gi remains black.
Thanks for chiming in, Phil!
I just saw your post now, i wonder if your black gi’s have any patches or designs with bright colors (yellow, red, white, etc). If so, washing with coffee did not ruin them? I plan to do it but I had to make sure. Thanks! Oss!
They had embroidery but no cloth patches. Everything looked great.
whats your thoughts on retayne or dye catchers ?about to open a bnib sweet navy AP kinda thinking about the first wash ! any advice?
Never used any, please let me know how it goes!
Hi Ruben
need your opinion
Dark Gi:
1- soak with white vinegar (2 cups) for 30 min
2- wash with cold water + Woolite Dark
White Gi:
1- soak with white vinegar (2 cups) for 30 min
2- wash with cold water + Tide Sport
For the dark and colored Gis, yes. For white Gis I wrote a specific post on that.
Dude, good stuff! I’ve actually written my own post on washing a gi, but didn’t include anything about dark gis.
May I copy a bit of link back to you? Here’s my guide: https://bjjbear.com/how-to-wash-gi/
For sure bro. Door video btw.
Thanks, Ruben!