# What do you use to clean your dobak?



## TKDinAK (Apr 5, 2012)

My dobaks have been getting a bit sweat stained. Yellowish. Are there any tricks or tips in getting them white again? If not, how about keeping them white from the start? Thanks!


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## ralphmcpherson (Apr 5, 2012)

Napisan works pretty well. I learnt early on though, never to let sweat dry on the uniform. As soon as I get home it goes through the wash, and if for some reason I cant wash it then and there, I just leave it in a bucket of water till I can wash it, but I never let it dry with sweat on it.


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## Dirty Dog (Apr 5, 2012)

I'm wioth Ralph on this. Once they start turning yellow, I just give up and replace them.


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## Cyriacus (Apr 5, 2012)

What blasphemy is this? Not wanting Your Dobok to be covered in blood and grit, and drenched in sweat, and stained with the rigors of combat!



ralphmcpherson said:


> Napisan works pretty well. I learnt early on though, never to let sweat dry on the uniform. As soon as I get home it goes through the wash, and if for some reason I cant wash it then and there, I just leave it in a bucket of water till I can wash it, but I never let it dry with sweat on it.



...Napisan does indeed work pretty well


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## ralphmcpherson (Apr 6, 2012)

Cyriacus said:


> What blasphemy is this? Not wanting Your Dobok to be covered in blood and grit, and drenched in sweat, and stained with the rigors of combat!
> 
> 
> 
> ...Napisan does indeed work pretty well


Hey, I never said I condone the removal of blood


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## puunui (Apr 6, 2012)

TKDinAK said:


> My dobaks have been getting a bit sweat stained. Yellowish. Are there any tricks or tips in getting them white again? If not, how about keeping them white from the start? Thanks!



The trick is to not wear them continuously without washing them. I have at least 30 v necks, if not more, and I rotate them. I only wear them once and then throw them in them in the wash.


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## d1jinx (Apr 6, 2012)

Like Puunui said,

*OWN MORE THAN 1 *and rotate wearing them. Like anything you wear, the more you wear it the faster it will wear-out.  Its not ment to last forever.

I never understood why people would own a different shirt for each day of the week, yet try to own the same single dobuk from white belt to black belt.


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## Bill Mattocks (Apr 6, 2012)

This works well on white cotton material that has yellowed:

http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Stewarts-Bluing-8oz/dp/B001NEMV3Q

It should be noted that too much bleach can yellow white cloth also.  The temptation is always to use a bit more bleach when it doesn't get white clothes really white, but it can have the opposite effect.  Bluing works well for me, also in moderation.  I'd suggest testing it on something else first, but I've had good results with it.


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## Earl Weiss (Apr 6, 2012)

TKDinAK said:


> My dobaks have been getting a bit sweat stained. Yellowish. Are there any tricks or tips in getting them white again? If not, how about keeping them white from the start? Thanks!




Before you wash it put full strength liquid laundry detergent on the stains and let it soak for a few minutes before you toss it in the wash. 

Works for lots of stains. 

You may need to do this a few times but you can wear it in between rather than just washing it a few times in a row.

Report back.


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## rlobrecht (Apr 6, 2012)

I found I have to wear a t-shirt under my dobok (Under Armor performance type shirt.)  It keeps me more comfortable, and significantly reduces the amount of sweat that makes it to the dobok.  I have 4 doboks, two of which are colored (which are easier to keep clean looking, but are fading.)


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## Steve (Apr 6, 2012)

I actually have an entire blog article on washing the gi.  All of the items also apply to doboks.

http://www.stevebjj.com/2009/07/01/washing-the-bjj-gi/

For yellowing, I'd try using white vinegar. It's dirt cheap and way better for your clothes than bleach.  Seriously.  I use it in the wash instead of bleach. It's also good in the rinse, in lieu of fabric softener.  I typically use about 1/2 cup for each, but if you're looking at yellowing, you might try a little more.   And vinegar help with bacteria, which can cause odor.  

And don't worry.  Your clothes will not smell at all like vinegar.  

Bluing agents also work okay for clothes that are dingy overall.  But it's going to mask the yellow by basically color correcting it.  The end result is that the stains will still be there.  They'll just be less... yellow. It's exactly what it sounds like.  Blue and yellow are complementary colors, so when you mix them together, the clothes look like a brighter white.

Personally, I'd recommend you try white vinegar.  And read my blog.  But if you're only going to do one or the other, try white vinegar.


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## IRISH KMA (Apr 6, 2012)

Steve is exactly right.  I spray white vinegar right onto the armpits and it prevents the yellow stains.  I also agree with everybody else that you wash it right when you get home.  Also speed stick makes a product that prevents your armpits from getting the yellow stains that works pretty well. 


 Hope it helps!


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## Gwai Lo Dan (Apr 6, 2012)

rlobrecht said:


> I found I have to wear a t-shirt under my dobok (Under Armor performance type shirt.)  It keeps me more comfortable, and significantly reduces the amount of sweat that makes it to the dobok.


 I agree!


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## TKDinAK (Apr 6, 2012)

puunui said:


> The trick is to not wear them continuously without washing them. I have at least 30 v necks, if not more, and I rotate them. I only wear them once and then throw them in them in the wash.



The only time I have worn the same dobak without washing is when I've done class twice in one day without the ability to get my other dobak. That's only happened a couple of times. Frankly, I sweat a lot... and I REALLY don't like having to get back into a cold, damp dobak.I normally don't wash them directly after use, as most of my classes are at noon and I go back to work. And there's many times when I don't have a good load of whites to wash, so they can sit for a day or two before they get washed. That's likely the yellowing culprit. But I do wash after every use.

The yellowing isn't horrible... can't really notice it in a crowd unless I'm standing next to a bright new dobak. I don't really need or have a wish for a bright white uni... just want to find a way to get them a little cleaner looking, and then how to keep new ones cleaner, longer. I think I have some good directions and ideas... thanks to the good folks here!


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## rframe (Apr 6, 2012)

Borax (boric acid) is another good cheap solution to remove stingy sweat stains.  Not harsh like bleach and has been used for 1,000's of years.  For hard stains, make a paste and rub it in, let it soak for a while, then wash.


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## Grenadier (Apr 6, 2012)

OxyClean helps, and doesn't harm the cotton fabric at all.  

For those who want the same chemical, but don't want to pay for the brand name, Sun makes an oxygen cleaner as well (same stuff), at a fraction of the price.


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## Steve (Apr 6, 2012)

Just a quick primer on some common laundry additives. 

There are three things you'll find in the laundry aisle, and they all work pretty well.

The first is Sodium Carbonate, aka Soda Ash or Washing Soda.  This should cost you about $1 per pound and it's very easy to find.  Arm and Hammer and several other brand names are available.  Washing soda is a strong base and can neutralize a lot of odors that are caused by acids.   It's also good on stains (particularly oily stains like grease), and works well as a paste, but it's more caustic than baking powder, so wear gloves.  If you have hard water, washing soda is a great water softener.

The second is Sodium BiCarbonate, aka Baking Soda.  It's also very cheap.  Baking soda can also be very good at neutralizing odors and personally, I'd recommend this over washing soda on all but the most stubborn odors and stains.  Also softens hard water.

The third is Sodium PerCarbonate aka OxyClean.  It's basically a combination of hydrogen peroxide and Washing Soda in a powder.  If you guys haven't tried straight hydrogen peroxide on a fresh bloodstain, it's awesome.  Gets it right out of the white gi/dobok.  

There's also Sodium Borate, aka Borax or washing power.  

Point is, if you look at the ingredients or online for the chemical name, you'll find these items much cheaper than if you search for brand names.


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## granfire (Apr 6, 2012)

white vinegar.
Almost as good as bleach, without the nasty side effects.


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## ralphmcpherson (Apr 6, 2012)

I mainly train in a black uniform. Does anyone have any tips to help prevent fading? They tend to go "grey" after a short time.


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## granfire (Apr 6, 2012)

wool lite for dark clothes...

but in reality, no, they will fade.

if you don't have patches on them (or don't mind redoing them a few times) you can use the stuff that dies your clothes in the washing machine.


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## Steve (Apr 6, 2012)

ralphmcpherson said:


> I mainly train in a black uniform. Does anyone have any tips to help prevent fading? They tend to go "grey" after a short time.


Well, depends on how good the dye is, but there are some things you can do that will help.

First, make sure you don't use any whiteners, ie, no bleach, no laundry soap that contains "whiteners".  

Second, some people think that a vinegar soak sets the dye.  I don't believe that, but I do love vinegar in a wash.  That said, fixing the dye might help, I would just recommend an actual dye fixative, like this: http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1569-AA.shtml  I've used this before, and it's awesome.  It doesn't work on all dyes, but it works on most of them.  

Third, turn the clothes inside out when you wash them.  The friction of the wash can actually help fade the clothes.

Fourth, wash them cold and consider hang drying them.  

Finally, if all else fails, consider dying them again.  I have a tutorial on tub dying gis here:  http://www.stevebjj.com/2012/01/18/how-to-dye-a-gia-step-by-step-guide/


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## ralphmcpherson (Apr 6, 2012)

Steve said:


> Well, depends on how good the dye is, but there are some things you can do that will help.
> 
> First, make sure you don't use any whiteners, ie, no bleach, no laundry soap that contains "whiteners".
> 
> ...


thanks Steve.


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## TKDinAK (Apr 6, 2012)

Will the white vinegar effect the patches on the dobak? My classmates have told me that bleach will cause the patches to run.


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## puunui (Apr 6, 2012)

I'm a melaleuca guy. Is there any soap sold by them that works with any of these suggestions?


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## Archtkd (Apr 6, 2012)

Steve said:


> Just a quick primer on some common laundry additives.
> 
> There are three things you'll find in the laundry aisle, and they all work pretty well.
> 
> ...



Which of the solutions work best with a black collar white dobok?


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## granfire (Apr 7, 2012)

TKDinAK said:


> Will the white vinegar effect the patches on the dobak? My classmates have told me that bleach will cause the patches to run.



No, it's color safe.


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## granfire (Apr 7, 2012)

Steve said:


> Well, depends on how good the dye is, but there are some things you can do that will help.
> 
> First, make sure you don't use any whiteners, ie, no bleach, no laundry soap that contains "whiteners".
> 
> ...



Actually salt also sets color.
I usually throw some unspecific amount of salt (plain table, what's on tab that week) and vinegar in the wash when I do reds the first time around, since that is NOTORIOUS for bleeding over everything, even after years of washing! (like my hair color...)

Also: avoid wrinkles on dark stuff. You might have noticed how jeans fade on the ironed in crease. Seems to happen quickly, too. So if you leave your black uniform crumpled up, you might turn out marbled....


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## Earl Weiss (Apr 7, 2012)

puunui said:


> I'm a melaleuca guy. Is there any soap sold by them that works with any of these suggestions?



Quit the Mela. Thgoughht I was nuts because I thought it made the clothes smeeled bad. Asked a few others i knew who were using it and they thought they were the only ones who thought that. I have named it Mela Puka.


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## puunui (Apr 7, 2012)

Earl Weiss said:


> Quit the Mela. Thgoughht I was nuts because I thought it made the clothes smeeled bad. Asked a few others i knew who were using it and they thought they were the only ones who thought that. I have named it Mela Puka.



I don't think the melaleuca laundry detergent makes my clothes smell like puke. Do you use the other stuff or have you quit melaleuca completely? What about the other stuff like shampoo, face soap, bathing soap, etc.? Use those? I really like the bath bars, but they are more expensive.


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## Earl Weiss (Apr 8, 2012)

puunui said:


> I don't think the melaleuca laundry detergent makes my clothes smell like puke. Do you use the other stuff or have you quit melaleuca completely? What about the other stuff like shampoo, face soap, bathing soap, etc.? Use those? I really like the bath bars, but they are more expensive.



My wife uses some stuff. I really don't see the benefit vs cost of the stuff I use.


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## TKDinAK (Apr 8, 2012)

Update... after just one washing with vinegar, the dobak is noticeably less yellow.

Thanks all!


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## puunui (Apr 9, 2012)

Grenadier said:


> OxyClean helps, and doesn't harm the cotton fabric at all.



I bought oxyclean when it first came out. I couldn't see any noticeable difference. Do you have to use it in hot water?


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## puunui (Apr 9, 2012)

Earl Weiss said:


> My wife uses some stuff. I really don't see the benefit vs cost of the stuff I use.



I feel like it is better for the environment and for me. It is way more expensive than what you can find in the store. I like the dental floss too.


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## Grenadier (Apr 9, 2012)

puunui said:


> I bought oxyclean when it first came out. I couldn't see any noticeable difference. Do you have to use it in hot water?



When thrown into the water as a whole, it's more for preventing the yellowing (all of my gi's are still white, despite hard water around here), but it does help remove some of the concentrated yellow stains.  

I sometimes mix the Sun oxygen cleaner with some water to make a paste, and use an old toothbrush to scrub the concentrated yellow areas for more of a direct cleaning, and then let the gi's soak in the sodium percarbonate solution for a couple of hours, before finishing the washing cycle.  

It works well in warm water, and from what I've seen, can also work in cold wash.  I don't use hot wash for my gi's.


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## GlassJaw (Apr 12, 2012)

On problem areas, I use a detergent stick, like Shout! or similar, (or just rub it with liquid detergent concentrate) and let it rest like that for awhile before tossing it in the wash.   Does an okay job on grime and dirt.

But on blood spots and yellowing (of which I tend to have a lot--I sweat profusely), I have to spot it with a bleach pen (which delivers bleach in a gel medium).  It greatly lightens the yellowing, but it's really tedious to apply (especially over large areas).  I usually skip that step if I can.

Thus, I usually have a two or more uniforms that I keep on rotation so that I don't have to go through the process as frequently (of course, I always intend to wash each one _immediately_ after each use, but I seldom have time for that and end up doing them all at the same time when I run out of clean ones). 

I once tried to see if I could bleach soak a entire uniform while using petroleum jelly (the purified colorless variety, not Vaseline) on the patches to protect their color.  That turned out, rather expectedly, to be a disaster--not because of the bleach, but because even the colorless petrolatum slightly darken the fabric.

For regular practices, I try very hard to keep my uniforms clean and neat, but not so hard at keeping them brilliantly white.  When a clean uniform can no longer _look_ clean from less than, say, a couple meters away, I retire it.

I have another uniform that I use only for testings and presentations and such.  That one, I keep brilliantly white and store it on a hanger in the closet, rather than stuck in a drawer.  When its condition is no longer up to my standards, I put it in to my practice rotation and buy a crisp new one (and also buy a new set ofpatches to sew on). 

I've never used vinegar or laundry bluing, but I think I will have to try those to see if I can extend the longevity.  (It seems that just when a uniform is getting broken in enough to be comfortable, it's also turning too yellow to use much longer.)

In any case, I always fold the uniforms carefully when I take them off--never just stuff them in a bag.  (Also, I put the folded uniform in a clean pillow case before placing it in my gym bag, so that it will stay flat and also won't pick up dirt from shoes and such.)  And, if it was sweat soaked from practice, I always stick it in the wash or at least hang it to dry as soon as I get home.  

I rather like an earlier poster's suggestion of putting it in a wash bucket to keep the sweat from setting, I think I'll start trying that, too.


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## granfire (Apr 12, 2012)

well, the blueing gives it a blueish hue so it looks cleaner, whiter than white! ^_^

if you leave it in too long you get purple...or blue hair.


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## Steve (Apr 12, 2012)

I think I mentioned this before, but blue and yellow are complementary colors.  So, white clothes will look bluer from bluing, but yellow clothes will look whiter.  Just the way colors works.

I'd definitely stay away from bleach, if possible.


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## dancingalone (Apr 19, 2012)

TKDinAK said:


> Update... after just one washing with vinegar, the dobak is noticeably less yellow.
> 
> Thanks all!



I tried this myself and also noticed an improvement.  Sometimes the old remedies are the best.


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