What do you use to clean your dobak?

[Steve]

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/

 

[ralphmcpherson]

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/

thanks Steve.

 

[TKDinAK]

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

 

[puunui]

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

 

[Archtkd]

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.

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

 

[granfire]

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.

 

[granfire]

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/

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....

 

[Earl Weiss]

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.

 

[puunui]

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.

 

[Earl Weiss]

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.

 

[TKDinAK]

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

Thanks all!

 

[puunui]

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?

 

[puunui]

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.

 

[Grenadier]

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.

 

[GlassJaw]

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.

 

[granfire]

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.

 

[Steve]

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.

 

[dancingalone]

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.