How to Wash a BJJ Gi Properly

A gi soaks up sweat for a living, then gets stuffed in a bag. Wash it badly and it goes grey, stiff and smells like a wet dog; wash it well and it stays fresh and lasts for years. Six years and a lot of gis later, this is the simple, repeatable routine I've landed on - and it protects both the fabric and the people you train with. It's general guidance, not medical advice, and it's not about any product we sell.

Wash it after every session

This is the non-negotiable one. A gi worn for a hard roll is damp with sweat and has been in contact with the mat and other people for an hour or more. Letting it dry out and re-wearing it is how kit starts to smell and how a bag turns into a problem. The rule is dead simple: one session, one wash. "It doesn't smell that bad" is not the standard you're aiming for.

The washing routine

1. Don't let it fester. Get it out of your bag as soon as you're home. A damp gi balled up in a holdall for a day is the worst-case scenario - see gym bag hygiene.
2. Wash cold to warm, not hot. Cold to 30°C protects the cotton fibres and stops most gis from shrinking. Hot washes are the usual culprit behind a gi that suddenly fits like a crop top.
3. Use a normal detergent, and not too much. Overdosing detergent leaves residue that actually traps odour rather than removing it. A normal dose does the job. Skip fabric softener - it coats the fibres and can lock smells in over time.
4. Turn coloured gis inside out to protect the colour and any patches, and fasten or remove the belt (yes, belts get washed too, mythology aside).
5. Air dry. Hang it as soon as the wash finishes - don't leave it sitting wet in the drum. Line drying is kindest to the fabric. If you must tumble, use low heat, but air drying wins for both longevity and shrink control.
6. Dry it completely before it goes away. Putting a not-quite-dry gi back in a bag or drawer is asking for that musty smell.

Tackling a gi that already smells

If a gi has gone properly funky, a pre-soak in cold water with a scoop of detergent for an hour before a normal wash usually shifts it. A cup of white vinegar in the wash can help cut residue and neutralise odour. Resist the temptation to just pile on more detergent - that's often what caused the build-up in the first place. The same principles apply to your rashguards, where synthetic fabric makes the problem even more stubborn.

Why Does My Gi Still Smell After Washing?

This is the most common kit complaint in grappling, and it has four usual causes. Work through them in order.

1. Too much detergent. Counterintuitive but the biggest culprit. Excess detergent does not rinse out fully; it stays in the weave as a residue that traps body oils and the odour that comes with them. More soap makes a smelly gi smellier. Use the dose on the box for your load size, not a heaped scoop.

2. The gi sat damp. Either in the bag before the wash or in the drum after it. An hour or two is fine; overnight is where the musty smell is born. Get it out of the bag when you walk in and out of the machine when it finishes.

3. The machine itself. If everything you wash smells slightly off, the problem is not the gi. Washing machines build up residue and biofilm in the drum, the door seal and the detergent drawer, particularly on a diet of cool washes. Run an empty maintenance wash at the highest temperature the machine allows, wipe the seal, and leave the door ajar between washes. There is a full walkthrough in washing machine drum biofilm.

4. It never fully dried. Heavy cotton, especially a gold or double weave, can feel dry at the surface while the collar and the seams are still damp. The collar is the thickest part of the gi and the last thing to dry, so check it specifically before the gi goes in a bag.

How to Strip a Gi That Has Gone Past Normal Washing

When a gi has months of residue in it, a normal wash cannot reach the problem. A soak does. Fill a bath or tub with cool to lukewarm water, add a scoop of detergent, submerge the gi fully so no part floats dry, and leave it for a few hours or overnight, agitating occasionally. The water often goes visibly grey, which is the residue and body oils coming out. Follow with a normal wash cycle on its own, no extra detergent, then dry fully.

A cup of white vinegar in the rinse can help cut remaining residue. Two warnings, though. Do not combine vinegar with bleach, ever. And treat stripping as an occasional reset rather than a monthly ritual, since repeated aggressive soaking is hard on cotton over time. The full method, including what to do with rashguards and belts, is in laundry stripping for sports kit.

Gi Washing Myths Worth Retiring

• "Never wash your belt." Folklore, and a slightly grim one. Your belt drags through exactly the same sweat and mat grime as the rest of your kit. Wash it. Your rank lives in your head, not the fabric.
• "Boil wash it to be safe." Very hot washes are how a perfectly good gi becomes a crop top, and heat is what shrinks cotton. A normal wash with a proper detergent dose and full drying is the routine that works.
• "Freeze it to kill the smell." A freezer might temporarily mute an odour, but it does nothing about the residue and oils causing it, and the smell returns the moment the gi warms up and gets wet with sweat again. Wash it.
• "Fabric softener makes it fresher." Softener coats fibres, which is precisely what you do not want on kit that needs to release oils and dry fast. It can lock odour in over time.
• "Just air it out and re-wear it." One session, one wash. Everything else in this guide is downstream of that.

Keeping it white (or keeping the colour)

White gis grey over time mainly from detergent residue, body oils and being dried in a heap. Washing promptly, using the right detergent dose and drying properly does more for whiteness than any aggressive treatment. Go easy on bleach - it can weaken cotton fibres and yellow them over time. For coloured gis, cold washes inside out are your friend for keeping the dye looking sharp and the patches intact.

Make your kit last

Two gis on rotation means you're never tempted to re-wear a damp one, and each gets a proper chance to dry between sessions. The formula is boring and reliable: wash promptly, dry fully, store dry. Do that and a decent gi will give you years rather than months. The same logic covers your rashguards and spats - there's a dedicated routine in rashguard hygiene.

Common questions

Can I tumble dry my gi?

You can on low heat in a pinch, but air drying is much kinder and avoids the shrinkage high heat causes. If you rely on a tumble dryer, keep the heat low and take the gi out while it's just dry rather than baking it.

Should I really wash my belt?

Yes. The "never wash your belt" thing is folklore, not hygiene - your belt drags through the same sweat and mat grime as the rest of your kit. Wash it; your rank is safe.

How do I stop my gi shrinking?

Cold-to-warm washes and air drying are the two big levers. Heat is what shrinks cotton, so it's hot washes and hot tumble dryers that turn a perfectly good gi into a kids' size.

Why does my gi still smell after washing?

Usually detergent residue, or a gi that sat damp before or after the wash. Try a vinegar rinse, a normal (not heaped) detergent dose, and getting it out of the machine and onto a hanger straight away.

Can I speed-dry a gi for the next session?

If you're caught short, a low tumble, or a fan in a well-ventilated room, will get it wearable - but don't bank on it as routine. Repeatedly racing a single gi between sessions is how it ends up perpetually damp, smelly and worn out early. The real fix is owning a second gi so one can always dry properly while you train in the other.

This article is general educational information and not medical advice. It is not about any Combat Sports Hygiene product. If you have a skin concern, contact a GP, pharmacist or dermatologist.