Friday, March 9, 2012

Perma-Funk

My favorite gi has a permanent funk.

I wash my gi after every class, and if I can't wash it right away, I pull it out of my bag as soon as I get home and hang it up so it can air out, and not fester.  I will admit there have been a few times I forget and it sits in my gym bag over night... but generally I am on it with the whole clean gi thing.

Anyway - when I wash it now, it smells good.  I can jam my face right in the arm pit and take a huge wiff and only smell Tropical Passion.  However, the second.. and I mean the very second sweat comes in contact with the arm pit of my gi it smells like sweaty death.


I am fairly certain this guy lives in the pits of my gi and activates like a gremlin after a post-midnight snack when I sweat. 

I've tried everything to rid my gi of this funk, but have had no luck.

This morning I found something that pleases me... and I feel might just do the trick.


Help me Fabreze Sport.  You're my only hope! 


I'll keep you posted.  

23 comments:

  1. Oh no...I have a gi like that as well. Smells okay after it's washed and dried and then the second I start sweating in it....OMG...it's horrible. I'm about to give vinegar and baking soda a try. I've used the Tide with Febreze Sport...it doesn't really help with the gi funk. Also, if the sun will come out I think a nice drying in bright sunshine would work magic!! Good luck...nothing worse than gi funk!! :D

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    1. I've actually heard that drying gi's in the sun helps with stink as well. I might give it a try. I live in Florida after all! hehe

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  2. You guys are worrying about this too much! We are all stinky as soon as we start sweating in the gi's! We can't help it!
    As long as you are not stinky when you line up to bow in at the beginning of class, you are home free! :)

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    1. hahaha! So true! And I am actually sure my stink is far less great then that of most of the males in the gym... I just really hate to smell my own stink while I a grappling!

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  3. If all else fails you could turn it into your tournament only gi and harness the funk as a weapon. You could call it the armpit tap!

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    1. haha! I should! There was a kid who used to train with us.. always no gi. He was SO smelly I would tap to anything that brought his armpit close to my face, or exposed skin. So gross!

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  4. If it is a white gi, the most effective way to get rid of the funk is to use diluted bleach on the armpits or funky areas. Let it set for 20 min or so, then wash it out. (If the bleach is too concentrated, it will eat through and destroy your gi.)

    If it's a non white gi, apply white vinegar to the funky areas and let it soak overnight, then rinse and wash. If that doesn't work, you can make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the funky areas. Make sure you apply it to both sides of the gi. Let it soak overnight, then wash. These two methods aren't as effective as the bleach one, but they are worth a try.

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    1. It is blue, so unfortunately bleach is off the table I think. =( I will give the baking soda a try though. I am mostly just concerned because I feel like if it stinks, it stinks because of bacteria. Ya know. Gross.

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    2. Vinegar has anti-bacterial properties :) A 5 percent solution of vinegar(the usual concentration you buy at the store) is said to kill 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of viruses. This is why some people add vinegar to the wash when they are washing their gis.

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  5. I have one funky gi, I occasionally bleach it when the stench gets too bad.

    I think you're right about being home free if you don't stink when you line up because I've had guys tell me I smell good even when I can smell the gi funk while training. I don't think the guys smell it as easily.

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    1. Actually, I have people tell me that I smell nice from time to time when I am dripping in sweat in said funky gi. So, odds are I am in the clear, but still.. I would like to not smell myself. haha

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    2. Maybe it's the pheromones?
      I, too, obsess over gi stink. I think I have combatted it (perhaps my teammates would say otherwise). Here's what I do: I always use the pre-soak option on my washer (to hopefully activate and rinse out some of the offensive bacteria) If I suspect it's bad, I pre-soak and extra rinse. Sometimes I use borax, too. No matter the color of the gi, if it's been sitting for over 24 hours, I wash it with my whites with a bit of bleach. unless you are using a lot of bleach, it shouldn't affect the color at all. try it on a colored gi that you will throw away if it doesn't lose its funkytown, and you can get a sense for how much bleach to use. Good luck!

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    3. My funky gi that I bleach is blue. Just don't use too much in the wash or it will turn kinda green.

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  6. It is my competition gi that is funky... and also blue. If it turns a funny color I may not be able to compete it in anymore.... BUT that will mean I have to get another gi. hehe


    I am going to give Borax a try.... Tonight I will see if the Fabreeze worked.

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  7. Fabreze Sport worked for me.

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  8. That image...is perfect.

    Tide with Febreeze works for me.

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    1. Fabreeze sport worked like a charm. I am quite pleased. =)

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  9. I had a gi that turned funky. I don't think anyone else noticed but it bothered the snot out of me. Tried everything described above. It was just too funky. Unfortunately I had to move on to a new gi.

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    1. Sad story. Fabreze sport worked like a charm... and kudos on "bothered the snot out of me" hahaha! I say that too, and I can't recall hearing anyone else say it. =)

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  10. Love the picture.
    Ive been wondering about the sport wash, I may give it a try now.

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  11. Sorry-- vinegar doesn't really help. I've found the only thing that works is make a washtub (in the washer, a laundry sink, or a Rubbermaid tub) full of water with about 1/4-1/2c of bleach in it. Add the gi and pants, swirl around, let it soak 10 min. Then wash the gi like normal. (Actually I put the gi in the washer full of bleach-water and run it through a "extra heavy" cycle.)

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