How to Remove Odor from Rashguard and Gi

If you train BJJ long enough, you'll eventually have one of those days where you come home exhausted and accidentally leave your rashguard and gi in your training bag.  When this happens you may have a hard time getting the odor completely out of your gear.  Your best bet is to throw it away!  It's probably time for new gear anyway!  Google search rashguards or BJJ Gi and then on the various websites check their sale or clearance section and buy a new one.  I've gotten some really good deals this way.  Check out Elite Sports for discount BJJ gear and also check out a Texas based company called Ground Fighter and see what they have on discount/sale. 

If getting new gear is not an option for you at this time then check out this 1 minute youtube video on how to get the smell/odor out of your rashguard or gi: 

Gi Soap Review

I had never heard of the Gi Soap brand until a training partner got several bars and passed them out at the gym. This bar soap has a very home made feel to it and contains a nice clean natural smell. Like other soaps in the category, if you are looking for a flower or fruit type smell this is not it. For those of you looking for a more natural ingredient type smell this may be worth a try. I personally used this soap for about two weeks and I was pleased with it. I didn't get any rashes or other skin irritations from use of this product and it also lathered up well.

 

Elite Sports Ultralight BJJ gi review

Review of the Elite Sports Ultra Light BJJ Gi Quick Version: Light weight gi with nice embroidery, blue contrast stitching and a quick release nylon rope draw string. This is an excellent low cost gi option at $69.99. *Note - this was Feb 2017 - price may be different now. Video review here:

Detailed Version: Over the years, I've worn several gis (Deus, Atama, Koral, Tatami) but this is the first one I've ever had that was under $70 in price. I was very curious to see how well a low cost gi would feel and hold up not just in training but with washing and drying.  I've included before and after measurements to show the level of shrinking.
When I first started training BJJ I would always wash my gi in cold water and hand dry as advised by most gi companies but these last few years I've made a change.  Now when I get a new gi, I get a 1/2 size larger if that brand has that option or a full size larger (A3 but order A3H or A4).  This allows me to account for shrinking and wash in hot water and dry in the dryer.  The hot water wash and dry makes any gi smell much better then the traditional cold water and hang dry.    Note - the Elite Sports product care page states that you should wash your gi in cold water and hang dry.  If you follow their care instructions your individual results on gi shrinkage should be much less then mine. 

Below are my before and after measurements from 4 weeks of training and washing in hot water and tumble drying in the dryer.

I used this gi for several weeks of classes before posting this review and it has held up well.  This is a good low cost BJJ Gi option for someone just starting out their BJJ journey or an experienced person that needs to add an additional gi to their training rotation. 

Flow Kimonos Hemp Gi review

This is a review of the Flow Kimonos Black Hemp Gi. 

 

Quick version: 
Right out of the package this gi is soft, breathable and comfortable.  Nice embroidery, contrast stitching with a quick release draw string.  The pants are the best feeling gi pants in terms of softness and comfort I’ve ever worn.  Fantastic gi!  I would recommend a Flow Kimonos Hemp gi to anyone!

Long version:
Over the years, I’ve owned several gis (Atama, Koral and Tatami) but at first glance, this Hemp gi has them beat.  First some background – Prior to this review, I had never tried any hemp clothing or a hemp gi so I did not know what to expect.  All my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gis have always been the traditional cotton weaves.  I was excited when I read all the details about hemp being eco-friendly and naturally antimicrobial.
This is from their website:

• Environmentally friendly
• Hemp is grown without pesticides
• Hemp replenishes the soil
• Hemp has an extremely fast 12-14 week growth cycle
• Hemp fabric is a naturally antimicrobial and anti-odor
• Hemp fabric does not allow bacteria such as staph and ringworm to survive

The Hemp series kimono came with a nice carrying bag as you can see in the pictures below:

Flow Kimonos also offers additional gi sizes like and A3L or an A3H which is great for those of us that are between sizes or tall.  Most A3 gi pants are tight on me but the A3H I received fits great.  This gi is said to be 100% hemp material and claims to be 4 times stronger then cotton, softer, odor resistant and antimicrobial.  Update Aug 2016 - I've used this gi for several months and it is still my most comfortable gi.  Thanks to Jonathan at Flow Kimonos for the great customer service.