Washing Bogu

[David]

Hey all. Long time no post.

I've been out of Kendo for a while now, but I intend on getting back into it either some time this year, or early next year, depending on my schedule and financial situation.

Anyways, I was looking at my equipment, making a checklist of what was still useable (tsuba, bokuto, certain leather parts from the shinai, etc.) and what would need to be replaced (take, shinai oil, things like that), and I noticed that there was some mildew on the inside of Men, so I decided that it needs a good cleaning. Only problem is, it's been a while since I last washed it, and I've completely forgotten how to go about the whole thing. ^^; I used to have a little guide that I had printed off the internet, but it seems to have disapeared somewhere down the line, and I can't remember what website I got it off of. Someone mind directing me to a new guide somewhere?

[Toecutter]

I usually just take a small amount of baking soda and water in a glass and using a tooth brush do the inside of the men. For the rest of the gear I just take a wet sponge and wipe it down. If you have mold you might want to do that and leave it in the direct sunlight until it dries out to kill anything else.

[KO1598]

BTW wut does mold on a bogu look like, anyone have pics?. There are some whitish marks on the inside of my men but i do not know if it is mold. Also can mold or mildew grow in the kote?

[David]

BTW wut does mold on a bogu look like, anyone have pics?. There are some whitish marks on the inside of my men but i do not know if it is mold. Also can mold or mildew grow in the kote?

Those white marks are either mildew or dried sweat. Also, it's definitely possible for mold and mildew to grow in Kote.

[Tort-Speed]

If no sun/worry the leather will harden in direct sunlight, maybe turn a fan on the parts after wiping or lightly washing down? Storing bogu that tends to get mildew in a warm dry place like above the fridge where heat may rise from the motor, can work. Anyway congrats on your plan to continue with Kendo!

[b8amack]

BTW wut does mold on a bogu look like, anyone have pics?. There are some whitish marks on the inside of my men but i do not know if it is mold. Also can mold or mildew grow in the kote?

Could be the salt from dried sweat. And there are lots of varieties of mould and mildew on bogu. You should ask someone at your dojo, if you think it might be mould. Or just clean your bogu anyhow.

[KO1598]

i wiped off the white marks with a wet paper towel so i dont know if that means anything. and is mold and mildew normally fuzzy? and if mold grows in your kote, how can u clean your kote?

[b8amack]

I think there are more than a couple archived bogu washing threads. I use rubbing alcohol with a toothbrush followed by an antibacterial spray like Dettol for dealing with mould, myself.

[David]

I usually just take a small amount of baking soda and water in a glass and using a tooth brush do the inside of the men. For the rest of the gear I just take a wet sponge and wipe it down. If you have mold you might want to do that and leave it in the direct sunlight until it dries out to kill anything else.
I'll look into that. About what ratio of baking soda to water should I be using?


If no sun/worry the leather will harden in direct sunlight, maybe turn a fan on the parts after wiping or lightly washing down? Storing bogu that tends to get mildew in a warm dry place like above the fridge where heat may rise from the motor, can work. Anyway congrats on your plan to continue with Kendo!
Unfortunately, I live in Miami. There aren't really a whole lot of places that are both warm and dry. There's simply too much humidity.

Also, thanks for the encouragement! My new years resolution for 2010 is gonna be to get my Shodan by January of 2011.

i wiped off the white marks with a wet paper towel so i dont know if that means anything. and is mold and mildew normally fuzzy? and if mold grows in your kote, how can u clean your kote?Generally speaking, if it's fuzzy, then yeah, it's mold. However, even if it isn't fuzzy, you should still wash it. Better safe then sorry, ya?


I think there are more than a couple archived bogu washing threads. I use rubbing alcohol with a toothbrush followed by an antibacterial spray like Dettol for dealing with mould, myself.
You'd think so, but when I did a search, the only thread that came up that was even slightly relevant was about what people do with their bogu and dogi following practices.

[b8amack]

You'd think so, but when I did a search, the only thread that came up that was even slightly relevant was about what people do with their bogu and dogi following practices.

The regular search is a pos. Gotta do an advanced search. Alicia also posted a good thread on cleaning white bogu, but it didn't turn up on the first page, so this should be enough. Everyone winds up saying the same things anyhow.

http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11582&highlight=cleaning+bogu
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13310&highlight=clean+white+bogu
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10352&highlight=clean+white+bogu
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18920&highlight=clean+white+bogu
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18197&highlight=clean+white+bogu

[b8amack]

My mistake. Alison, not Alicia. Here's the thread.

http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14654

[sempai]

alcohol works very well...

[Toecutter]

I'll look into that. About what ratio of baking soda to water should I be using?

I use a small spoon full with a large glass of water (about 16oz), I would always say it's better to use too little then to much, because you can always go back and add more but there is always a chance that this could cause some discoloration (I haven't had any yet though) which is why I only use it on the inside of the men not the outside or any place visible. All the baking soda is doing is killing the bacteria, and I can attest, or my wife can, it really does wonders regarding the smell. The key is to work the tooth brush into the crevasses.

[Curtis]

Have posted this before in a thread. We use the Little Green Machine cleaner to get ours clean.

[ailyn110]

I usually just take a small amount of baking soda and water in a glass and using a tooth brush do the inside of the men. For the rest of the gear I just take a wet sponge and wipe it down. If you have mold you might want to do that and leave it in the direct sunlight until it dries out to kill anything else.

[kenshihahn]

I was told the sun light will kill the bacteria but it will damage the wet leather as well. I did it few years back, and my men never been same. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it felt like it shrunk a little :cross_eye ... or maybe my head got bigger. :disapp:

[Obukan_dude]

Sorry for the thread necromancy, but how do you clean the salt/sweat marks off your men?

[MikeW]

I use water and a clean cloth. If it is really in use a clean toothbrush and some water then blot the water up with a clean cloth.

[ender84567]

2 options, you can dunk the men in water gane up, keeping the leather and metal from getting wet. or the method i usually use is dab it off with a moist sponge and a bucket of water.