Moldy bogu set

[munenmuso]

I stopped practicing kendo for the last six months. My only links to kendo right now is this wonderful forum that provides its members with fascinating ideas and opinions.

Recently, I opened my kendo bag to check my equipment and noticed the following:

a) a peculiar smell, something like between stinky and a garment chest not opened for several years.

b) the mengane lost its luster and beginning to rust.

c) molds and tiny creatures are everywhere esp. on my kote and the men. I was expecting to seesome mushrooms but then again only those molds(colored green) and those tiny insects hiding in the spaces in between stitches.

d)white linings appearing on the men which I believe are salt deposits from perspiration, I think its been there since I started sweating on them.

What can I do to remove all of them and take care of my bogu.? I bought my gear four years ago for only US$120.OO, locally manufactured by a Korean factory but they said that it's for the market outside our country, since kendo is not a popular sports around here and we are the only club here.

Maida arigatou gozaimasu.

munenmuso

[David J]

I know how you must feel - I left my spare gi and hakama unattended in a bag for only a few days and was shocked that it had moulded up already. As with most things in Kendo, there's a lesson to be learned.... ;)

While there may be some hope of salvaging your bogu, I think you have to ask yourself if is worth it. You could clean the mould off with a disinfectant and spray Febreze at it like there's no tomorrow to kill the smell, but (especially with the rusty men) I dont think you'll ever get it back how it was. If you can afford to replace it, I would, especially as it didnt cost you that much to begin with.

Just look at it as a good excuse to buy that fancy bogu from Sehyun/e-bogu/Tozando etc that you always fancied... ;)

<rei>

Dave

[KhawMengLee]

Find a box or a big enough container(actually a bathroom is good). Put the bogu in there and put in a roach bomb. Its a type of insect spray that fumigates rooms and kills all insects inside. It looks like a can of usual spray except once you press down it stays there to release the whole contents of the can. Otherwise just put your bogu in a box and spray a lot of insect spray in there and then seal it up so no air but the insecticide gets in. Leave it for an hour and the bugs should be dead.

Or if you have a garment steamer(that funny thing used to steam clean clothes at fashion shows or hotels) use that to kill the bugs.

You can wipe off the fungus, spray some cleaning agent like fabreeze. Oh, and put your bogu out to sun. That usually kills fungus spores and bugs.

Interesting point: In europe during WWI soldiers would put their clothing on ants nests for an hour or so and when they picked it up later it would be clear of lice.

PEACE
MENG

[KhawMengLee]

Actually, Daves suggestion with alchohol is good. use meths and spray the bogu all over and then sun it.

If not get a tin of insect spray(small tin). Go to your bathroom, put the bogu in a box(top open). Hold your breath, press down on the spray and tape it down so it continues spraying. Leave it there and close the bathroom door. Come back an hour or so later, turn on the extractor, open all the windows and the door and wipe down and sun your bogu. The bugs should be all dead.

[Haowen]

Yikes, does anyone have any suggestions on how to prevent that stuff from happening in the first place?

[KhawMengLee]

Dry out your gear after every training. I air my bogu and gi by the window after each training. Also I wipe the chin area of the MEN as sweat and gunk builds up there.

You can also wipe the leather palms of the kote. I wear the white hasegawa gloves on my hands to cut down on the sweat and skin deposits. I also periodically sun my gear. Then again in humid regions you can dry it in front of a fan.

A lot of people just chuck their bogu aside after training because they are exhausted but you should look after it as that is part of your training. (This includes your shinai) It doesn't take a lot of time to take out your gear and drape it over a chair to dry.

Take it like a car you bought(or a nice guitar), you gotta love and take care of that baby.

PEACE
MENG

[munenmuso]

Thanks guy for all your advise! Those bugs will never have a chance this time.

BTW can I just wash my men and kote with soap and water and if I sun dry them, will it affect the condition of my kote being of leather material? And If ever I wash them, how can I dry it thoroughly without living it stinky esp. the cushioning of the kote?I left my kote sometimes outside and it was soaked wet so I put it at the back of the fridge using its heat to gradually dry them.But unfortunatetly the palm went crispy though it was bone dry minus the stink.

[KhawMengLee]

I would just use a wet towel and wash it by wiping the surface. The men of course will rust if you do. I senior of mine said he washed his kote by soaking it in detergent and water and then dried it by heating it in the microwave(no joke). I personally would not do this but it might work. You should oil the kote with some leather oils to make them supple again.

Because SEA is humid it can be hard to dry the kote. You can dry it by leaving it in front of a electric fan. It may take ages(half a day) but it will do the trick. Or you can order a machine washable pair.

MENG

[Haowen]

Thanks for the advice, Meng :) What are these white hasegawa gloves that you speak of? Sounds like a very good idea to have a washable inner glove to protect the kote.

[Hyaku]

I keep mine well aired. Out if its a dry sunny day, although not in direct sunlight. That part where the face pad ring meets the actual armour gets bad as it traps the moisture. I used to wedge some rolled cardboard in between to dry that. I always wear a removable pad under the chin. Or you can just tuck in a piece of cloth before you start.

But its really inevitable. You perspire and the salt goes in. Then the slightest bit of moisture about is again quickly drawn in like magnet.

I remember not being able to get to the Dojo for two days in the rainy season because of floods. I finaly waded to the door and went in to fing an interesting variety of mushroom about 5cms long growing on my friends kote!

I tell them they shouldnt, but my dojo students leave a hair dryer switched on stuck in the Kote ready for the afternoon session.

Once you get in a lot of practice you dont sweat so much and its not a problem :wink:

Hyaku

[KhawMengLee]

Haowen:

check it out here:
http://www.hasegawakagaku.co.jp/sisikote.htm

Its at the bottom of the page.

MENG

[munenmuso]

Meng and everybody, thanks for all the indespensable advise.

I was just wondering with all those chemical bombardment, is it safe to wear my stuff after those chemical treatments. Esp. on the part of the men, where the face and the eyes has direct contact or exposure?

In addition to my stinky kote, my palms perpetually sweats. This could be the reason why my kote stinks more than my old shoes.

[laurien]

Hey, Munenmuso,

I vote for throwing it away! It sounds like it's halfway to composted. Insects are one thing, but mold is another!

I don't want to be alarmist, but some molds can cause respiratory problems. In particular, but not exclusively, if you have any BLACK mold, you have to suspect Stachybotrys atra, the spores of which can cause bleeding in the lungs. Stachybotrys atra likes wet cellulose as a growing medium (wood, paper, straw, etc., and I'm guessing bogu cotton, too). As others have mentioned, airing out our equipment after practice would normally prevent the beginning of a mold problem.

Other than using a fungicide (NOT RECOMMENDED), the only way that I know of to get rid of mold is to sponge on a bleach mixture of 1 cup bleach plus 1 gallon of water. In the case of bogu, this will ruin the indigo dye, though!

As well, consider that mold is like an iceberg: most of it can be below the surface. Molds can enter a dormant phase, only to reemerge when conditions are favorable.

Well, you said you had green mold. But still, if it was me, I wouldn't want any little unknown green mold spores with attendant mycotoxins, floating into my lungs during practice! Besides, the chemical bombardment you mention doesn't sound too tasty, either.

One last thing, if you have small children about, get rid of that bogu IMMEDIATELY; their small lungs are very susceptible.

Have a better one!
laurien

[munenmuso]

Wow.Thanks alot laurien.

I thought dirty and moldy bogu are just like that.I didn't know that my bogu is also alive and and can "crawl" on walls and also posing an extreme health hazard.Maybe that is the reason why I suffer from rashes on my face everytime I use my bogu. Is it really too late for remedies?

BTW, where did you get all these stuff about virus and bacteria present in moldy bogu?

[reicheru]

Maybe that is the reason why I suffer from rashes on my face everytime I use my bogu.

Slightly off topic... sometimes after practice I find red dots under my chin, in a sort of grid-like pattern from where my chin was resting inside my men. I wouldn't really describe it as a rash, i.e. it has no texture and doesn't itch or hurt, more like dots of blood inside near the surface of my skin (sorry, I really have no clue how to describe this). It's not very noticeable (or at least, nobody has ever commented on it) and it's usually completely gone by the next morning. Anybody else get this or know what it is? I suppose I could problably prevent this by putting some sort of pad inside the men, but it's never really bothered me enough. Just curious...

Rachel

[laurien]

Originally posted by munenmuso
BTW, where did you get all these stuff about virus and bacteria present in moldy bogu?

Munenmuso, not to be too "sticky", but I was only talking MOLD or MOULD, if you prefer. The thing that makes some molds dangerous to us humans are the chemicals attached to the spores of SOME species. The spores are the microscopic reproductive cells that are carried about in the air. Not all molds are dangerous, of course. The mold that is on your bogu might be totally harmless.

I only brought this up to point out that molds should not necessarily be disregarded as a health hazard (see the link below).

The reason that I know about this strange topic, is that when my husband and I were designing our house, I did a little background reading on indoor air quality issues. ONE of the apparent culprits in "sick building syndrome" is Stachybotrys atra (chartarum), along with other kinds of molds, and other pollutants. (I wanted to make sure that our house had excellent indoor air quality).

A dark, warm, humid place with little ventilation and a food source is a highly likely place for mold to grow. Avoid "sick bogu syndrome"! Air your gear.

For anyone interested in respiratory health, and especially asthmatics, you may want to have a look at this (especially section 2.3.2.3 and 2.3.2.4 at the bottom of the page):

http://www.on.lung.ca/cando/IAPRS_mould.html

[munenmuso]

Hey!! I just sprayed it with the whole can of Lysol Spray Disinfectant then locked it inside my bogu bag and it worked. No more signs of molds and greenish thing on my bogu and the stink is also gone.

As stated in the can "it kills 99.9 % of all germs and bacterias".
But what will happen to the .01%, will it spread again?:)

[Confound]

That other .01% is Ebola. if it spreads, well, you were out of luck to begin with.

In all seriousness, glad to hear that the problem was as simple as that; however, I'll be interested to know how the bogu stands up from now on. I mean that figuratively...

c

[olaf]

Speaking of moldy bogu, I urge everyone to re-read my kendo haiku, if they haven't already done so. :)

http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=1513#post1513

[scbang]

I think I posted this somewhere but 15 times water diluted Clorox
( $2 for a gallon * 15 water = $2 for 15 galon mix ) in a fine mist spray bottle does the trick for me. It smells nice and no mold will ever get there. No bug will live there either ( Don't do it indoor - it doesn't kill them just get them run away - I think this is better way than keeping dead bugs in your bogu )..

Get them dried up and brush off anything dusty ( mold residue ).
I spray this mix everytime after the practice. I'm the nicest smelling Kendoka in summer time.

SC

[munenmuso]

Isn't it that Clorox fades away the color of any fabric?Except white of course?

[nodachi]

I think that is why it is super diluted.

[scbang]

That's correct nodachi. I think anywhere from 10-20 times is safe. But if you wan to be really safe start from 30 times - it maybe too thin and not work then you can strengthen the mix. I kinda like the fresh smell of 15 time mix. And it doesn't seem to affect my bogu ( Kote & Men I spray inside only anyway )

SC

[Tato]

Clorox?

It's interesting,

Where can I find information about this product, in order to find the equivalent brand in Spain? Can you send me a private message/post more information about Clorox? (who's the producer, and this kind of things).

Thanks!

Rei

[Neil Gendzwill]

Clorox is just a brand name for bleach for washing clothes, any brand will do.

[munenmuso]

BTW, regarding my moldy bogu, it's now back in business. I followed all your suggestions from using rubbing alcohol, air drying, sun drying, locking it inside a box with a fumigant to kill those tiny creepy insects, what else, and finally my own remedy:my handy-dandy LYSOL disinfectant spray especially using it more on the stinky kote. It worked perfectly well when I saw my bogu returned to its former glory. It's just a pity that I can't say the same with my kote, the stink is completely gone the greenish discoloration is still there, uh, maybe these are just the corpses of those molds and I hope they will not spread again.I was invited for a kendo demo the other day and my bogu is fully functional minus the stench. I'ts fine with the kote cause the most important thing is that the men is already safe to wear, espeacially it's the one on contact with the face. But hey, the LYSOL smell will stick to your face and hands.Then again I'm using the nature variant, oohlala, smelling yor hand after practice will become a new a habit!:D