Now heres a question....

[The great I AM]

Has anybody ever washed their kote in a washing machine? Note that this is a serious question, as short of doing this I'm going to have to bin a set of my kote that, despite my best efforts with anti-bacterial and fungal sprays, are continuingto give me epidermal infections on my hands when I use them. I know I could have prevented this by using that stuff from the start, but I didn't and here I am!

Anyone done it, or have any thoughts or predictions.

Failing any advice that would suggest that they won't come back out of the washer, I'll do it anyway at about 8pm and give a report on weather or not it works.....

4hours 34minutes and counting.....

[MikeW]

I have never used a washing machine on my kote, but I have washed them by hand with a scrubbing brush and woolite type of hand wash soap. The I rinse them profusely with clean water with a dash of febreeze in it. Towel dry as much as possible to get the most of the water out then air dry the rest of the way. I use cold water for the wash and rinse.

[tantadi]

Pack them in something, like a towel with a string around, so they don't grind against the inside of the washing machine, or shed fur all over if they split.

I read a comment somewhere at the forum of someone washing them in the machine with success...if the washing machine don't kill your kote, any hard drying will do it..

Good luck and please report the results!

[The great I AM]

I have never used a washing machine on my kote, but I have washed them by hand with a scrubbing brush and woolite type of hand wash soap. The I rinse them profusely with clean water with a dash of febreeze in it. Towel dry as much as possible to get the most of the water out then air dry the rest of the way. I use cold water for the wash and rinse.The last thing I tried was to sink them in a bath full of luke warm water with some detergent in a give it time to work, then towel dry and let nature take its course there. The problem is that when I tried to do something similar, it just didn't work, and I continued to get that itching feeling. I've tried twice by hand, but so far to no avail, hence thinking about the washing machine.....

And if worst comes to worst and they end up un-useable, well, they currently are anyway, so I'll buy some more!!

And I definately know better than machine drying! Unless I want some mini kote.

[ratdeau]

Anyone done it, or have any thoughts or predictions.

Washing machine is perhaps a little rude, I would use a hand wash soap for wool or try a dry clean if they accept it.

Once I washed my men. It lost all the red and black paint.

[The great I AM]

Washing machine is perhaps a little rude.Heh, its not my kote's feelings that I'm thinking of!

[Michiyo Akimoto]

Perhaps the word that was meant was *crude?*
I don't have my bogu yet..This is good stuff to know!

[Ignatz]

On several occasions ver the years I have taken a garden hose to my men and kote. I hang them up in the shsde and have at it. Note that I say several occasions over the years and not as a regular thing but I have sseen no adverse effects.

[LNGUYEN]

I used to clean the Kote with bleach solution and put them out to the Sun light. The light usually kill the bacteria for good. I do the same for Men too.

[Curtis]

I washed a pair I did not care too much about in the washing machine. The palms did not like it too much. The rest of the kote was fine. Probably should have worked the palms while they were drying. Came out a bit stiff.

I can still use them, though I do not since they are too large for me. They did smell a whole lot better.

[Paikea]

Heh, its not my kote's feelings that I'm thinking of!Do you have any shops that specialize in cleaning sports gear? Some place like this: http://www.nwcleangear.com/

[The great I AM]

Do you have any shops that specialize in cleaning sports gear? Some place like this: http://www.nwcleangear.com/Not any where near me.

Given Curtis's experience I think I'll take the green door and shove 'em in the washer!

[hunnysan]

let us know what happens..this is good for me..(for future reference)

[Paikea]

Not any where near me.
The price paid for living in a land without hockey. I did take my own kote to that cleaners once, and it did a good job, but like Marsten-sensei the palm leather didn't like it much. It really took the oils out of the leather, and is probably the reason I'm going to get the palms replaced soon. JByrd recommends leather balm, but I have not tried it yet. Then again, there's about two years worth of twice-a-week keiko in them, and they are midrange Koei brand so don't expect a heck of a lot more.

[tango]

Why not look into wearing some kind of under-kote glove?
there was a thread on that topic just recently...

[Taisaburo]

Doesn't Chiba-bogu have a tutorial on washing the Kote-gashira? Or do they have Kotes with removeable Kote-gashira?

[MikeW]

Haven't tried so I don't know how it would come out but have you thought of trying a dry cleaning of your kote?

[Hank]

Has anybody ever washed their kote in a washing machine? Note that this is a serious question, as short of doing this I'm going to have to bin a set of my kote that, despite my best efforts with anti-bacterial and fungal sprays, are continuingto give me epidermal infections on my hands when I use them. I know I could have prevented this by using that stuff from the start, but I didn't and here I am!

Anyone done it, or have any thoughts or predictions.

Failing any advice that would suggest that they won't come back out of the washer, I'll do it anyway at about 8pm and give a report on weather or not it works.....

4hours 34minutes and counting.....Hmmm, this is probably way too late, but have you tried the microwave? I know it is often used in killing bacteria/fungus in the clothes of people who have recurring infections.

Hank.

[The great I AM]

Hmmm, this is probably way too late, but have you tried the microwave? I know it is often used in killing bacteria/fungus in the clothes of people who have recurring infections.

Hank.Dam. Too late indeed. They've been out of the washer for 3 hours now, and are doing well.

They haven't fallen apart, no small holes have appeared and nothing has got bigger / smaller as a result. If anyone does do this though, I recommend giving the kobushi a good squeeze to get any excess water out it.

They're drying at the mo, so lets see how they do now that they've survived the rigours of a high speed spin cycle.

Oh, and they're clarino palms, so no worries about re-oiling the tenouchi either......here's hoping!

[bullet08]

if there're some tiny things living inside of your kote head along with the deer hair.. i doubt washing it will cure whatever you are having issue with.. sort of like.. bed bugs.

pete

[tantadi]

Wouldn't the bugs die of the heat? You could also try putting them in a deep freezer overnight, that could also kill whatever is living in your kote.

[Kenshi]

what about peeing on them?

[bullet08]

Wouldn't the bugs die of the heat? You could also try putting them in a deep freezer overnight, that could also kill whatever is living in your kote.

freezing it might work.. or covering the kote with cloth and fumigating the room.. tho the chemical in the bomb might cause problem with leather and dye.


what about peeing on them?

depends on what you are into.. i think that's called golden shower in some circle.

pete

[tantadi]

what about peeing on them?
Pee is sterile so if it is done regularily after training it might help...;-)

[yama2]

You ever try vinegar? Could work since you use that stuff to kill mould anyways....

[The great I AM]

So, upon leaving the flat this morning, the datotsubu had dried completely, but the kashira was still pretty sodden.



George, I will never pee on anything I own, with the exception of things on fire and my own legs in the event of a Jellyfish sting.

And putting my kote in the microwave would result in death at the hands of my wife. They're not allowed in the living room, you think she'd allow that shit in the Micro? Your ball and chain must be very generous....

[Hank]

And putting my kote in the microwave would result in death at the hands of my wife. They're not allowed in the living room, you think she'd allow that shit in the Micro? Your ball and chain must be very generous....Sneak them in. Midnight snack? Tell her it's Thai food.

Personally, I've never put anything that wasn't food (or a food holder) in the microwave while in an unaltered state of mind. But, I do know that microwaving is used to kill fungus in clothes, as washing and drying just doesn't do it.

Hank.

[ben spain]

Have you tried steaming them?

When my stuff starts to get really stinky, I use a steam spray (the steam penguin in fact! http://www.shop.edirectory.co.uk/easylifeonline/pages/moreinfoa.asp?recordid=3343921&cid=1649&afid=105749) and this seems to kill the bacteria.

[The great I AM]

Sneak them in. Midnight snack? Tell her it's Thai food.That would almost be believable, though bearing in mind what microwaving does to "enhance" natto's fruity aroma, I think I may get rumbled.....

Ben, the steam cleaner looks promising. I may invest, mostly because I'm not sure I want to even contemplate putting my men in the washer.

[ben spain]

I use it about once every other month on my Men and Kote, and I haven't had any problem with either, they get about as damp as after a light training session.

If you care to give Reading a visit one time, I'll bring it along....!

[Morvran]

Have you tried Guinness? It's kinda like duct tape in that it's a good cure-all. I bet Guinness would kill the funk right quick.

[hunnysan]

Working in the healthcare system, i say heat..heat tends to kill things a lot more then frozen stuff. And also keep in mind, that it has to be really hot hot heat, so drying it by air might not have been too well. I recommend also the steamer (or like i have, the dry cleaning steammer at home) It works.

[The great I AM]

So, the kobushi are all but dry now. Everything seems ok, but the proof is in the pudding. Next keiko is tomorrow night, so I'll give them a test run and see if I come out with leprosy or not.

Over and out.

[Kenshi]

gibbo, et al, here is a great site (all in J-spiel) giving tips about how to wash your bogu and your keikogi. Its quite informative.

http://www1.odn.ne.jp/~cay29270/index.html

[ahmed61086]

While we are on the topic, how long should a set of kote last?


Also, whats the record for not cleaning your bogu? Im am close to 1 year in.

[bullet08]

had it for 1 yr 4 months.. i had to wipe the salt stain off the men.. they weren't even.

pete

[The great I AM]

Having used my newly washed kote last night, I would agree with Curtis (marsten sensei??)in that they need to taken care of throughout the drying, as mine were a little tight at the start of practise, so as suggested some sort of care to make sure the tenouchi doesm't shrink during drying. Other than that, perfectly usable kote! Score!

Now, I wonder if it'll work on my handmade 2bu kote.....

[Rookie M]

I can recommend using IPA (Isopropil Alcohol not the pale ale) for de-stinking Kote/Men/Tare it comes in big cans for a couple of quid from Maplins or other electronic shops as its for (Reads back of can) Precision cleaning electronic components and removing flux from printed circuit boards.
It works well on smells and does'nt leave nasty residues, though best not to use it before practice as you might get a bit light headed/die.

Freezing should work for killing large bedbug type beasties but won't kill their eggs.
For a more extreme de-creaturing auto-clave things "From orbit, It's the only way to be sure" You can fashion one of these A-team style from a presure cooker although i have no idea what it would do to none metallic things.
I use Mr Sheen on my plastic Do but i may take the laquer off more expensive ones, try a test patch on the inside to check.
As for softening the palms of Kote try a hand/face moisturiser it works on most leathers and should be ok for deer skin.

Hope this is useful, Should anyone be brave enough to auto-clave their bogu please let us know how the experiment goes.

[Stimpson J. Cat]

Working in the healthcare system, i say heat..heat tends to kill things a lot more then frozen stuff. And also keep in mind, that it has to be really hot hot heat

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes? - works for cake - I don't know how hot you could get kote before the heat did damage to the cotton and other materials

[kanyil]

Had my clarino Mine kote for just over a year now. Hand washed them for the first time a week or two ago. I believe the trick is dry them slowly.

Don't know if the same thing will work if it's deer skin.

[The great I AM]

I'm not sure if its laziness, stupidity or both, but I decided to put my 2bu hand-mades in the washer. They came out 20 minutes ago. So far so good, though the tenouchi were a little "greasy" so needed a bit of a seeing too with a grotty old towel. Apart from that all good!

[ben spain]

On a seperate note, what do you think of 2Bu as a stiching width, when compared with 3mm and 1.5/1.2Bu?

[The great I AM]

On a seperate note, what do you think of 2Bu as a stiching width, when compared with 3mm and 1.5/1.2Bu?It is a law unto itself.

Horses for course. Depends all on what you want. I personally find my 2bu kote more comfortable, though the "bu" stitching only appears on the datotsu bu of the kote, and not the kobushi from what I see, though in my limited knowledge of kote making this may be wrong.

[Super Kodachi]

How were the Kote Gibbo?

I need to clean my Men soon, but still haven't decided on the best way. Georges aritcle was interesting but I cant read much Japanese so.... not really that helpful (had nice pictures though).

Any ideas?

[Twobitmage]

How were the Kote Gibbo?

I need to clean my Men soon, but still haven't decided on the best way. Georges aritcle was interesting but I cant read much Japanese so.... not really that helpful (had nice pictures though).

Any ideas?

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www1.odn.ne.jp/~cay29270/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www1.odn.ne.jp/~cay29270/index.html%26hl%3Den%26hs%3Dobl%26lr%3D%26client%3 Dfirefox%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:unofficial

google translator. It translates it more into engrish than english but its bearable. I think the use of the word "arimasu" automatically puts the word "being" into a sentence...among other things.

[tantadi]

Look at the pic of the mushrooms growing on the bogu in that article...eewwww!

[Winter67uk]

Having used my newly washed kote last night, I would agree with Curtis (marsten sensei??)in that they need to taken care of throughout the drying, as mine were a little tight at the start of practise, so as suggested some sort of care to make sure the tenouchi doesm't shrink during drying. Other than that, perfectly usable kote! Score!

Now, I wonder if it'll work on my handmade 2bu kote.....

...and so you cleaned up your handmade kote and all will be nice. For a while.

I have sadly far too much experience with this problem. The issue is partly the state of your bogu, and partly your genes. In order to stay healthy, your skin likes a particlular combination of bacteria and fungus living on it. In the interior environment of your bogu, this balanced microculture gets upset. The more you practice, the more upset it can get.

Returning your equipment to a bacteria\fungus neutral state helps for a while, but a few keiko later... you're back to an unhealthy microculture again.

You need to figure out what your skin likes and what it doesn't like about bogu. Note this is a spectrum, depending on how much your currently practicing and the climate you're living in. Practicing a lot in a damp environment might be fine for your skin, assuming it likes a lot of bacteria. Practicing a little in a dry environment might be bad, as fungus will be more prevalent, and your skin might not like that.

You can try a combination of antibacterial and antifungal treatments. If you can figure out the balance for your current environment, your skin ailments will subside. Otherwise, learn to say 'opportunistic infection' in as many languages as you can. (I assume you travel for kendo.)

It really only becomes critical once the skin is irritated to the point it breaks open. Once this happens, your body uses white blood cells to deal with the problem, and this gets messy.

I'll leave it there. All this reminiscing is making the scars on my skin ache.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Wouldn't it be simpler to just get some of those inner gloves that you can wash after every practice?