please help with new equipment

[hakkuryu]

i recently bought a new bogu set, hakama and keikogi. the only problem is, the dye bleeds SO MUCH. i've read on other posts that you can wash the hakama and keikogi in white vinegar and water. my question is, does this work? and if so, can i wash the bogu the same way, especially the men, kote and tare? thanks.

[AlexM]

The dye will continue to run for awhile longer. I never bothered with worrying about indigo dye run-off and from what I've heard of others' experiences the results of soaking in vinegar or salt are mixed at the best.

I wouldn't recommend soaking any parts of your bogu in anything. The staining will go away after a few hard practices anyway. It's not a permanent problem.

My advice: Just shower after practice if you can.

[Ryukyu]

As for the salt, it is the "enemy" of your equipment.
So I don't think it would be wise to saok it in salt anyway.
I wouls just be patient and let it work itself out naturally, like Alex said.

[Raiza]

My advice: Just shower after practice if you can.

I second that. Vinegar soaking helped a bit with my seikon hakama and keikogi but soaking bogu is a BAD idea due to potential damage to the non-cotton components.

When showering, soap is fine but scrubbing with a bath puff and body wash works best for getting those annoying indigo stains off skin.

Well, my skin, anyhow...

[tango]

I was always worried with how much vinegar to use if washing the gi or hakama because I thought it might somehow work a little like bleach if I used to much.

Needless to say, I've heard mixed results from folks who have done it, too. Don't worry about it. It's going to bleed. If you wash the gi and hakama without vinegar, DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ELSE IN THE WASHER WITH THEM OR IT WILL ALL TURN BLUE.

Also ******** DO NOT WASH YOUR BOGU. PERIOD. **********

[hakkuryu]

thanks for the help. i called e-bogu, where i purchased the equipment, and they said that you should definitely not wash the bogu. they mentioned that you may wipe it down with a cloth and that the bleeding from the dye is normal and should improve over the next few months. just wanted to know if anyone else experienced this or if anyone has any feedback. thanks.

[tango]

If you ever decide that you really need to clean your bogu, a toothbrush and plain water do nicely --- especially on the chin rest inside your men. Although I can't think of any good reason to clean the tare or the do..
Think twice before doing anything to the palms of the kote.
Let's face it, kote get stinky. BAD, STANK, FUNK-NASTY. Just live with it. We all do.

FWIW: Number of times tango has "cleaned" his bogu in 6 years? NONE.

Good luck and congrats on your new bogu.

[Nanbanjin]

If you ever decide that you really need to clean your bogu, a toothbrush and plain water do nicely --- especially on the chin rest inside your men. Although I can't think of any good reason to clean the tare or the do..
Think twice before doing anything to the palms of the kote.
Let's face it, kote get stinky. BAD, STANK, FUNK-NASTY. Just live with it. We all do.

FWIW: Number of times tango has "cleaned" his bogu in 6 years? NONE.

Good luck and congrats on your new bogu.

Bogu cleaning service available in Japan.

http://www.bogucleaning.com/

[Alicia]

welcome to the ranks of Smurfdom!. i just got new bougu too, and by all appearances will remain blue for the next few weeks/months at least. i look on it as weeks of free advertising for kendo, when people ask why i am blue. also, i think it is a slightly more interesting improvement on white with freckles. easier than a tan, and more unique.

but seriously guys, thanks for the advice. but how exactly do you soak it in vinegar without using bottles and bottles and getting it everywhere? also, i quite like the nice new pleats in my hakama, i dont intend to wreck them by scrunching it up in a bucket.