Kote scrubbing

[alfanator]

Inspired by last Sept's Kendo Nippon article featuring a shop that cleaned bogu, with shots of them scrubbing kotes, i decided to give it a shot with my old stinky ones.

These kotes i have had for 15 years, it has had mold grow on it, lysoled, fabreezed, alcoholed, hole patched with shinai tsuka leather, aired out, sun'ed in and struck by beginners and hachi-dans. And it stinks. Really really stinks. Stinks when dry, stinks when wet, makes my hand stink after i use it stink. I think y'all know what I am talking about.

Anyway this is what it did. I just dunked it in water, the whole thing. Scrubbed it with a bristle brush with shampoo and bath soap. Rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat. Left it out in the shade to dry for a couple of days and another couple under the AC.

Happy to report, it no longer stinks and the color is actually better--deeper and more even. Leather is not stiff or hard, I plan to put a thin coat of mink oil on it when completely dry, tested it on small area in palm and fist leather and it was fine. Fist is still slightly damp after 4 days of drying, sort of damp like after practice so not too concerned.

Give it s shot if you want fresher smellin' kotes. Saw them scrubbing old mens too...

[iluv4]

Good tip... now where did I put my old moldy kote before it is biodegraded into oblivion ??

[Ludwig]

That sounds nice, gotta tell that to a friend who has an old, stinky, holed kote. When his new pair comes I'll bet he will try this washing method. I wouldn't do it with mine until it really stinks, though, I still worry about spraing lysol or not...