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Does anyone here use a portable washing machine to wash their Gi?
- Thread starter Paul B
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Candy has got a rather small (3,5 kg) version that is still a "real" washing machine.
http://www.candy-domestic.co.uk/products/details.aspx?pid=442
http://www.candy-domestic.co.uk/products/details.aspx?pid=442
One thing to consider is that a gi is incredibly dirty and heavy, so you need a good spin and rinse cycle to both wash out the germs and drain the water. You're gonna either get stuck with water dripping all over the place, or a washer soon to break down under the heavy load.
Choose carefully, or buy more gi and go to a laundromat.
Choose carefully, or buy more gi and go to a laundromat.
Man those things are never going to work for a gi.
If you're desperate enough to be looking at those, just get a big bucket and a plunger. Fill the bucket with water and some detergent. Throw your gi in. Plunge it for a while. That's your wash cycle. Then dump your bucket, fill it up with clean water, and plunge it again. That's your rinse cycle. Repeat another rinse cycle if you need to. Then wring out your gi as best as you can (spin cycle) and hang it up to dry.
That's how you hand wash when you don't have a mechanical laundry. People have been doing that for thousands of years. It works, and it costs less than any of those contraptions.
If you're desperate enough to be looking at those, just get a big bucket and a plunger. Fill the bucket with water and some detergent. Throw your gi in. Plunge it for a while. That's your wash cycle. Then dump your bucket, fill it up with clean water, and plunge it again. That's your rinse cycle. Repeat another rinse cycle if you need to. Then wring out your gi as best as you can (spin cycle) and hang it up to dry.
That's how you hand wash when you don't have a mechanical laundry. People have been doing that for thousands of years. It works, and it costs less than any of those contraptions.
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You're gonna need a proper washer. A dirty gi can be a fucker to clean.
Just buy a couple extra gi's and drop your shit off at the chinese laundry once a week like everyone else who lives in a city does. Sure it costs a little more but at least you aren't paying stupid high property taxes like my boring suburban ass.
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Serious, non-troll question: Has anyone considered a fabric protector like 'Scotchgard' for Gis? Essentially a teflon layer that stops dirt and moisture (and therefore bacteria) getting into the fibres of the Gi?
Downside would be the sweat that would just drip out of it all across the mats ...
Downside would be the sweat that would just drip out of it all across the mats ...
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A washer/dryer combo are small enough you can put them where your dishwasher is.
I think it wouldn't work for the same reason they don't do that to all regular clothes. Anything that would work well enough to really stop it would be like rolling in a plastic sauna suit.
They do coat a lot of things with stain resistant coatings, but really they just repel a little bit to give you a brief chance to wipe it off. If you are rolling around in it, it will still get soaked.
Expensive washing machine, no? :icon_chee
If you're really desperate while traveling, I suppose you could even hand-wash your gi with some detergent. I imagine it would be a huge pain to find a way to dry it quickly though.
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i hand wash my gis. laundry is $2 a load in my shitty apartment, but we don't pay the water bill so i just use the tub.
fill it up with enough hot water to submerge everything, toss in some detergent and peroxide, give it a good agitation, drain the gnarly water, rinse it in hot water (i've got one of those handheld shower attachments), wring it out, and hang it to dry.
a friend of mine got a drying rack and stuck a box fan underneath to expedite the process.
fill it up with enough hot water to submerge everything, toss in some detergent and peroxide, give it a good agitation, drain the gnarly water, rinse it in hot water (i've got one of those handheld shower attachments), wring it out, and hang it to dry.
a friend of mine got a drying rack and stuck a box fan underneath to expedite the process.
cowcrappler
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OP, I was considering this machine at one point: Haier 1.46 cu ft portable washing machine. I think it would be big enough to accommodate a gi although it is bigger and pricer than the other machines you listed.
I problem I have with hand washing gis is wringing out the damn thing. There's just so much damn material, and everyone knows how stiff they can be.
I problem I have with hand washing gis is wringing out the damn thing. There's just so much damn material, and everyone knows how stiff they can be.
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I'm looking for a portable washing machine for my (very) small apartment. Have any of you used one to wash your gi?
Please share your experiences.
I'd be surprised if those things could get the skid marks out of my skivvies, let alone all the sweat, dirt and ringworm out of a gi top.
I second Balto's idea of a bucket and plunger.
Oh man, can you imagine the smell of a couple of gi's sitting in a sack till the end of the week.
I'd love to see the persons face when u drop that off.
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OP, I was considering this machine at one point: Haier 1.46 cu ft portable washing machine. I think it would be big enough to accommodate a gi although it is bigger and pricer than the other machines you listed.
I problem I have with hand washing gis is wringing out the damn thing. There's just so much damn material, and everyone knows how stiff they can be.
wring out the sleeves first, then hold them out straight and roll the bottom of the jacket up towards the top like a doobie. cross the sleeves over the doobie, fold it in half into a 'U' shape, then twist it around itself. unfurl everything and forcefully whip it up and down a few times. if you practice, you can whip the water at the blacksplash of your shower.
if it's the winter, put it in front of a heating vent and it'll be nice and toasty dry by morning. if it's the summer you can put it out in the sunshine.
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I don't have one of the
Models you listed but I have a shitty portable washer as in I have to move it into the kitchen anytime I want to use it.
It sucks and my gi's and anything else I put in it has a short lifespan, every time I pull a gi out, there's more stray threads than before. It sucks.
Models you listed but I have a shitty portable washer as in I have to move it into the kitchen anytime I want to use it.
It sucks and my gi's and anything else I put in it has a short lifespan, every time I pull a gi out, there's more stray threads than before. It sucks.
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Mine barely fits in the wash, so I agree 100% with you. Big bucket will make the most sense. Thing is, you still want to make sure that thing dries properly.
