Ask any grappler and they’ll tell you: a BJJ gi soaks up sweat like nothing else, and if you don’t treat it right, it develops a smell that no amount of normal washing seems to shift. The dreaded “permastank” is real — but it’s entirely avoidable. Look after your gi properly and it’ll stay fresh, keep its size, and last you years. Here’s exactly how to wash a BJJ gi the right way.
Why gis get so smelly
It isn’t really sweat that stinks — it’s bacteria. Your gi spends an hour pressed against other sweaty bodies on a warm mat, then often gets rolled into a damp gym bag and forgotten. That’s a five-star resort for the bacteria that cause odour. The fix is mostly about denying them the warm, damp, dark conditions they love.
There’s a hygiene angle too. Mat-borne skin infections like ringworm thrive in the same conditions, so a clean, dry gi isn’t just about smelling good — it protects you and your training partners.
The golden rules
Get these five habits right and 90% of gi problems disappear:
- Wash it after every single session. Never let a sweaty gi sit overnight, and never “air it out for another round”. Bacteria multiply fast.
- Wash cold. Cold water (30°C or below) cleans a gi perfectly well and is the single biggest thing you can do to stop it shrinking.
- Turn it inside out. The collar, armpits and inner seams absorb the most sweat — turning the gi inside out lets the detergent reach them.
- Use a normal, mild detergent. A standard dose of regular detergent is all you need. More soap doesn’t mean cleaner — it leaves residue that traps odour.
- Skip the fabric softener. This one surprises people. Softener coats the cotton fibres in a film that actually traps odour-causing bacteria and reduces breathability. Leave it out.
How to get the smell out of a gi
If your gi has already crossed into stinky territory, you can rescue it without harsh chemicals:
- White vinegar: add a cup of plain white vinegar to the wash, or pre-soak the gi for a few hours in a mix of one part vinegar to a few parts cold water. Vinegar neutralises odour and breaks down bacteria. (Don’t worry — the vinegar smell rinses out completely.)
- Baking soda: a tablespoon or two in the wash deodorises naturally and helps lift stains.
- For “permastank”: a deep overnight soak in diluted white vinegar once or twice a month resets a gi that’s started to hold onto smells. Do this before a normal cold wash, not instead of it.
- Pre-treat the worst areas: rub a paste of baking soda and water into the collar, armpits and cuffs before washing.
Drying: where most gis get ruined
This is the step that separates a gi that lasts years from one that shrinks two sizes in a month. Never tumble dry a cotton BJJ gi. The heat is what causes serious shrinkage and breaks down the fibres over time.
Instead:
- Hang it to air dry in a well-ventilated spot. A clothes airer or a sturdy hanger is perfect.
- Dry it in sunlight if you can. UV is a natural disinfectant and gives any lingering bacteria a final knock. Just don’t leave coloured gis in harsh sun for days, as it can fade them.
- Make sure it’s bone dry before storing. A gi that’s even slightly damp when it goes in the cupboard or bag is asking for mould and mildew.
If you’ve read our gi size guide, you’ll know cotton naturally shrinks a little — washing cold and air-drying keeps that shrinkage to the gentle, intended amount rather than a wardrobe disaster.
What about the belt?
Time to bust a myth. There’s an old superstition that you should never wash your BJJ belt because it “washes away your knowledge”. It’s a fun bit of folklore, but your belt gets just as sweaty as the rest of your kit — so by all means give it a cold wash now and then for hygiene’s sake. Your knowledge lives in your head, not your belt. Wash cold, hang dry, same as the gi.
Rotate your gis to make them last
If you train more than two or three times a week, a single gi never gets the chance to fully dry and recover between sessions. Owning two or three gis and rotating them means each one airs out properly, which dramatically cuts smell and wear. It’s the simplest upgrade most regular grapplers make — and a good excuse to add a spare from our BJJ gi range.
Don’t forget the rest of your kit
Everything we’ve covered applies just as much to your no-gi gear. Rash guards and spats are usually synthetic rather than cotton, so they can take a cold-to-warm wash and dry quickly — but the same rules apply: wash after every use, skip the softener, and never tumble dry on high heat, which wrecks the stretch and compression.
The five-second summary
- Wash after every session, cold, inside out.
- Mild detergent only. No fabric softener.
- Vinegar or baking soda kills smells naturally.
- Air dry, never tumble dry — heat is what shrinks and destroys gis.
- Rotate two or three gis if you train often.
Treat your gi like the bit of kit you spend the most hours in, and it’ll reward you with years of fresh, well-fitting service. New to the sport and building out your kit? Start with our beginner’s BJJ checklist, or browse the full BJJ collection to find your next gi.