How to Wash a Rashguard So It Lasts
Wash your rashguard after every session in cold water, turned inside out, with a small amount of regular or sport detergent. Leave out the fabric softener and bleach, and hang it to dry instead of putting it in the dryer. Get it out of your gym bag as soon as you get home, because a wet rashguard that sits overnight is where the smell starts. Those few habits keep the fabric stretchy, the design sharp and your training partners happy.
How often should you wash a rashguard?
Wash it after every session, even a light drilling class. Your rashguard spends an hour pressed against the mat and against other people's skin. Sweat, skin oils and whatever is on the mat all end up in the fabric.
Skin infections such as ringworm and staph can pass between grapplers, and clean gear is one of the simplest ways to lower that risk. Most academies expect a fresh rashguard and fresh shorts every class. If you train twice a day, bring a second set.
How do you wash a rashguard step by step?
- Take it out of your bag right away. Hang it up or put it straight in the machine when you get home.
- Turn it inside out. This puts the sweatiest side in contact with the water, and it protects the outside of the fabric from rubbing against zippers and buttons on other clothes.
- Use cold water. Cold water cleans synthetic fabric well and is easier on the spandex that gives a rashguard its stretch.
- Use a small amount of detergent. Too much detergent leaves residue in the fibers, and residue holds onto odor. A sport detergent made for synthetics works well, but a regular detergent is fine.
- Choose a gentle or normal cycle. Wash your rashguard with other workout gear or similar fabrics. Keep it away from towels and jeans, which can pill and scuff the surface.
- Hang it to dry. Drape it over a hanger or a drying rack away from direct heat. A rashguard dries quickly, often in a few hours.
Why shouldn't you use fabric softener on a rashguard?
Fabric softener leaves a coating on the fibers. On cotton that coating feels soft, but on a polyester and spandex rashguard it blocks the fabric from pulling sweat away from your skin. It also traps bacteria, so the shirt starts to smell even right after a wash.
Softener and bleach both break down the stretch over time. Once spandex loses its recovery, the rashguard sags at the hem and rides up when you play guard.
Can you put a rashguard in the dryer?
You should keep it out of the dryer. High heat weakens spandex, and a rashguard that goes through the dryer every week loses its snug fit much sooner than one you hang. Heat can also wear on printed designs and seams.
If you need it dry fast, roll it in a clean towel and press out the water, then hang it. Most rashguards are ready to wear again by the next morning.
How do you get the smell out of a rashguard?
If your rashguard smells right out of the wash, bacteria and detergent residue have built up in the fabric. A soak usually fixes it.
Fill a sink or bucket with cold water and add about a cup of white vinegar. Let the rashguard soak for 30 minutes to an hour, then wash it as usual with a little less detergent than you normally use. Repeat the soak once or twice if the smell holds on.
To keep it from coming back, wash after every session and never leave damp gear zipped in your bag. A mesh gym bag or a separate breathable pouch lets air reach your gear on the ride home.
How do you wash fight shorts?
Wash fight shorts the same way you wash your rashguard. Turn them inside out, wash cold, skip the softener and bleach, and hang them to dry. Tie the drawstring loosely before you wash them so it doesn't get pulled out of the waistband. If you wear compression shorts or spats underneath, wash them after every session too, because they sit closest to your skin.
How do you wash a BJJ gi?
Most gis are heavy cotton, and cotton shrinks with heat. Wash your gi in cold water and hang it to dry. A hot dryer can take a gi down a size, which is why some grapplers buy one slightly large and shrink it on purpose. If your gi fits now, keep it out of the dryer.
Wash the gi after every class, and give it a full day to dry, because the thick weave holds water. Many grapplers own two gis so one is always ready. Belts are a separate conversation at a lot of academies, but a quick cold wash now and then keeps yours from smelling.
Does the design on a rashguard wash off?
That depends on how the design gets onto the fabric. Screen printed designs and heat transfers sit on top of the fabric. Over time they crack and peel as the shirt stretches and goes through the wash.
The Kuzushi Pulse Rashguard is dye-sublimated. The design is dyed into the fabric, so it won't crack or peel. Sublimated designs still last longest with cold water and air drying, which are the same habits that protect the stretch. For a closer look at how the process works, read What Is Dye Sublimation?
How long does a rashguard last?
How long a rashguard lasts depends on how often you train and how you wash it. A rashguard you wash cold and hang dry holds its fit much longer than one that goes through hot water and the dryer every week. When the hem stops staying down or you see thin spots at the elbows and shoulders, it's time for a new one.
If you're shopping for a replacement, our guide on how to choose a rashguard covers fit, sleeve length and fabric.
Gear that holds up to the wash
Every rashguard and pair of fight shorts we make is dye-sublimated, and each comes with the same care instructions: wash cold and inside out, hang dry, and skip bleach and fabric softener.
- The Kuzushi Pulse Rashguard ($45) is a short sleeve rashguard made from a breathable poly-knit fabric. A heartbeat line runs across the chest and breaks open into a jiu-jitsu throw. It comes in men's S to XL and women's S to L.
- The Positional Pressure Long Sleeve Rashguard ($45) is unisex and made from 80% polyester and 20% spandex. Pressure points appear where contact was made and fade as you recover. It comes in S to XL.
- The Kuzushi Fight Shorts ($45) and Pressure Fight Shorts ($45) are lightweight polyester with small side cuts and an elastic waistband with an inner drawstring.
The Kuzushi Kit ($80) pairs the Pulse Rashguard with the matching Kuzushi Fight Shorts.
Pressure is a privilege, so put it on.
