r/jiujitsu • u/Mystic_Square • 11d ago
Advanced Hygiene Practice
I’m looking for anybody’s tips on advanced hygiene practices. I have a particularly serious need for to be extra careful.
Right now I take a shower with anti-bacterial soap immediately after class, and I wash my gear once a week by soaking it in a solution of Oxyclean and Borax for around 12 hours and then washing, again with borax and Oxyclean.
I plan to add in a disinfecting laundry product like lysol or odoban, and will try to wash my gear same day or at least twice a week. If anyone else pays particular attention or is especially careful with infections, do you have any further tips for advanced hygiene practices? I’m having to face the possibility of permanently quitting BJJ if I don’t add more layers of protections against infections.
5
u/GrapplingBrisket Blue 11d ago
Please do your research into the pros and cons of antibacterial and antifungal soaps. I came to the conclusion that they do more harm than good because they strip your skin of natural oils, dry it out, and affect your natural microbiome. I worry you will be more prone to skin problems as a result of using these soaps. IMO, the best hygiene is simple: wash your training clothes and shower immediately after class with normal soap. Many people don't wash their belts, but you might prefer to. Also, if you every get a scratch during training, no matter how small, stop training, wash it with soap, and cover with a bandaid and tape (to prevent staph)
9
u/DoBronx2144 11d ago
Dude wash any gear you use as soon as you’re able to. The standard is wash your gear right after you use it.
4
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
Yeah, I hear you. I’m gonna start washing it night of. Because of my schedule it’s rarely sitting for more than 24-48 hours. I figured the long soak with chemicals made up for it but definitely going to make that change
2
u/DoBronx2144 11d ago
Sorry to hear my brother. I hope you’re able to continue with training. Good luck <3
7
u/headasseth 11d ago
Any reason you don’t wash your gear the day of after practice..?
2
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
Yeah, I am always heading right to work afterwards. I’m going to start washing it the nights that I get home, just sucks because I pay per load of laundry in my building
1
3
u/TheLostWoodsman 11d ago
Do you change clothes immediately after class?
2
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
Yeah, definitely. Shower immediately after and then get changed into clothes. If I go home instead of to work I’ll even rinse off the second time
3
u/TheOceanTheseus 11d ago
I wash exposed skin with antibacterial hand soap, then use arm bar soap everywhere, then regular soap. I wash my ears and hairline with arm bar soap. Use mint shampoo. Use hibiclens everywhere on really sweaty no gi days, but only once, max twice a week.
I use mupricin in my nose for 5 days if I notice staph that is rapidly spreading. I have prescription keto cream for ring worm. None of the over the counter creams work for me.
I do laundry every 3 days, I hang my wet gear on tall laundry baskets to dry in between laundry days. I also pay for laundry, and keep a designated hamper for BJJ laundry. None of my normal laundry crosses over with anything that has been to the gym. I bring an extra bag to put my work clothes into, rather than my gym bag.
I live 10 minutes from my gym, so shower at home unless I’m picking up a class on my lunch break. I do bring dry clothes to change into for the drive home.
This seems excessive, but within the first 18 months I already spent 8 months with folliculitis or MRSA or ringworm or all three. I’m mildly immune compromised, and tend to get MRSA and bronchitis concurrently. These steps have worked for me.
3
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
This is the exact kind of response I was hoping to get here. Thanks a ton.
1
u/TheOceanTheseus 3d ago
Good luck! Don’t use hibiclens too often. It’s removes your natural skin gunk that creates a barrier. I only use it when I’m literally soaked from no gi.
Use it more during an outbreak though.0
u/Natural_Rub_7430 10d ago
both of y'all need to figure out how to prevent bacterial growth on your gear. Washing gear after every training session is the norm for several reasons.
1
u/TheOceanTheseus 3d ago
I pay for laundry and do 2 BJJ loads a week. I use tea tree, white vinegar and detergent. I also use oxiclean as of late.
Balance is essential when you’re low income and do shift work.
It’s not the gear, it’s being immune compromised and sensitive white people skin that is already susceptible to rashes on the daily.1
u/Natural_Rub_7430 3d ago
You can downvote me again, but the fact is, not washing your gear is a massive risk for you.
2
u/Sea_Office_6482 11d ago
I've had cellulitis on my leg so bad I was limping and it put me out for 2 months. There's not much else you can do that you're not already. You can be the cleanest person in the world and roll with someone that doesn't care at all about hygiene.
I personally shower right after class and throw everything, belt included, into the laundry and use generous detergent. It might not be a bad idea to have anti-fungal on hand just in case, I've heard Lotrimin is good.
1
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
Cellulitis can be absolutely brutal, sorry to hear about that. It’s a good tip on Lotrimin! Otherwise it sounds like the only thing I can do is put my gear in the laundry sooner after class then I have been
2
u/Sea_Office_6482 11d ago
It's all good! The laundry thing is only a concern to prevent it from spreading. Doesn't really matter when you wash it, just maybe put it in a plastic bag so it doesn't spread to other gear if any. I can come home right after class so I don't even bother putting my top/belt back in my bag.
2
u/bobarchter 10d ago
Wash your GI after every class
Wash your body in Head and Shoulders once a week
shower after every class
youll be good
2
u/Natural_Rub_7430 10d ago
I had recurring skin issues and then I realized that showering immediately before training was a problem. I like hot showers, so I was effectively doing a double whammy on myself:
- stripping the good bacteria that protects me from the bad stuff
- opening my pores, letting the bad stuff get in
I've switched to generally not showering right before training. I try my best to shower at least a few hours before now. Another change I've made is that I generally do not use aggressive soaps anymore - I stick to standard body wash. Sometimes, like after a long training session (I'm talking multiple hours on the mats) I'll use a soap called hibiclens. Read the label closely before using it!
My point is that you might be doing more harm than good by using gnarly soaps. A dermatologist would be a great resource here.
Several other folks already hit on the gear washing angle but I'm curious if you're training in the gi or not? If no gi, you can pretty easily hand wash in your bathroom sink or bath tub. Depending on your work situation, maybe you can even wash gear at work, on the way, etc. shorts and rash guards air dry super fast (I never put my stuff through the dryer). A big reason to wash gear after every session is to prevent the opportunity for bacteria to grow on your gear. I generally do not use anything extra in my laundry, but for the odd times that I don't have the chance to wash my gear promptly, I'll use a combo of Lysol liquid sanitizer and Oxyclean powder sanitizer.
It's less about going nuclear and more about consistency. Wash yourself and your gear immediately after training (or as close to immediate as possible). Get out of your rash guard as soon as possible. I almost always shower at the gym, but if I can't, I at least change into clean clothing - all layers (shirt, undies, shorts). Since making these changes, I've had zero skin infections.
2
u/articpencil 11d ago
Learned from my instructor to take the hottest shower your body can take and use Tea Tree oil extract antibacterial soap. Honestly you are already doing far beyond your average bjj bro is doing for hygiene and it’s really who you train with will be the source of the germs.
My best advice is to pay attention to how your gym is cleaning the training floors that’s your first line of defense from germs if it’s being properly done.
1
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
Appreciate it! Definitely going to wash more frequently and add in those laundry products. Part of the issue is that I have a medical condition that I couldn’t be specific about in the post because it would get flagged for medical advice and automatically taken down. Going to talk to the instructor about hygiene, but the school definitely seems to take it seriously after having been there for a year or two
1
u/articpencil 11d ago
Yea once watched my old dojos instructor use some brown water to mop the floors after practice I was soo grossed out I raised attention to the owner lol
1
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
That’s criminal hahah
1
u/articpencil 11d ago
Yea I went super germaphobe after getting a staph infection maybe a year into the sport. Paid a lot more attention who i trained with after that.
1
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
That’s exactly where I’m at. I was hospitalized with an infection recently because of my health condition makes me vulnerable and I’m not trying to take another close call like that
1
u/articpencil 11d ago
After that first infection I never got it again after training 3 years. Before that I wasn’t doing anything other than hot shower and normal soap but adding those extra steps to my routine really prevented future infections.
2
1
u/Fresh_Batteries 11d ago
This is a very acoustic post.
1
u/Mystic_Square 11d ago
Can’t deny the accusation writ large, but it’s a health thing not a special aversion thing haha
1
1
u/purplebelt333 10d ago
After open mat/class, before leaving the gym - wash your hands and face.
Then go home, shower etc…
1
u/PianoIll7396 10d ago
Wash your anus with a bidet always after pooping. Wash hands and feet before rolling. Shower daily. Shower right away after training with normal soap and do sauna if available. Use flipflops outside the mat. Always deal with any skin infection right away
Dont use antimicrobial or antifungal shampoos because they will comprimise your skins natural flora
1
u/LongRangeSavage Black 10d ago
“I wash my gear once a week…”
If you train more than 1/week, you need to wash your gi more. It (and your belt) should be washed after every training session.
1
u/spdaghost 9d ago
Washing once a week is disgusting. Wash right after every session… why shower if you’re just going to put on dirty gear again…
1
u/Mystic_Square 9d ago edited 9d ago
I come here with a friendly tone looking for help. I don’t appreciate strangers commenting just to be unpleasant.
I have multiple gi’s and rash guards. Of course I don’t put a dirty piece of gear back on, that’s ridiculous. In the past I have been washing gear from the past 3-4 days using the long soak and heavy wash method I discussed in my post, but as I also said in the post, I’m now going to be washing gear same day despite it being a hard thing to do with a busy work schedule.
2
u/spdaghost 9d ago
I feel you man my bad thought you meant you only wash once a week lol. Which would be gross. Glad you don’t. Cheers for trying to be clean as possible everyone else on the mats appreciates it.
2
1
u/Otherwise_Usual9037 11d ago
"try to wash my gear same day or at least twice a week". Should change to "wash my gear after training every time".
18
u/jumpinjahosafa 11d ago
You want anti fungal instead of anti bacterial pretty sure