About Garame Cleaning Co
Hi, I'm Steve! I'm the founder of Garame Cleaning Co.
I've always been perspirationally abundant as a gentleman of density. Peaking at 170kgs in my early 20s, my clothing constantly dealt with my thermally expressive body and the moisture that comes with that. Fast forward to a much reduced 130kg, and I start training in Brazilian Jiujitsu. I soon realise that my condensationally productive body mixed with rashguards and gi's, can create a heady aroma once I had warmed up. I read numerous r/bjj threads and tried various products and remedies to remove the embedded smell that returned after I warmed up; Anti odour and sanitising detergents and additives that 'get rid of the bacteria', vinegar, bicarb, eucalytpus oils, the list was endless. But, nothing worked.
The idea for a gear defunkification product was born, and with it, Garame Cleaning Co. We're dedicated to keeping the martial arts community fresh and thriving and committed to delivering high-quality cleaning and personal care products for the BJJ and broader martial arts community.
The name Garame, pronounced ( Gah - Rah - May ) Cleaning Co., was inspired by the amazing prints from Half Sumo Collective titled 'Submissions' and 'Positions'.
Images courtesy of @halfsumo_collective
A huge part of my Brazilian Jiujitsu game has been the half guard position (Niju-garame) and the kimura submission (Ude-garame), so it seemed fitting! Garame loosely translates to 'Entanglement'.
On the mats, I'm a masters age purple belt training out of Ultimate Jiu-jitsu Milperra, NSW, Australia. My instructor is Aleks Stojkovski, who received his black belt from Rob Naumoski from Ultimate Defense Academy. I've been training consistently since late 2016, having started with my son Pep at Roots Liverpool under Stoyan K.
Here's me, at 140kg, having just been beaten up and given the third stripe on my purple belt, the same day Garame Cleaning Co launched out into the world - August 19th 2024. Aleks S is on the right, with Denis A on the left.
