How do you wash a dirty rope?

I've heard that you can put the rope in an iterative slip-knot daisy chain thinger, and then throw it in a bag and then into the washing machine with no detergent. Is this true? What kind of bag do I need? What's the best way to dry the rope? I assume that the drier is a bad idea, because nylon has a low melting point. Could I just hang the rope out to dry in the sun in the back-yard?

Front load washer in a pillowcase, some rope wash or just plain water. Snake around spare bedroom to let it air dry. Works like a charm.

I don't even use the pillowcase and add a little bit of woolite. shines it right back up!

I don't wash ropes. I keep it clean with a rope bag, then I buy a new one when it wears out.

Expect your rope to get fatter and shorter after you wash it...sorta like me with aging.

Woolite is good. So is Ivory Snow, the flaky stuff, not the liquid. Cold water, or no hotter than warm, is good. If the rope was really dirty, use an extra rinse cycle.

I used to put my rope in the bathtub and walk around in there barefoot long enough to read one chapter in a guidebook (didn't own a washing machine at the time, and wasn't about to go to a laundromat). Rinsing the rope gave me a shower and got the rope clean at the same time.

Air dry out of the sun.

I use a rope brush: backcountry.com/outdoorgear….

It does a great job cleaning a rope and it gives you a work out at the same time. I've gotten more pumped cleaning my rope than I have on some climbs.

Mike Anderson wrote: Expect your rope to get fatter and shorter after you wash it...

Isn't this supposedly better than long and skinny? maybe I'll actually try washing mine.

if you put it in a stuff sack then you can wash on gentle in a top loader washing machine. non detergent soaps are OK, there specific products out there for this. Ive always just used water and it gets rather clean. Front loaders are a better choice if available. Making an effort to keep it clean will also go along way.
Some folks scoff at the rope brush products....but they are sold by the rope manufacturers. We have used them on our SAR team for years.

Just washed a few today - Tech wash, front load washing machine, extra rinse.

JLP wrote:Woolite leaves a sticky film that attracts more dirt and aluminum oxide. I would not use it. I have been using Nikwax Tech Wash lately with good results. Whatever you use, cut the dose way down for your first experiment - like a 1/4 or so of recommended.

Last time i washed, I used tech-wash and my rope came out feeling very sticky and not quite right. Took a lot of rinsing to get that feel out of it. I'll stick to woolite or just plain water.

I'm w/ Mike, nothing good has ever come of washing a rope of mine.
I've tried it twice, once via minimal woolite and gentle cycle and once by hand w/ nikwax (or some other gortex designed soap). Both results, on different ropes, did nothing good for the rope except maybe keep my hands cleaner for a couple of days.

Oh, and the colors were brighter...

I agree with those suggesting front loading washers, but instead of using a pillowcase to avoid tangling I fold the rope in half and then daisy-chain it, and then daisy chain that daisy chain. The rope ends up about 20 feet long, and after washing it pulls right out... no tangles.

I have tried the washer in a nylon bag without soap and it does seems to get 'em a little fatter.

FWIW, I had a rope that had been run over a rubber coating on a big pipe in Ouray (before it was a "park"). It was super sticky and unuseable. A vigorous hand cleaning in the tub with a tiny bit of hand soap left it far better than it was before...and useable.

After gritty days of alpine mixed, a cleaning in a clean, moderate moving creek by just letting it out in the current has cleaned 'em rather reasonably.

I have and have used one of those "astroturf on the inside of a cylinder hooked up to a hose devices." It works okay, but it takes a lot of pull throughs to get it to work.

Air drying in the backyard usually works, although maybe not on a dark surface on a hot day.

For any of you who throw your ropes away after they get dirty (rather than wash them) please get a hold of me, as I will be happy to wash and use your 1 month old rope.

Price

Cavers tend to need to wash their ropes somewhat more frequently than do climbers:

shop.pmirope.com/rigging-ge…

Duh, use soap on a rope.

flynn wrote:Woolite is good. So is Ivory Snow, the flaky stuff, not the liquid. Cold water, or no hotter than warm, is good. If the rope was really dirty, use an extra rinse cycle. I used to put my rope in the bathtub and walk around in there barefoot long enough to read one chapter in a guidebook (didn't own a washing machine at the time, and wasn't about to go to a laundromat). Rinsing the rope gave me a shower and got the rope clean at the same time. Air dry out of the sun.

Was looking for rope washing info and stumbled upon this. I just got ripped on by some "normal" people cause I said I take a shower in my gym clothes after completely drenching them running at hard paces and actually sweating... I do this to keep them from rotting and stinking but apparently multi-tasking and energy conservation were lost in the world of non-dirtbags?

Jesse Davidson wrote:I agree with those suggesting front loading washers, but instead of using a pillowcase to avoid tangling I fold the rope in half and then daisy-chain it, and then daisy chain that daisy chain. The rope ends up about 20 feet long, and after washing it pulls right out... no tangles.

Did this actually fully clean it or were you left w some odd daisy chain pattern of dirt lines

Front loading washing machine and a half cup of woollite is fine.

Personally, I think washing a rope is a waste of time and water! I don't think it extends the rope's life, but it will keep your hands cleaner, if that's important to you.