Rope Washing

I tried to do a search on MP but didn't find a post on how to clean or when to clean my rope.

From web searches I found that I can throw it in a mesh bag use mild detergent and let it air dry after. Also that it is time to wash once it starts getting your hands dirty.

I've had my rope for 6 weeks. Its seen about 60 lead climbs and maybe 100 top ropes. Lots of lowering. It seems early to me but I read that washing often extends rope life.

I wanted to ask MP folks for any extra advice on how they wash their ropes.

Thanks for any advice!

I used this for the first time a few weeks ago. Rope turned out great.

sterlingrope.com/product/0/…

i've put mine in a pillow case and put it in my front loader, gently cycle. I use non detergent outdoor gear soap. Drying is a pain as I spread it thoughout the basement.

I generally don't wash them unless there's a lot of grime/dirt/crytals in the rope. Like bkb said if you're using it that much washing probably won't help prolong its life.

ive heard tech wash works in place of special rope wash(what you usually use on jackets and whatnot) but havent personally tried it. I dunno about using any kind of detergent, that would sketch me out. I could see how washing a rope could prolong its life if there was a lot of grit and whatever on it, but i dont think this is a typical issue.

I don't know what all the fuss about not using top loading washers is about. I put a couple different ropes at a time in my top loading washer, gentle cycle and have had no problem. I put a miniscule amount of dry detergent in the water and I might do an extra rinse cycle.

I think it is really the hot water that cleans the dirt out, it is not like you are trying to get a mustard stain out of your rope.

Sometimes I flake them into the washer, but most of the time I just leave them in a rope backback and let the water do the trick.

I have washed many ropes in the past. My method is as follows.

Loosely double and double your rope again, so that you have 4 strands going. Then loosely braid in the same manner many braid webbing. Wash the rope in this manner with WOOLITE on cold.
Air dry.

Been doing it that way for years. Front loader is best, but I don't have one and with this method a normal top loading machine works fine. The braid keeps it from getting to tangled and helps not create a huge weight that messes up the machine.

-Jon

bkb0000 wrote:side-load washing machine.. cold water, little bit of liquid or no detergent. powder detergent supposedly doesn't rinse clean enough, causing the rope/softshell/water to draw in water when wet. i'll spot wash if my ropes get muddy or otherwise crusty dirty.. i just take it in the bathroom, get out my home-made rope scrubber and a little bit of hand soap and dampen the spot and scrub and rinse in the tub. washing shrinks your ropes, so i don't get the whole thing wet. washing might prolong the rope a little.. but if you're using it so much that it needs to be washed to prolong its life, you're probably using it so much that washing won't actually prolong its life.... just my thinking. whatever the case: it's all theory, and anybody who says otherwise is full of shit. do what seems logical to you.

The rope will shrink? That is ridiculous. Will you quote a percentage that a nylon rope will shrink from water? You must have some cotton rope then. Don't go ice climbing.

bkb0000 wrote:i've read for years and accepted as established fact that ropes shrink after getting wet and drying. but like some things we took for granted at some point, i could be wrong. i'll pull up sources, and cite. Mark S... i can tell from your few disruptive, worthless posts that you're quite the cock-sucker, so none for the benefit of you. but since i don't believe in cowardly anonymous internet shit-talking, let me know if you're in the Portland metro area and have some free time- i'll be happy to say it to your face. seriously.

+1.

Mark S couldn't pour water out of a boot if the directions were on the heel. You know he sits more in front of his computer than climbing. His contributions are worthless as worthless as his existence on this planet. At least he shows people an example of the kind of person to teach your kids to stay away from.

People like him is why we have Megan's Law.

Took mine to a laundramat and ran a cycle with nothing in the washer (to remove leftover bleach/detergent. Put 2 ropes in (heavy duty side loader) and ran them with no detergant. They came out looking brand new.

Mark S wrote: The rope will shrink? That is ridiculous. Will you quote a percentage that a nylon rope will shrink from water? You must have some cotton rope then. Don't go ice climbing.

5%. That's what Mammut says. Seems like a lot to me. Who knows?

washing 1

washing static

mammut

John Wilder wrote:Yeah, for static ropes. Two of those links- the Climbing Rope Care link and the Mammut link refer to static lines. Only the Tendon link refers to shrinking on dynamic line, and they're the only manufacturer I've seen say anything about dynamic lines shrinking when exposed to hot water. (Note that the link says hot water tends to shrink the line...which is odd, because those ropes core and sheath strands should be going through an autoclave...but maybe Tendon doesn't do that...)

You're right, it does say static rope on the Mammut. New England says they will shrink "with use" and depending on humidity. I didn't realize how much strength a rope losses when wet, good reading.