Best way to clean a rope

[davehuth]

What's the best way to wash a rope - I've been using 'hand wash' cycle in the wash machine with very mild soap, letting it air dry. Seems to do ok but the rope gets stiff. What seems to work best for people when their ropes get muddied or infiltrated with sand?

[Scott Card]

I just go to the laundrmat and put the rope in a front loading machine and wash with water only. No soap or other chemicals. I then air dry it. Seems to work really well to get the sand out and they come out pretty clean. Also, it doesn't muck up my own washer or pipes. :haha:

[Brian in SLC]

What's the best way to wash a rope - I've been using 'hand wash' cycle in the wash machine with very mild soap, letting it air dry. Seems to do ok but the rope gets stiff. What seems to work best for people when their ropes get muddied or infiltrated with sand?

I do the same. Usually hand weave it a bit to keep it from gettin' wrapped around the spindle.

I use the Bluewater soap made for washing ropes. I think you can even retreat a rope with a nikwax (?) product to try to make it semi "dry" again?

Also, have hand washed it in the bath tub.

Note that I do the above only for ropes dedicated to canyoneering. My climbing ropes, which I always buy dry treated, I almost never wash as I'm nervious about loosing the dry treatment. At most I'll wash the muddy/dirty sections off by hand with cold water, and no soap. They usually get retired from wear and tear long before they get too dirty.

-Brian in SLC

[jwurst]

I have one of these: http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?subcategoryid=24&page=1&catalogentryid=750&brand=. I does at least as well as scrubbing by hand. It gets the mud off but the ropes don't really get back to being white.

I'm curious what people think about the pressure washer method: http://www.onrope1.com/RopeWashing.htm.

[ratagonia]

I have one of these: http://www.innermountainoutfitters.net/catalogentry.php?subcategoryid=24&page=1&catalogentryid=750&brand=. I does at least as well as scrubbing by hand. It gets the mud off but the ropes don't really get back to being white.

I'm curious what people think about the pressure washer method: http://www.onrope1.com/RopeWashing.htm.

Should work. But I would not treat the ends with tooldip, as asserted there. That might work for Caving, but the end might get stuck when pulling it down.

Personally, I fill my cooler with water and soak the rope in it for a couple hours, then toss out on the lawn and spray with the hose if necessary. Airdry on the clothesline, but its pretty dry down here.

Tom

[Bo_Beck]

Last year at about this time I was put incharge of cleaning our 6- 200 meter ropes and used this devise. It worked pretty well if I would see-saw the rope back and forth inside the tube. It took a long time, but then it was almost a mile of rope.

http://www.ahsrescue.com/p-516-cmc-bokat-rope-washer.aspx :2thumbs:

[skianddive]

Last year at about this time I was put incharge of cleaning our 6- 200 meter ropes and used this devise. It worked pretty well if I would see-saw the rope back and forth inside the tube. It took a long time, but then it was almost a mile of rope.
I also use the CMC Bokat washer, usually after every canyon trip. I picked up a new one on eBay for < $20 with s&h.

http://www.ahsrescue.com/images/PRODUCT/medium/516.jpg

I have it mounted in the backyard over a drain so that the rope doesn't get pulled through the grit and sand again. And as I pull it through the Bokat, I deposit the rope in a laundry basket so that it is easy to carry over to where I hang it to dry in the shade.

When my ropes, especially the white ones, get really dirty, I use an electrician's braid on them and throw them in the washer on the delicate cycle and use the aforementioned Blue Water soap.

http://www.wildernessexchangeunlimited.com/product_photos/large/wash.jpg

[Canyonbug]

What's the best way to wash a rope

I have done a couple of things to get my ropes clean(er). I have put an electricians braid in the rope and thrown it in my washer on a short, delicate cycle with cold water only. I have also flaked it out into my bath tub and filled that with cold water and gotten in and agitated it around with my bare feet.

I have never used a soap on my ropes, but have heard of the use of Wool lite to clean ropes. Does anyone have any actual experience trying this? I picked some up the other day to try on an old rope, but would be curious what the masses have experienced with this method.

[ratagonia]

What's the best way to wash a rope

I have done a couple of things to get my ropes clean(er). I have put an electricians braid in the rope and thrown it in my washer on a short, delicate cycle with cold water only. I have also flaked it out into my bath tub and filled that with cold water and gotten in and agitated it around with my bare feet.

I have never used a soap on my ropes, but have heard of the use of Wool lite to clean ropes. Does anyone have any actual experience trying this? I picked some up the other day to try on an old rope, but would be curious what the masses have experienced with this method.

I've used Woolite, which is a very mild soap, and it worked well. Scott at Bluewater suggested using a little fabric softener if the rope gets too dry and stiff. I think in both cases, the key word is "a little".

Tom

[Jaxx]

I put my rope in my jacuzzi and let it soak for an hour or so then I turn on the jets and let it go for about 30 minutes, moving the rope around to make sure the jets get it all. Seems to do pretty well.

I have thought about making one of these http://www.knick-knack.com/howto/climb/build-a-climbing-rope-washer.html

[skianddive]

I put my rope in my jacuzzi and let it soak for an hour or so then I turn on the jets and let it go for about 30 minutes, moving the rope around to make sure the jets get it all. Seems to do pretty well.
I hope you are joking - or do not use chlorine in your Jacuzzi. All rope manufacturers recommend cold water washes and no exposure to acids and chlorine.

[Jaxx]

I hope you are joking - or do not use chlorine in your Jacuzzi. All rope manufacturers recommend cold water washes and no exposure to acids and chlorine.

edit: by jacuzzi I mean jetted tub. Not an actual hot tub.

not joking. We never use soap in the jacuzzi. We have only used it mabey 4 times since the house was built. Haven't used chemicals to clean it. I don't actually bathe in the jacuzzi and bring the rope in with me :haha: I just put it in and kneel next to it.

[skianddive]

edit: by jacuzzi I mean jetted tub. Not an actual hot tub.
Phew. You had me worried. I had this vision of your rope in 104F water bobbing around with a bunch of naked bodies! :naughty: Oh wait, you're in Utah - you might not do that out there. :haha:

Before I rigged my Bokat outdoors, I did the same thing as you with my ropes in the bathtub, and that worked great, too.