I really couldn’t argue much with James regarding rope cleaning. But I do have a different spin on a couple of points. Hot Water I don’t like the idea of using hot water when washing a rope for a couple of reasons. The most important being, hot water will shrink your rope. Nylon shrinks and stretches. Exposure to hot water will definitely result in a shorter rope. It will probably stretch out again the next time you rap on it wet but… Since hot water is not critical to cleaning your rope, why bother using it when cold water works just as well. Washing Machine Agitating washing machines can tangle your rope into a huge mess. The front loaders at the Laundromat just spin in circles and by using one you run less of a chance of ending up with tangles. If you want to use your home machine I suggest loosely “chaining” your rope doubled, form the middle to the ends. This will allow thorough cleaning and minimize tangles. I would also chain my rope when using a front loader for the same reason. Drying Dry the rope by hanging it loosely in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. I use the shower curtain rod in my bathroom. In a dry climate (like Utah or Colorado) the rope will dry overnight or in 24 hours. There is absolutely no need to put it in the dryer. Certainly no need to use heat to dry the rope (avoiding shrinkage again). Soap Mild soap or dish soap is fine. Woolite works great. Or even no soap at all. Unless you have gotten oil or something on your rope, just wash it with cold water. The thorough rinsing it gets in a machine cycle seems to work just fine. For a static rope that has gotten stiff with use, you can add a little fabric softener to the water. This will “loosen” a stiff rope back up a bit. Charly
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hmoon@petzl.com
Further nonsense for your “enjoyment”
– There is absolutely no benefit to washing rope in hot water and several drawbacks, already mentioned by others. Cold works fine. – Agitators abrade clothing and rope – I’ve seen rope abraded so badly from an agitator it had to be cut. There are many better ways than feeding your rope to such a beast! – When using front loaders, do not overstuff the machine, especially if it has a plastic window. Here’s one for Ripley’s: following a cave rescue, our team went to the ‘mat to do the wash. We put too much rope into the machine and (believe it or not) the rope melted to the point of developing large flat spots due to friction with the plastic window during the spin cycle – In my experience, off-the-shelf rope treatments are nearly worthless. I did much testing of Nikwax and other products when working for PMI – not worth the money. – Ivory snow makes a fine rope soap
Here’s what I do when necessary:
– soak rope overnight in cold water (plastic garbage can or tub) – run it through a brush-tube rope washer connected to garden hose (Bokat my fave)
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– Best place to wash your rope is in limestone whitewater canyons!
hank