Rope Wash

just use standard dish soap … or shaved soap flakes

make sure theres no bleach, chlorine or acids …

thats all there is to it

;)

Nylon is one thing but if there’s any natural fiber in your rope avoid using a detergent.

Consider how tough uncoated nylon clothing is.  It tolerates high temperatures and laundry detergent (which is mildic caustic) just fine.  Put your rope in a mesh bag, use a regular clothes-washing detergent, and use a front-loading washer.  You’ll be surprised how clean it becomes.  So, no, I don’t think a speciality cleanser is worth it compared to an effective detergent like Tide HE for about 20 or 30 cents a load.

To incorporate Jeff’s helpful thought (below), I’ve edited this to say: By “uncoated”, I mean not Goretex parkas, not PU-coated tents, not sil-nylon, and not ropes treated to be “dry”.

To speed up the drying time, I’ll put synthetics in the dryer on low heat with some dry cotton towels.  The moisture is transferred to the cotton towels pretty quickly and then I run the towels through on a  high-temperature cotton setting to get them dry again.

Do NOT use detergent on coated fabrics or dry ropes.  The same reduction of surface energy that lifts dirt and oils off of the fabric will lift the coating right off as well.

David,

Many outdoor climbing ropes have coatings on them to repel water.  If I were washing a dry treated rope, I would probably avoid detergents for the same reason I avoid them on DWR treated clothing items.

Would you not agree?

climbing ropes DO NOT tolerate acids well, especially any sulfuric acids …

over the nears a number of climbing ropes have broken which have been attributed to acid exposure

http://people.dbmi.columbia.edu/~dja7001/personal/climbing/Rope_Breakage_final.pdf

and DO NOT use a dryer …

from new england ropes ….

What is the proper method for washing a dirty rope?

Rope can be shaken & brushed with a soft bristle brush and/or vacuumed to remove loose
partials. Washing rope with a mild detergent is fine, however cleaning solvents should be
avoided. A small amount of fabric softener can be used to soften a rope where the fiber finish
has been washed off.
Note: washing with a high pressure hose can affect the ropes construction and/or damage fibers.

Do not dry your rope in a dryer or other artificial heat source.

It is recommended that you air dry your rope where there is less than 65% relative humidity.
Utilize a location that is both well ventilated & out of direct sun light, to allow the rope to
properly air dry. Suspending the rope will help it to dry more quickly; otherwise gather the rope
into a loose pile to allow for improved air flow, rotating the pile on regular intervals for uniform
drying.

http://www.neropes.com/PR/RopeRetirementQuestions.pdf

from blue water ropes …

Mild soap and cool to lukewarm water. A bathtub or large pail works well to allow complete submersion. Place rope in soapy water and agitate to remove dirt particles. Rinse well in several baths of clean water. It is extremely important to remove all soap residue. Leftover soap residue will attract dirt like a magnet. After rinsing, loosely coil your rope and air dry in the shade. Never use cleaners with bleach or bleach substitutes. Remember- it a soap is harmful to your skin then it is harmful to your rope!

https://www.bluewaterropes.com/faqs/

from mammut ropes …

Dirt reduces performance and worsens the rope’s handling characteristics. If a rope becomes dirty, you can wash it either in hand warm water in the bathtub or in a normal household washing machine. Occasional washing maintains good handling and increases the life span of the rope. A mild synthetic detergent is the most suitable for this. For machine wash, the same instructions for wool should be used to take best care of the rope. Please never centrifuge and tumbledry! To dry it – lay it out in a cool, dark place, rather than hang it up.

https://www.mammut.ch/US/en_US/know-how/ropes/handling

;)

Jeff, I pondered mentioning “dry” ropes but thought that was clear:

Don’t use a detergent on a “dry” rope if you want that treatment to remain on the rope.

Eric:  Crap.  I was wrong.  Thanks for catching that, I learned something.  I went back to where I thought I’d learned the nylon was acid-resistant (which was the chemical resistance of different electrical wire insulations) and got into the details.  The acid/alkaline-rated wire insulations I’d used DID have a nylon coating, but that was on the outside for cut resistance.  The acid resistance was provided by an inner layer.

I’m still comfortable using a low-heat dryer on nylon.  I’ve got clothes, including a Patagonia uncoated shell (all nylon) and Patagonia Baggie pants (nylon blend) for 32 years now and they’re all in great shape after those decades of laundry detergent and dryer use.  But there’s nothing wrong with drying it in a warm, dry, inside room and fewer things that can go wrong like using a high dryer setting or some dryer having a hot spot in it.

david …

a dynamic climbing rope needs to have around 20-40% stretch on a high factor lead climbing fall …

too little stretch and too much impact force will transfer to you resulting in whiplash and sprained joints (anyone whose fallen on worn out climbing ropes with little stretch can attest to that)

too much stretch and youll be more likely to smack some feature

in high factor falls its not unknown for the top piece of protection (and rope) to experience 10+ KN of force …

wear and exposure to the elements will affect the dynamic properties of the rope

the point is that the climbing rope is generally the SINGLE item in climbing that CANNOT FAIL … if it does yr dead … its that simple

its much more complex than a set of nylon pants or windbreaker for example

there really no reason to use a dryer on a climbing rope … just hand or lay it down flat and let it dry naturally …

and wash it in the offseason so you dont need to climb the next day after washing it

a climbing rope indoors will take a a few days to dry

i own and use about 10 climbing ropes currently

;)

I don’t think nylon molecules in climbing ropes are somehow different than all other nylon molecules.  If you’re comfortable with the risk of slight degradation from mold and mitigate that risk when you dry your rope at ambient temps, fine.  I’d suggest low indoor air humidity and especially setting up a fan so the rope will dry decently quickly indoors.

I’m comfortable with nylon at moderate drying temperatures.

I wouldn’t dry any synthetics in a dryer I hadn’t used before – say at a laundromat.  Also, when at home, I set the dryer to “low” whenever I start to wash synthetics to minimize the chance of someone else drying them on “high”.