Best soaps to use to clean a climbing rope
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Just don't wash it. Problem solved. |
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I am concerned that the soap could chemically degrade the fibers. |
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Arlo F Niederer wrote: The information sheet which comes with a rope warns against exposing the rope to chemicals.I've noticed that, too, but it's pretty obvious that they mean corrosive chemicals. After all, air and water are chemicals, too. I've washed numerous ropes in my front load washer on the gentle cycle, cold. Sometimes I use a little grapefruit based soap if it's really dirty. That is all. Never had a problem. Ropes look great and are holding up well. |
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AndrewArroz wrote: I've noticed that, too, but it's pretty obvious that they mean corrosive chemicals. After all, air and water are chemicals, too. I've washed numerous ropes in my front load washer on the gentle cycle, cold. Sometimes I use a little grapefruit based soap if it's really dirty. That is all. Never had a problem. Ropes look great and are holding up well.Click the links to Climbing Business Journal and follow its links to BD where they tested harnesses after a climber submitted a harness which had failed. The conclusion reached was that the nylon in the harness had been exposed to acid. The scary part is that the climber nor BD could figure out where the contamination had come from! |
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Look, your rope isn't more delicate than your skin; if you wouldn't put it on your skin, don't get it on your rope. Battery acid and chlorine are bad for your skin and rope, but soap and dishwashing detergent are ok. Though I wouldn't use soap on rope since it can leave a waxy residue, Dawn detergent is what I use to clean all my outdoor gear.. |
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n00b wrote:You're about 2 months too late on that joke... |
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Arlo F Niederer wrote: Click the links to Climbing Business Journal and follow its links to BD where they tested harnesses after a climber submitted a harness which had failed. The conclusion reached was that the nylon in the harness had been exposed to acid. The scary part is that the climber nor BD could figure out where the contamination had come from!Thanks for the pointer to that incident. I found the story on the BD site and, to be honest, I find it really reassuring. Did you see the list of different household cleaners and chemicals they applied? And only TWO of them caused any notable weakening? And those were both forms of muriatic acid? I feel pretty safe, now, just putting some laundry soap in the front-loader and letting it tumble. blackdiamondequipment.com/e… |
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I've used Dr. Bronners but really have no idea how it compares to Woolite or Dawn. |
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A front load washer is fun but I highly recommend doubling it first and then daisy chain the entire rope first. If you don't you will have a horrible ratnest to unravel when you get it out of the washer. |
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Definitely chain it. We put ours in a mesh bag also, then into our front-loading washer. We use McNett's Wetsuit Shampoo (because we're whitewater paddlers so have that around). It's exceptionally harmless, very similar to Johnson's Baby Shampoo. It doesn't even hurt if you get it in your eye, so it probably won't hurt your rope! |
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rockklimber wrote: Hot water heaters are typically set to 120-140°F, Nylon melts at over 400°F. An hour exposure to a 140° isn't going to hurt your rope. |
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DrRockso wrote: Nylon melts at over 400°F, but have you ever washed clothes in hot water? They can shrink the first few times around which I would imagine would hurt the dynamic performance of your rope. You almost definitely don't want to do this unless you're looking to have a much more static rope. |
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I used a beal rope brush in soapless water to great effect |
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DrRockso wrote: Do you have any sources to support this theory? |
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DrRockso wrote: FWIW its not the melting point you really need to worry about. Materials will change properties with heat application, and some degrade due to high heat exposure/tempering effects. (see: all the conspiracy theories about 9/11 and the melting point of steel vs jet fuel burning temperature). Nylon actually does suffer from heat degradation, but the working temperatures I have seen go up the the boiling point of water (210*F). The water from your water heater isn't going to cause any harm. |
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I just bought a 70m Maxim glider bi- color rope on sale at REI. The instructions have the following recommendations: "Rope cleaning To clean a rope, place it in a pillowcase or mesh bag, then wash a rope in a mild detergent, on the gentle cycle. Always allow the rope to dry thoroughly out of direct sunshine. Chemicals Protect your rope from contact with chemicals that contain alkalines, oxidizing agents, bleaching compounds, and acids." So what is a "mild detergent?" Wouldn't it be nice if they gave a few examples? We use an oxy cleaner along with our detergent, and use bleach on the whites. So both of those chemicals have been in my washing machine...still concerned about the residues. Perhaps running an empty load before washing the rope would do the trick. |
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John Wilder wrote: in another thread somebody mentioned seeing on the MSDS that Woolite contained acid. That surprised me; even the "Extra Delicates" version is 7-13% "alkylarylsulfonic acid". I don't know what that really means, but it sounds bad for rope washing http://www.rbnainfo.com/MSDS/archives/CA/arch_46-WOOLITE-Extra-Delicate-Care-Canada-English.pdf |
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rockklimber wrote: John is correct, it melts around 430F. This is stated right on New England Rope's website as well as about a billion other websites. Contact with water temperature of 140F for a few seconds will cause nasty burns on humans, so you tell me if running your hand under hot water in your house will leave you with 2nd degree burns or not. Ultimately, this thread topic comes up as often as the sun and the answer is always the same. Either use a soap designed for ropes or dont use one at all. |
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LMAO too true. I also do not use a soap to wash the rope. I just hand agitate in the tub. |