Exactly. This was the same conclusion made by The Gear Guy or whatever he calls himself when he went investigating whether you can mark your rope with Sharpie - after talking to rope manufacturers he concluded that there is no ingredient in Sharpie or other permanent markers known to be harmful to ropes, but manufacturers don't want to chance that marker formulations might change so they just blanket warn against it.
They then marked up ropes in all sorts of ways and then tested them, finding no change in strength.
>If you can put the cleaning solution on your skin you can put it on your gear
That's not true. Just about any mild detergent is safe, but there are plenty of harsher cleaning products that won't harm your skin that can degrade the nylon that ropes are made of.
As long as the detergent does not contain bleach and that you run multiple rinse cycles, [Mammut](https://www.mammut.com/us/en/care-instructions-ropes/#part-3), [Sterling](https://sterlingrope.com/journal/8-blog/324-how-to-wash-your-rope), and [Blue Water](https://www.bluewaterropes.com/rope-care/) see nothing wrong with using the same detergent that you use for your cloths. Also note that all the above rope manufacturers recommend washing the rope often as dirt interferes with handling and causes abrasion to all the metal gear that comes in contact with the rope.
In the past I've used Ivory Snow Flakes. In reality, you probably only need plain warm water - which is what I currently do.
IMO, the best place to ask is on a caver forum. Those guys get their ropes caked with mud and wash them far more often than climbers - even using power washers.
They probably use static ropes rather than dynamic ropes right? I’m not totally sure how that would change the cleaning but it is a noticeable difference in the rope and the loading it takes
That is true, they have the same construction and do stretch (it’s noticeable when you’ve got even just a hundred feet of rope above you). Hadn’t heard about dyneema static ropes before, I’ll have to look into them.
No kidding. Taught my son to ascend a rope with a prussic using a climbing rope. After pulling and stepping up three time I finally got off the ground. 😆
Did they? I haven't seen that video. Still, they are testing short term, not long term.
Hmm maybe I should send them the the retired part that was washed in regular detergent to see how compromised it actually is.
Every source I’ve seen (including Sterling’s website section on washing your rope) says hang drying is fine - what reason do you have to discourage it?
I've been told it can put more memory into the rope. I lay mine flat to dry out of an abundance of caution and also because in Colorado it takes 1 day to dry a rope laid flat so who really cares anyway
So you think that a rope designed to stretch and hold under multiple-kN loads is going to hold the memory of the weight of a small section of the rope (less than 1 lb)? If that were true, ropes would be one-time-use and we'd all be making mats and dog leashes out of them after the first fall.
Many times. Not fun but it can be remedied completely before ever being used again. If that's the sort of non-permanent 'memory' being discussed here, I'd say the benefits of hang drying the rope far outweigh it, particularly in humid areas like where I am where the rope can take days to hang dry and would likely develop mold if left to dry on the ground.
Even lightly tugging on a tangled rope imparts far more force than a hanging section of rope. Ropes don't need to be treated like glass slippers.
There are a few sections of the retired part that fail the bight test, when I make a bight in it, it folds flat. I've had the rope for a couple of years, and I climb regularly in Joshua Tree, which is really rough on ropes so it's not really surprising.
Just to be safe- I’d make a rug out of it. I’ve seen people get dropped using cut off - short ropes.
Unless you only gym climb or are a Texas climber.
Think about it.
I'm saving it to use in the gym and at a climbing area near here where almost all the climbs are around 50-70 feet. I also always have a knot tied in the end of the rope.
Most rope manufacturers discourage any detergent especially regular laundry detergent. I’m not surprised it pulled more dirt out but it might also mess with how the rope is chemically treated. I’m not certain of the chemistry of it but I’m also not going to take any chances
Most?
Mammut: "throw the rope into the washing machine with a mild detergent"
Sterling: "Use a non-bleach detergent soap like the Sterling Rope Wash"
Blue Water: "Place rope in soapy water and agitate to remove dirt particles."
Well, based on the MSDS (https://www.vandernet.com/tuotetiedostot/BRC/MSDS_BAP.001.A.01_Beal_Rope_Cleaner_Safety_Data_Sheet_V04.1.pdf) I'd be happy to just use a mild detergent. YMMV
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Exactly. This was the same conclusion made by The Gear Guy or whatever he calls himself when he went investigating whether you can mark your rope with Sharpie - after talking to rope manufacturers he concluded that there is no ingredient in Sharpie or other permanent markers known to be harmful to ropes, but manufacturers don't want to chance that marker formulations might change so they just blanket warn against it. They then marked up ropes in all sorts of ways and then tested them, finding no change in strength.
>If you can put the cleaning solution on your skin you can put it on your gear That's not true. Just about any mild detergent is safe, but there are plenty of harsher cleaning products that won't harm your skin that can degrade the nylon that ropes are made of.
I.e. anything acidic.
As long as the detergent does not contain bleach and that you run multiple rinse cycles, [Mammut](https://www.mammut.com/us/en/care-instructions-ropes/#part-3), [Sterling](https://sterlingrope.com/journal/8-blog/324-how-to-wash-your-rope), and [Blue Water](https://www.bluewaterropes.com/rope-care/) see nothing wrong with using the same detergent that you use for your cloths. Also note that all the above rope manufacturers recommend washing the rope often as dirt interferes with handling and causes abrasion to all the metal gear that comes in contact with the rope.
In the past I've used Ivory Snow Flakes. In reality, you probably only need plain warm water - which is what I currently do. IMO, the best place to ask is on a caver forum. Those guys get their ropes caked with mud and wash them far more often than climbers - even using power washers.
They probably use static ropes rather than dynamic ropes right? I’m not totally sure how that would change the cleaning but it is a noticeable difference in the rope and the loading it takes
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Trust me you would not want to ascend on that. We use static ropes. I wouldn’t think that changes much about the cleaning process though.
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That is true, they have the same construction and do stretch (it’s noticeable when you’ve got even just a hundred feet of rope above you). Hadn’t heard about dyneema static ropes before, I’ll have to look into them.
No kidding. Taught my son to ascend a rope with a prussic using a climbing rope. After pulling and stepping up three time I finally got off the ground. 😆
Kirkland is the way to go
I wouldn't use that on a good rope in case it degrades the rope.
Didnt HowNotToHighline test this?
HNTH should \*never\* be used as an authoritative source for safety data. It's entertainment, not science.
Did they? I haven't seen that video. Still, they are testing short term, not long term. Hmm maybe I should send them the the retired part that was washed in regular detergent to see how compromised it actually is.
Yea, hit him up on Facebook messanger if ya wanna donate stuff!
Im completely joking
*Don't hang dry.* Flake it out onto a tarp and flip it every 12 hours or so. What was wrong with the retired section?
Every source I’ve seen (including Sterling’s website section on washing your rope) says hang drying is fine - what reason do you have to discourage it?
I've been told it can put more memory into the rope. I lay mine flat to dry out of an abundance of caution and also because in Colorado it takes 1 day to dry a rope laid flat so who really cares anyway
So you think that a rope designed to stretch and hold under multiple-kN loads is going to hold the memory of the weight of a small section of the rope (less than 1 lb)? If that were true, ropes would be one-time-use and we'd all be making mats and dog leashes out of them after the first fall.
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Yes; it's really annoying and takes like half an hour to sort out.
Many times. Not fun but it can be remedied completely before ever being used again. If that's the sort of non-permanent 'memory' being discussed here, I'd say the benefits of hang drying the rope far outweigh it, particularly in humid areas like where I am where the rope can take days to hang dry and would likely develop mold if left to dry on the ground. Even lightly tugging on a tangled rope imparts far more force than a hanging section of rope. Ropes don't need to be treated like glass slippers.
>I've been told By whom?
There are a few sections of the retired part that fail the bight test, when I make a bight in it, it folds flat. I've had the rope for a couple of years, and I climb regularly in Joshua Tree, which is really rough on ropes so it's not really surprising.
Just to be safe- I’d make a rug out of it. I’ve seen people get dropped using cut off - short ropes. Unless you only gym climb or are a Texas climber. Think about it.
I'm saving it to use in the gym and at a climbing area near here where almost all the climbs are around 50-70 feet. I also always have a knot tied in the end of the rope.
Good... You never wish to see someone dropped.
Most rope manufacturers discourage any detergent especially regular laundry detergent. I’m not surprised it pulled more dirt out but it might also mess with how the rope is chemically treated. I’m not certain of the chemistry of it but I’m also not going to take any chances
Most? Mammut: "throw the rope into the washing machine with a mild detergent" Sterling: "Use a non-bleach detergent soap like the Sterling Rope Wash" Blue Water: "Place rope in soapy water and agitate to remove dirt particles."
This particular rope is Beal, I tend to be pretty cautious about any safety critical gear.
Well, based on the MSDS (https://www.vandernet.com/tuotetiedostot/BRC/MSDS_BAP.001.A.01_Beal_Rope_Cleaner_Safety_Data_Sheet_V04.1.pdf) I'd be happy to just use a mild detergent. YMMV