Rope Care

Rope Care

Treat Mazamas ropes with care and respect. The safety of yourself and others depend on it. Avoid stepping on ropes, with or without crampons. Protect fixed lines running over sharp edges.  Nylon ropes are susceptible to deterioration from certain chemicals. Keep climbing ropes away from petroleum products such as might be found in the trunk of your car or on wet pavement. Nylon fibers have good resistance to UV degradation but prolonged exposure to sunlight will weaken a rope. Store ropes out of direct sunlight, in a cool, dry place, away from heat sources.  Keep them clean!

How to Wash a Mazamas Climbing Rope

In the event that a rope you are using gets unusually dirty, please wash it before returning it to the rope locker. A small amount of rope-safe soap can help remove some of the plant matter and oils. Another major cause of ropes looking dirty, is from the metal of the belay device and carabiners being transferred to the sheath during a hard rope/metal interactions during climbing. This discoloration is difficult to remove by washing.  

Hand washing in a tub or a large front-loading washer are appropriate.  Cold or lukewarm, never hot water.  Tip: daisy-chain the rope and tie off the ends securely to prevent a tangled mess!

Rope-safe soap: Woolite Extra Delicates Care or a commercial rope wash.  Do not use any product labeled as detergent.  If there is a question as to whether soap is safe to use or not, please wash the rope without using soap.

 Bathtub Method

1. Clean the bathtub of all oils, beauty products, and cleaning product
   residues. Rinse well.

2. Daisy-chain the rope, and place it in the bathtub.

3. Draw a lukewarm bath, just until the rope is covered.

4. Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of rope-safe soap.

5. Swish and swirl the rope for a few minutes.

6. Drain, fill, repeat a few times: frequent drain/refills is more effective than spending a long time thoroughly swirling and scrubbing the rope in dirty water. No need to add soap after the first cycle, because most oils are washed away during the first rinse.

7. Drain the tub, and let the rope sit to thoroughly drain.

Washing Machine Method

1. Use only a large capacity front loading washing machine.  No top-loaders with agitators. 

2. Detergents will harm ropes, use a relatively clean washing machine.

3. Daisy-chain the rope, and place it in the washer.  A mesh sack is advisable.

4. Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of rope-safe soap to the prewash/wash chamber.

5. Select cold/warm gentle/delicates cycle, no spin/dry cycle, and if possible, the extra rinse cycle. If the soap has not been thoroughly removed, use additional rinse cycles (or rinse the ropes by hand following the “Bathtub Method” above).

To dry: drape it loosely over the edge of the bathtub or lay it out on a clean tarp or blanket. Don’t hang the rope from a single point or points to dry.