ZZ and chicane vs akimbo

[WoodCutr]

Wash your rope.

its surprisingly clean, too clean

 

[lxskllr]

That might be part of the problem. They have a coating from the factory, and it can make them slick/hard to handle. Won't hurt to wash it in any case.

 

[WoodCutr]

although ive never washed it, im not typically in pitchy or nasty trees, worst its ever been was a little climb in the rain

 

[WoodCutr]

the rope was given to me, used but like new (yes, I inspected it before use, and its worked fine for many months), it doesnt feel like it has a coating of any sort, but I will wash it soon and see if that helps, cant hurt, just no fabric softener

 

[Jonny]

Drag it through some natural crotches or use it in DdRT system through a natural crotch. New rope sucks, especially on almost all SRT devices. Ideally you want the jacket to get a little bit fuzzy.

 

[WoodCutr]

almost all the use is natty crotch, even in hickory, its got a good fuzz on the first 75ft or so, which is about all I use daily, rarely I need more than 130ft

 

[ruel]

Washing new rope can cut the slickness of the coating a bit, not only needed for dirty ropes

 

[WoodCutr]

as has been said, not a new rope, was given to me used, and ive put months of natty crotch on it since getting it, any coating that may have been on there from the factory is long since gone
but ill wash it anyways and see

 

[cory]

#sendthekidtostig

 

[WoodCutr]

#sendthekidtostig

#nohomo

 

[SeanKroll]

although ive never washed it, im not typically in pitchy or nasty trees, worst its ever been was a little climb in the rain

Wash your rope, then let us know the difference.

 

[WoodCutr]

will do

what is your preferred method? ive heard of people flaking it into a bathtub, and using a light soap to wash it, what soap? would dawn dish soap be too harsh?

 

[Jonny]

Dawn should be fine.
I flaked it into a plastic tote, a little dish soap, some water from the hose, and had the kids try tap dancing on it. They thought it was fun.

I guess a front loader at the laundromat would be fine too. Don’t put dish soap in those though. Waaay too much suds.

 

[Burnham]

For a machine, either daisy chain it, or put it in a mesh bag, then use a soft laundry soap like Woolite. Use warm water, not hot.

By hand, as you say, in a bathtub or my preference, in a utility sink (washing by hand is a long, physical process, and doing it on your knees sux ). Warm water. Woolite is still a good choice. You have to work every stinkin' inch of the rope through your hands, over and over. Then the rinse, which requires even more attention to detail, squeezing repeatedly refreshened clean water through the rope.

Now if you have pitch issues, it takes application of a petroleum based hand cleaner like Goop or equivalent to the affected areas. Never use one with a pumice component. Complete rinse is vital...either by hand (more intense labor) or in the machine just by pushing a button .

To dry, hang the rope loosly over rounded surfaces (i.e. not nails driven into a wall) in a dark, middle temperature environment (say 55 to 75 degrees is good) until it's dry to the touch, ideally. Of course, you can climb on a wet rope, but it gets dirty much easier and faster than a dry rope will.

 

[Burnham]

The reason I prefer Woolite over something like Dawn is only because it rinses out more easily and thoroughly. Dawn or other strong detergents won't hurt the rope, I do not believe. You just need to be sure to rinse well, because any residual soap will attract dirt and grit, and shorten rope life in ways that are hard to inspect for.

 

[lxskllr]

Something like Dr Bronner would probably work well, but it's usually pretty spendy. Wegmans sells it for $34/G which is a great price.

 

[Burnham]

Yes it would, and your rope would smell SPECTACULAR .

 

[WoodCutr]

I think I will go the tub and woolite route
having zero experience with woolite, anything specific to look for? i.e "delicates"?

 

[pigwot]

I use the daisy chain (double the rope and start from the middle) in a net bag in a machine, with Woolite. Only hand wash the sections with pine/conifer pitch first. Another tip: if you can find the old, heavy dishwashing/cleaning gloves that have the zig-zag texture on the fingers and palms, they’ll save your skin from the rubbing and abrading. I haven’t been able to find them lately. What they sell now seem cheap and thin. I ended up using an older pair of ‘Ironclad’ brand Boxhandler gloves that worked out well.

 

[WoodCutr]

my washing machine gets so much random stuff through it, there is no telling what fabric softeners etc would leech into the rope, tis why I think bathtub

could use a coarse sponge + warm water to scrape off the pitch?

 

[biggun]

I have always just daisy chained the rope and out it in a pillow case tied at the top. Whatever washing machine detergent is there and press a few buttons and it’s is clean in a bit. No fabric softener though.

I was given some Beal rope cleaning soap but tbh, I can’t recal there being that much of a difference.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Pillow case camp here.

 

[stig]

Seems like I'm a bit fancier than most.
Weaver mesh bag, toss the rope in, wash with down soap, let the apprentice untangle it.
Has always worked for me.

 

[cory]

Ive never washed one

 

[lxskllr]

Thought I smelled something.