Washing ropes with hard water

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 alex505c 21 Apr 2021

I’m based in London where the water is notoriously hard. At the end of last season I washed my Mammut 9.5mm Infinity Protect with tap water and Beal rope soap after having dunked it in sea water, and it now seems to handle very poorly — no longer supple, more prone to twisting. It was a nightmare doubled up on a short-ish grit route.

Has anyone else encountered this when washing ropes in hard water? My half ropes (Beal Cobra with golden dry treatment) got a little wet with sea water too and I hear it’s good to wash the salt residue off for the sake of the metal gear they will touch. But I’m reluctant to do so if it will turn them into crusty cables. Guess I could always just wash my carabiners after a weekend out with semi-salty ropes? 

Post edited at 13:16
 Dan Arkle 21 Apr 2021
In reply to alex505c:

I'd expect that it is just a result of being washed, rather than water hardness.

Ropes will be stiff after, and loosen with use.

 CantClimbTom 21 Apr 2021
In reply to alex505c:

I agree, it's the washing process makes the rope a little stiffer and a little shorter, but even if it was some limescale dried inside the fibres... passing the rope through a belay device a couple of times would loosen that up anyway

 C Witter 21 Apr 2021
In reply to alex505c:

Or maybe too much soap?

I've put mine on a "delicates" wash in the washing machine a few times and they've always been fine... no limescale build up at all! Not tried soap though.

In reply to alex505c:

Try a different rope wash maybe?

I use Sterling rope wash on Caving and Climbing ropes and they've always come out really well.


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