Need to wash GOJO out of rope, any ideas?

I have come to see the GRM board as a nearly bottomless source of information and wisdom. I could use to have had some of both yesterday.

I rappel on ropes for work. We work in a very oily environment and I needed to wash the oil out of our ropes. I have used GOJO to pretreat oily clothes in the past with great success, so I applied copious amounts of GOJO directly to the ropes and then washed them at the local laundromat. They look as good as new, but today we found that our descenders are sliding down the rope when we'd really rather not be sliding down the rope.

This is a problem.

So, does anybody have any suggestions? So far the plan is to run them through the washing machine again without any detergent, but I'm not sure that is the best option. I've found lots of information about what things are removed via GOJO, but nothing about removing the hand cleaner itself.

Try a cup of Simple Green. Why wash without detergent? I've used GoJo on clothing, but always used detergent when washing those garments.

Don't overlook Dawn. Our washer sometimes spots some clothes. Looks like an oil stain. Put some dawn on it and we let it sit. Takes the stains out. Works on other tough stains too..

I second the Dawn, but question the rope's integrity after the bath. You risk your life with this rope? How much does rope cost?

914Driver wrote: I second the Dawn, but question the rope's integrity after the bath. You risk your life with this rope? How much does rope cost?

Agreed with all this.

I don't berkeley around with the stuff that keeps my happy ass alive. Seatbelts, ammo, helmets, ladders, etc. Buy the good E36 M3, and replace at the drop of a hat.

My understanding of rappelling ropes is that you're not supposed to even step on them because it introduces grit into the rope which eventually wears away at it as the rope stretches and contracts.

Please keep a close eye out for wear I know those ropes are expensive. I also agree with Dawn.

Agreeing with several others, I think the best way to get the GOJO out of your ropes is to:

• Put ropes in washer, with dawn
• run for an extended wash
• while the ropes are washing, and the co-workers are distracted by the sudden appearance of a washing machine in the office, log into the interweb
• buy new ropes and expedited shipping
• convince workers that ropes are still washing for the next 2 days
• take the newly delivered rope, and hide it under your desk
• pay a homeless guy to run naked thru the parking lot
• while coworkers are trying not to look at the homeless guys jiggly-bits, replace old rope with new
• use your newfound slight-of-hand skills to impress people at dinner parties
• live until old age

Dynamic or static ropes?!

A dynamic rope is toasted IMO if your trying to wash it. A static rope may be a little compromised but not nearly what a dynamic would be. If I was hanging on it I would still replace it though. Im going to guess a 12ish mm static....

I agree on Dawn as well. This is what the bird rescuers used to clean spilled crude oil off of birds.

Throw me into the "No way in hell would I hang off a rope that's been soaked in mystery oil and then agitated in gritty hand cleaner" camp. When the ropes get nasty, replace them*. File an OSHA complaint if whoever is in charge of that won't do it.

*edit: Unless the rope manufacturer is willing to give an approved cleaning procedure.

Doesn't Dawn + washing machine = bubble party?

TenToeTurbo wrote: Doesn't Dawn + washing machine = bubble party?

Yes indeedy. Most industrial applications like this use static line. Washing them shouldn't be a problem other than:

A) The aforementioned bubble-fest

2) Make sure you use a non-abrasive cleaner. Liquid laundry detergent in the amount for extra soiled clothing should work fine. When done, double the rope around a pole, then twist it using a stick (you'll figure it out) as a handle to squeeze out excess water. A day in the sun should dry it out the rest of the way.

I have nothing constructive to add except a Dr. Seuss poem.

If you hope
to wash soup off a rope,
simply scrub it with SKROPE!
Skrope is so strong that no rope is too long!
But if you should wish to wash
soup off a hoop, I suggest that it's best
to let your whole silly souped-up hoop soak
in Soapy Cooper's Super Soup-Off-Hoops Soak Suds.

TenToeTurbo wrote: Doesn't Dawn + washing machine = bubble party?

A bottle of Tide in a hot tub will do the same thing. It will also get you and your clothes remarkably clean. Sometimes I'm thankful I lived in a time before the interweb could make me unemployable.

Kinda like putting Tide in the fountain in the center of the mall back in the day.

fasted58 wrote: Kinda like putting Tide in the fountain in the center of the mall back in the day.

OMFG...I had no idea this was a thing! I could seriously get in a lot of trouble LMAO

In reply to 4cylndrfury:

I know, I had enough trouble staying in a mall with knowing how to fill them with foam.

You guys have never rappeled out of rainforest in Costa Rica. Those ropes have been in those trees for years.

INGENIOUS! I never thought of using Gojo on my rope. Slippery and clean all at the same time!!

You are a legend

(I learned today that if you put at the end then everyone knows it's sarcasm or smart mouth)

I appreciate all the concern for my life. We actually had about a quarter of a mile of extra rope on hand and if it was ever a true safety concern anybody on the job has the authority to stop work.

Ideally rope would never get dirty or oily, but it will. Dirt and oil are not good for the rope or the tools we use on the rope, and washing it is important.

There are people who seem to think that any detergent will completely melt the rope immediately. This is simply not true. If nylon shorts are not degraded by detergent, nylon rope is going to be fine. There are also companies who sell "tech wash" specifically for rope. This is inadequate for the amount of oil on our ropes.

The rope actually turned out to be fine once it had more time to dry, but in the future we will probably just use normal laundry detergent.

In reply to white_fly:

You now have what we in the fire service call "Utility Rope".

Does the rope manufacturer have a recommendation?

In reply to AngryCorvair:

Yes, the "tech wash" which is inadequate.

Regular laundry detergent will be fine but use the liquid. Powdered detergents often have inert abrasive granules in them.