I never done it. Just a thought. Last night i put my lanyard and prusik in my lunch box with hot water and dawn dish soap. I let that soak for a wile. Rinse and hang dry.
Two quotes from the Sterling Tech manual.
"How should I wash my rope?
To clean rope use Sterling’s Wicked Good Rope Wash™ or rinse in warm to hot water. Machine
washing is acceptable. Best is to use a front-load machine. We do not recommend using a top-
loading machine as the rope could damage the agitator or vice versa. The temperature of the water
is not a major concern as nylon or polyester are not much affected by heat until around 300 degrees
and it would be difficult to get a machine that hot."
"What chemicals are bad for my rope?
It is best to assume that all chemicals are bad for your rope. Do not expose your nylon or polyester
ropes to chemicals. That said, much recent data has been collected regarding how substances affect
rope life. Data available from Honeywell Corporation (makers of nylon 6, polyester and Spectra®)
shows that nylon’s strength is not greatly affected by motor oil, mineral oil, salt water, Freon, gasoline,
kerosene, benzene, chloroform, paints, pine oils, or insect repellents containing DEET. Chemicals that
should be avoided at all costs are bleach and sulfuric acid. Still even with this reassurance it is best to
protect your rope from any exposure to any acids or alkalis and to store your rope in a cool dry envi-
environment."
Even though it says the "strength" is not greatly affected", I don't see information on the life of the rope which leads me to concerns about fibers inside the rope that I cannot see.
I'm not sure how alcohol fits into this but a person could certainly be concerned about the long term effects that this might have on the internal fibers of a rope, especially on a kernmantle that gets most of its strength from inside where the fibers are not seen. Double braid also as much of its strength comes from within.
A 16 braid rope might be a good choice if frequent cleaning is an issue as the fibers that give the rope its strength are viable.
I see this question at times and would like to offer this suggestion.
- Dedicate a rope to those hemlocks and other sappy trees.
- Change your climbing style when climbing sappy trees by using mechanical devices that can be cleaned with chemicals like alcohol or other solutions that may adversely effect your climbing line.
- Use a figure 8 or other descenders that will operate well even with a sticky rope and will not bind up like a friction hitch.