Climbing Rope Care: How to Clean, Inspect, and Store Your Rope
Quick answer: To make a climbing rope last, keep it off the dirt with a tarp or rope bag, keep it away from sharp edges and chemicals like DEET, switch ends when taking lots of falls, brush off grit after each day, wash it occasionally with gentle or rope-specific soap, and dry and store it out of heat and sunlight. Retire it if you find a core shot or a hinge-like soft spot.
Climbing ropes are tough. They handle long runouts on slab, rough pitches, and plenty of falls. But ropes aren't cheap, and every extra day you get out of one is money you can put toward gas for the next road trip. Our longtime staff climber Matt inspects his ropes by feeling the core and looking for gaps in the sheath every few climbing days, and any time the rope has been over a rough pitch. Here's how he keeps his ropes in service.
Preventing Rope Damage at the Crag
The best offense is a good defense.
1. Put down a ground cloth
As soon as you get to the climb, lay something down for your rope. There are plenty of purpose-built rope bags and tarps, but an old painter's tarp, a tent footprint, or even your packs and extra clothes can keep the rope out of the dirt. Many ropes also come with a dry treatment on the sheath that helps keep debris out of the sheath and core.
2. Watch where the rope runs
Think about where your rope trails behind you and keep it away from sharp edges and possible rockfall. Picture how the rope will move if you fall. Extend placements that pull the rope out of line with your direction of travel or drag it over an edge. If needed, you can pad a sharp edge with a few layers of tape; just clean up after yourself.
Matt made the placement above in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Clipping the rope straight into the carabiner and falling from higher up would have pulled the rope tight against the edge. Extending the placement with a sling kept it clear.
3. Keep it away from chemicals
There's plenty of debate about which chemicals do or don't harm nylon climbing gear (ropes, harnesses, slings), but the simple takeaway is to keep nylon away from anything corrosive. DEET bug spray is the most likely culprit. Sharpie ink on the middle mark gets discussed a lot but isn't known to do significant damage. Still, why take chances?
4. Switch ends when taking lots of falls
Repeated, similar loading is hard on one section of rope. If you're working a route and falling often, switch ends to give each section a rest. It also helps to shift your tie-in point slightly between climbers, since tight bends concentrate wear in one spot.
Cleaning and Maintaining Your Rope
Dust and grit that work into a rope wear down the fibers from the inside. Fight the grime.
- Wipe it down after each day. Rope brushes are inexpensive, or you can make one with a couple of scrub brushes and rubber bands. Even flaking the rope through your hand one more time over a clean surface removes a lot of crud.
- Wash it once in a while. Rope makers recommend specific soaps for their nylons, dyes, and dry treatments, so check yours. In general: use a very gentle or rope-specific soap, soak it, rinse thoroughly, and let it dry without heat or direct sunlight. The goal is to get grit out of the fibers, not just off the surface.
- Store it properly. Never put a rope away wet or hang it over a narrow point like a nail. Hanging it over something round at least 3/4 inch in diameter, like a dowel or PVC pipe, is fine and helps it dry. Keep it out of sunlight, since UV degrades nylon.
How to Inspect for Core Shots and When to Retire a Rope
A core shot is damage to the rope's core, and it isn't always visible. The sheath can survive pinching or cutting forces that sever the core, so run the whole rope through your hands regularly, feeling for internal damage.
- If squeezing the rope reveals a gap or soft spot in the core, retire it.
- If the rope folds over on itself like there's a hinge inside, retire it.
- If you can see the core through the sheath, retire it.
- If the damage is within a few meters of an end, you can sometimes cut that section off and keep using the shorter rope.
Getting Poison Oak Oils Off Your Rope and Gear
If you've climbed at Broughton Bluff here in Portland, you've probably met poison oak, and its oils are incredibly hard to get off gear. They behave a lot like engine grease but are invisible. The keys: scrub three times as much as you think you need to, and clean everything you have so the oils don't keep transferring between pieces of gear. Matt has had good success with gentle dish soap and plenty of elbow grease.
Shop Rope Bags and Crag Essentials
We carry a wide selection of climbing ropes, brushes, and climbing gear in person at our Grand Avenue store in Portland's Central Eastside. These rope-care helpers are available online:
- Kavu Rope Bag Keeps your rope off the dirt
- Kavu Mini Rope Bag Compact rope and gear tote
- Surviveware Small First Aid Kit Crag-pack first aid
- Butora Gomi Wide Fit Comfortable all-day climbing shoe
Climbing Rope Care FAQ
How often should I wash my climbing rope?
Wash it once in a while, whenever it looks or feels dirty or gritty. Brush or flake it clean after each climbing day, and do a full soak and rinse with gentle or rope-specific soap periodically, following your rope maker's recommendations.
How do I know when to retire a climbing rope?
Retire it if you feel a gap or soft spot in the core, if it folds over like a hinge, or if the core is visible through the sheath. Damage within a few meters of an end can sometimes be cut off.
Does DEET damage climbing ropes?
DEET bug spray is one of the chemicals most likely to damage nylon climbing gear. Keep it, and anything corrosive, away from your rope, harness, and slings.
How should I store a climbing rope?
Store it completely dry, out of sunlight and heat, either loosely coiled or in a rope bag, or hung over something round at least 3/4 inch in diameter. Never hang it over a nail or put it away wet.
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