Ropes in the washing machine - what have I done wrong ?

i have a top loader washing machine i put all mine in together every rope i take off ,halyards,sheets mooring lines all in together comes out fab thanks dilly
 
Your error is using a pillow case, too big not enough water flow. Use one og those mesh bags the ladies use for their delicates in. available in all super markets, just undo any knots, and coil loosly, then zip closed. Wash on normal cycle with other clothes ( I usuall do with my boat work clothes on a sunday night) at 40 and 1200 spin. Normal detergent (& Vanish if you want). Fabric Sofener is a good idea for those lady crews.

Works every time for me, no mess, no tangles, just clean foft sheets etc.

PS if you have snap shakles on your halyards, wrap the shackle in a sock or two.
 
Stick them all in the bath in warm water with some of that non-bioligical gentle detergent, swoosh them around a bit, and leave for a couple of hours. Change to clean water, swoosh some more, repeat, then hang out to dry. No damage or tangling and a bit of gentle exercise.
 
I used to go caving regularly and needed to wash my ropes far more often than I do for my yacht, it was also more important to get them clean to keep grit out of the core, particularly when dangling off them 50m up.

I always loosely chain shorten my ropes before washing, either singly or doubled. Then wash in the machine without a pillowcase, no tangling and the chain shortening pulls out easily. An old trainer or canvas deck shoe can be put in the machine if they are really dirty.

Alternatively rope washers are fairly easy to make with split pipe and astroturf. They can get more elaborate if you have a lot of ropes to do regularly with sprays and pulleys etc.

Ross
 
I agree with everything.

BTW. Did you know that your washing machine may have a "HAND WASH" cycle ??

I found it on mine. Put a GILL evening ashore type wind cheater in and it came out beautiful.

Well it did say hand wash only.
 
sarabande said:
encouraged by the remorseless approach of Spring on Exmoor (two dandelions in flower) I put a loose halyard in a pillow case, and then into a cool wash with a bit of Ecover.

The machine went through the short cycle with a bit of grumbling on the spin section, but when I opened the bag, the rope was tangled, knotted, bended, hitched, entangled, and generally woven into an amorphous lump. But a lot cleaner than when it went in.


Clearly, I have failed to do something to prevent this fibrous failure. Is there a particular prayer, a small libation, even a minor human sacrifice which much be made to the Goddess Irritata (she's the sister to Annoia, BTW) before pressing the ON button again with the next load ?

I have sought in vain a British Standard to give the right technique; should the rope be coiled, wrapped tightly or loose, would extra boaty bits in the washer help smooth the spin cycle ?

TIA
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The odd shackle in there will give you fine warning when it's nearly finished ;)
 
oldbilbo said:
Can't quite understand why the OP is washing his lines. Surely it would be cheaper to by some new ones ( Trago Mills? Mole Valley Farmers? eBay? ) than to fork out for a new washing machine.... :eek:
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?????
My new main halyard cost 600 squid just for the rope, I did the splicing myself and reused the old shackles! Cheaper to use the washing machine, break it and then replace the washing machine.!
 
Vara said:
no, no, no...dish washer detergents are far to aggressive for ropes.

Washing machine on low temp with non aggressive cleaner such as Stergene (or other wool wash detergent) much better.
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I would have thought modern synthetic ropes were pretty much impervious to anything you might wash them with.
 
capnsensible said:
Yeah, right. Well Ive never found the need in 20 years of owning boats. Each to their own, I suppose.
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It happens. Where ropes appear strained where they sit over blocks is often just the compression of the fibres held by the salt that's found it's way into the rope. This can be removed by washing. And if you don't de-rig for a couple of winters the. You might want to wash the green off.

Trago's and mole valley might supply cheap rope, but often it's not the same rope that you want for your rigging.
 
capnsensible said:
Yeah, right. Well Ive never found the need in 20 years of owning boats. Each to their own, I suppose.
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For the first time in 33 years of sailing I washed some of my lines. The cause was the green stuff after the yacht did not get used much towards in the latter half of last season. It was a damp summer and my side decks are designed to hold rain water (to feed into the tanks when cruising) so there is always a puddle. The before and after pictures are below. I did the washing after reading about here. I would not make this an annual event though.


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temptress said:
?????
".....My new main halyard cost 600 squid just for the rope, I did the splicing myself...."
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Sheesh! There are peeps on here who's whole boat cost less than that...! For that kind of money I'd want mine hand-woven by Burmese maidens from spiders' silk, 'Test Certificated' and gift-boxed.
 
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