Dirty cordage

[daydreamer92]

I think that's the right word for a collection of what the rest of the world would call 'rope'. I thought I saw a topic on this, but can't seem to find it now, so...

In cleaning out the boat today, we found a lot of lines of various types bundled up in what used to be a cardboard box, and was now a soggy, smelly mess. The various bits in the box were also differing degrees of damp, soggy and/or smelly. I would like to clean them if possible, at least the salvageable ones.

Any particular tips, other than fresh clean water and maybe some dish soap? I've heard not to dry them under the sun but little else.

[Gary M]

There are likely polyester which is pretty tough, you can likely wash them in a washing machine when your wife is not looking

Hot water and laundry detergent should work and then some Downy in the rinse water will do wonders.

[sailingdog]

I would recommend using a soap, not a detergent, as some detergents can damage line. I would also recommend using warm water, not hot, and adding fabric softener to the machine. Finally, I would recommend using several net or mesh bags to hold the lines, so they don't become a single large tangled mess. Air dry.

[daydreamer92]

Originally Posted by Gary M

There are likely polyester which is pretty tough, you can likely wash them in a washing machine when your wife is not looking

Gary, I *am* The Wife! I tossed the stuff overboard, filtered out the trash, dragged said trash to the dumpster, filled the car with the "good" stuff to be inspected later, and emptied the car when we came home. Now I get to wash dirty things. Whee!

Thanks for the tips you two. I was going to just dunk 'em in a bucket and let 'em sit for a bit in soap and water. If the washing machine on gentle or something really wouldn't hurt (this was Husband's fear), perfectly happy to let it do the work too.

Would a little bit of bleach in the water hurt? Most of the collection is white. Or was, once.

I also just read that rust on lines can mean bad things. A few of them did have rust stains; is that a clue to just toss 'em? Is there anything else that is a sign that the line has been compromised and I outta toss it?

I'm not adverse to thinning the herd, but I don't want to toss perfectly good stuff.

[hellosailor]

Compromised?
Well...if you are worried about the strength of lines, you start by throwing out any old "unknown" ones. Forget about rust, even simple salt crystals forming in the lines are abrasive and cut fibers, compromising their ultimate strength.
So for critical purposes? "When in doubt throw it out" just like old foodstuffs.

For less critical purposes...rust may mean nothing except a stain. Mesh bag, front loading washer (or trolling the lines behind the boat while under way), soap or shampoo not detergent, and don't worry about compromised lines in non-critical applications. All lines fail eventually, unless you're pulling them out of use as pm.