So you've bought a rope...

You are now part of the illustrious climbing fraternity. You have taken the plunge and bought your own equipment. Casuals will look up to you and your fellow kinspeople will see you as equal.
But how do you stop your shoes stinking out your bag?
What about washing your sweaty harness?
Can you leave your climbing kit in your car?

We have some post-purchase info for you.

We strongly recommend putting down a rope mat or similar when you use your rope. Especially when outdoors. Not only with the rope get dirty without one, but sediment can get stuck in the rope and start to damage the rope fibres. 
We recommend a rope mat like Black Diamond Chute bag - It is a carry bag and mat!
Or if you are on a budget, a cheap flexible plastic bucket and/or a picnic blanket will do the trick!

How to store your rope: Firstly you will need to know how to coil your rope. There are many ways to do this, but the most commonly used is the following - Thanks Petzl!

We recommend storing ropes off the ground and out of the sun. Try to avoid leaving it in your car! 

If you wash or get your rope wet, the best way to dry it is hanging it up. But who can hang 60m+ of rope easily. Learn how to daisy chain your rope!

How to wash your rope:

You really only need to do this when it is dirty. There are plenty of gadgets around the place to help with this but we find the simplest is the easiest.

You will need:
Two buckets
Lux soap flakes (or any non-detergent water)
Warm water
Two hand held scrubbing brushes (like this! ​-->)
​Cable ties (long enough to go around the brushes)

Soak your rope in warm water and Lux flakes (check box for instructions on how much to use)
Grab one end of your rope and sandwich it between your two scrubbing brushes (bristles facing each other)
Leave a small amount hanging out one side.
Cable tie the brushes together so  it is nice and tight.
Pull the length of rope through the brushes until you reach the other end. Repeat this process, soaking in between scrubbing.

Finally you will need to rinse all of the soap and grime out of your rope.
You can do this with a bucket of clean water and using your hands to agitate the water. You may need to change the water if it gets too dirty.
Finally, daisy chain your rope and find it somewhere warm to dry (out of the sun!) depending on the time of year it may take a few days to dry.

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