Do you wash your running rigging?

[flightlead404]

I'm back from my 1st 6 months cruising and making my list of projects for the summer. I replaced every bit of string on the boat when I bought it last spring.

Is it reasonable or necessary to take down the running rigging (my sails are coming off anyway) to wash out any accumulated salt and grime?

If so, how? Detergent?

[GordMay]

I washed [sail] sheets yearly. Slightly more often, for bed sheets.
May, or may not, have washed halyards, prior to replacing [don't recall].

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

I'm back from my 1st 6 months cruising and making my list of projects for the summer. I replaced every bit of string on the boat when I bought it last spring.

Is it reasonable or necessary to take down the running rigging (my sails are coming off anyway) to wash out any accumulated salt and grime?

If so, how? Detergent?

I wash mine by leaving out in the rain. Most of mine are now 21 years old an are clean enough for me.

[AKA-None]

If they are overly stiff but use caution in how you do it
Like don’t toss them in a washing machine

[Pete7]

Ours tend to go green in the UK, so we have been washing them in the washing machine over the past couple of weeks. Halyards with a spinnaker fittings on the end go inside an old sock tied on with a shoe lace.

However, for the first time we had this occur 1/3rd of the way along a nice piece of Dyneema

The Genoa sheets definitely feel much nicer after a wash.

[deltaten]

Every other off-season or so, I toss .my Stay-Set halyards and sheets in a mesh laundry bag, soft (Woolite?) detergent and some softener inna washer. Long cycle, extra rinse; then strung outdoors to dry.

[flightlead404]

I was planning on using the super delicate detergent for lingerie and washing/soaking in buckets rather than using a machine. I was primarily thinking about the lines I handle regularly, jib sheets, outhaul, traveler, furling lines.

Do salt crystals and dirt (aka silica crystals) embedded in the line result in significant wear?

[Ferrity]

Recently ran across this article on cleaning marine lines in PBO. Last updated in 2020.

https://www.practical-sailor.com/boa...an-marine-rope

[jamhass]

We always removed all our running rigging for hurricane season in Mexico and took that opportunity to wash it all.

We used a couple of dock carts and/or 5-gallon buckets. Thoroughly soaked the lines once or twice in fresh water with a "bit" of fabric softener (never any detergent), then a couple of good fresh water rinses. Did a bit of agitation in between other chores. By the end of the day all was well. Lines looked much cleaner, softer and easier on the hand.

[chris mac]

We don't do anything when leaving the boat(typically a month or two)
When lines are getting stiff or really salty, we put them in the washing machine with a little fabric softener and a lot of fresh water. Leave them to soak for 24 hours. we don't actually run the machine, it's just a convenient bucket.

[JPA Cate]

We've used large buckets for this, but most convenient is a laundry with big sinks. One of the marinas we've gone to for many years in Queensland, has two large sinks. Go up mid-week when there is little demand for a sink. Use the warm water. Put in the lines with a little laundry detergent and slosh them around, and let set over night. In the morning slosh them a lot, and rinse in fresh water, and take them back to the boat to be hung to dry. I hang them like boa constrictors from the life lines. They dry pretty fast.

I have never tried using fabric softener rather than detergent, but I am told it works well.

Where we are now, the air is clean and the rain is frequent, so we don't wash them usually.

I think if you're somewhere there's jet fuel droplets and brake dust, or spiders, washing them is a really good idea. (Spiders don't like soap.)

Ann

[GreenWave]

We wash ours in a 5 gallon bucket with just a couple of drops of dish soap. I would be hesitant to use Woolite or fabric softener as am not sure what that might do to the material. You could also throw them in a cooler which would also clean the cooler ;-). Just fill with water and swish around; let soak for an hour, then swish and rinse. We just did our dock lines and may do some of the riggin next.

[Scubaseas]

I'll wash when they get stiff but normally just the rain works. 5 gallon bucket, fresh water, teaspoon of baby shampoo. soak all day, agitate by hand every now and then. Rinse well with clean fresh water.

[Martin S]

Depends how dirty the air is where you are. Here in Sicily we have a lot of sand in the air. I remove running rigging for the winter and wash. I use a small inflatable kiddy paddling pool to wash them in. Great size and takes up little storage.

[CdS2 Roland]

A long time ago, I washed my ropes cold and with softener. As a result, they all shortened. In fact, the softener makes the fibers swell and thus shortened proportionally the length. Everything is over. By pulling on it, the ropes have recovered their initial length.
Today, I just rinse them with fresh water at the end of the season. I clean punctually those that are soiled.
And above all I remove them and store them all dry out of season.