Cleaning and Washing

The aim is to avoid needing to wash your rope. Ideally, you will never wash your rope and will instead just run a cloth over it to remove any dust or debris it has come into contact with. When jute rope gets wet, it swells, and if this happens in an uneven manner, either in the washing process or drying process, it will damage your rope.

Please note: Rope that has been treated with oil or wax cannot be effectively cleaned unless the rope is brought to a temperature that can separate out this oil or wax—and that carries the risk of damaging the rope fibres.

If you are in a situation where you have to wash your rope, either hand wash your rope at a low temperature or use a handwash setting with minimal spinning, and then hang your rope to dry. Please note that washing dyed ropes may cause colors to fade or run.

Breaking in Rope

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A PROCEDURE I RECOMMEND

The process I use to treat the rope I make ensures that the integrity of the rope is maintained. Your rope should not need additional ‘breaking in’ other than normal use. Many people recommend ‘breaking in rope’ by placing the rope over a carabiner, then twisting the rope so that one rope is wrapped around another, and then pulling the rope back and forth to soften it.

This process uses one part of the rope as sandpaper on the other, and is likely to result in microfractures to the jute yarns, damaging your rope. To see why I believe this is such a bad idea, you can see the effect of rubbing ropes against each other below:

Rope Oils, Pastes, and Waxes

I offer hand-oiling as an add-on treatment for all purchases of jute and hemp ropes, and I also offer rope paste made from shea butter here.

When rope rubs against other ropes or around objects, this has an abrasive effect. Adding an oil or wax to your ropes reduces the impact of this, and helps protect your ropes from microfractures. It can also improve the feel of the rope. If the rope is over-waxed or oiled, it becomes claggy and feels horrible, and there is little that can be done to correct this—so use rope oils and pastes sparingly.

Please note that rope which has been treated with oils, waxes, or pastes cannot be washed.

Oils: Everyone has a favourite oil for treating rope. My personal preference is jojoba as it is not a synthetic product and combines the attributes of oil and wax. To apply, pour a little onto your hands, rub your hands together, and then run your hands along the length of your rope in one direction, and then the other.

Rope Pastes: I use shea butter mixed with sakura. Application is the same as for oils: add a small amount to your hands, rub it in, and then run your hands along your rope.

Waxes: A mix of beeswax and oil is widely used for treating ropes. However, this is not a treatment that is suitable for vegans and not one that I sell. Some people who sell these treatments recommend applying them and then baking the rope in the oven to help the waxes penetrate throughout the rope. Please note this is not something that I recommend, as ‘cooking’ your rope may damage the yarns and reduce the strength of the rope.