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Grungy dock lines? No problem for me, but ask my wife?? :(

Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
Hi,

I avoid pressure washing boat stuff to not cause damage--just be gentle with everything they say. But after a few years the dock lines get pretty grungy and green and hosing them down, soaking in detergent, etc was just not working. So I brought them home to soak in a very mild water/bleach mix in the bathtub, and then to wash in the washing machine--a two year old front load LG machine with more settings than I ever thought possible.

So after the tub soak I rinsed them in cool water, but they still looked pretty bad, even after a light brushing with a nail brush (didn't want to damage the lines). So time to put them in the washing machine with just a bit of detergent and even less fabric softener, to make the stiff lines a bit more supple. The machine display said it would take and hour and thirty-five minutes--no problem, I wasn't in a hurry for them. After ten minutes I checked them--lots and lots of white soap visible in the front glass, but really, I hadn't added much soap!

The machine continued to spin and soak and spin and rinse, but still only white soap visible. After an hour and forty-five minutes the display still showed 11 minutes, and then an error message showed on the display. I found the manual, error message says the load is too light--after almost two hours it figured that out, and why now? Can't stop the machine because my wife says to interrupt the process can cause all kinds of trouble. So we gently paused the machine, opened the door and tossed in a couple of towels to increase the load. Machine started again, no error message!! Ok, checked again ten minutes later, and it still said it needed 11 minutes, and a flashing light suggested it was thinking--who knows what about!?

Still lots of soap visible despite how many rinses? Then all of a sudden the machine began to whirr and spin and ten minutes later the music announced that it was done. With much hesitation I opened the door and removed my dock lines. The grungy green lines were unrecognizable--almost pristine white, no grunge! My wife said "you're welcome" and suggested I was lucky. I get to take my clean dock lines to the boat tomorrow and have my dock mates again tell me how I put them all to shame with how clean my boat looks. And I didn't have to buy all new dock lines!

Frank
 

Dave G.

1984 E30+ Ludington, MI
Nice Frank ! Not sure the admiral would let me wash dock lines in the home machine. May have to go down the ye olde laundry mat and give it a try, as they definitely could use it !
 

Virginia

Member II
Hi,

I avoid pressure washing boat stuff to not cause damage--just be gentle with everything they say. But after a few years the dock lines get pretty grungy and green and hosing them down, soaking in detergent, etc was just not working. So I brought them home to soak in a very mild water/bleach mix in the bathtub, and then to wash in the washing machine--a two year old front load LG machine with more settings than I ever thought possible.

So after the tub soak I rinsed them in cool water, but they still looked pretty bad, even after a light brushing with a nail brush (didn't want to damage the lines). So time to put them in the washing machine with just a bit of detergent and even less fabric softener, to make the stiff lines a bit more supple. The machine display said it would take and hour and thirty-five minutes--no problem, I wasn't in a hurry for them. After ten minutes I checked them--lots and lots of white soap visible in the front glass, but really, I hadn't added much soap!

The machine continued to spin and soak and spin and rinse, but still only white soap visible. After an hour and forty-five minutes the display still showed 11 minutes, and then an error message showed on the display. I found the manual, error message says the load is too light--after almost two hours it figured that out, and why now? Can't stop the machine because my wife says to interrupt the process can cause all kinds of trouble. So we gently paused the machine, opened the door and tossed in a couple of towels to increase the load. Machine started again, no error message!! Ok, checked again ten minutes later, and it still said it needed 11 minutes, and a flashing light suggested it was thinking--who knows what about!?

Still lots of soap visible despite how many rinses? Then all of a sudden the machine began to whirr and spin and ten minutes later the music announced that it was done. With much hesitation I opened the door and removed my dock lines. The grungy green lines were unrecognizable--almost pristine white, no grunge! My wife said "you're welcome" and suggested I was lucky. I get to take my clean dock lines to the boat tomorrow and have my dock mates again tell me how I put them all to shame with how clean my boat looks. And I didn't have to buy all new dock lines!

Frank
I have had great success with soaking them in the tub for about a half a day with Oxy Clean, mushing them around several times. Drain, plain water soak, then run on a spin cycle in the front loader to ‘wring’ most of the water out of them. Lines that aren’t cruddy will go into the washer for an Oxy Clean run without the tub soak. I always add an old towel to the washer, and I purchased ’large’ zipper bags for washing machine laundry items, which I put the lines into prior to the washing machine. The zippered bags keep the lines from becoming a tangled mess in the washer drum. I will drape the line outside on the laundry line or on the hanging rack in the house - depending on rainy season or not.

(OR you could just get black/dark lines - that way, you never will see the crud :rolleyes: ).
 
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Second Star

Member III
I kinda cheat with my lines. My "home port" lines are strong but unsightly due to dirt, slime etc and I wash them yearly so they don't get my hands messy. When we voyage, I switch to "foreign port" lines, color matched to the boat that don't get the wear, sunlight and dirt of the other lines!
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Smaller amounts of line get washed, every few years... irregularly... in a mesh bag in the home machine. Woolite (r) is the gentle soap.
Once double- rinsed, they dry over some sawhorses.
We have cleaned a very filthy anchor rode with mild soap, at a nearby laundromat in one of their big machines designated for sleeping bags and similar large items.
I understand that keeping the dirt out is helpful to extend the life of the line, as dirt -and especially sand- will abrade the fibers in the line when it's under tension.
 
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markvone

Sustaining Member
Mine are black. Still look the same after ten years. Now my shore power cord is a different story. Was orange for about a week.
Just got this to try on the cord and various running lines.

1680212994341.png
My final observation, avoid red lines which will fade due to UV faster than any other color.
Mark
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
There was a tremendously useful article about this in the Sep/Oct 2021 issue of Good Old Boat, written by Drew Frye. I would attach it here but for respect for the GOB IP rights.

But the secrets were:
(1) presoak the lines in full-strength solution of detergent and hot water, for several hours, with several agitations, immediately before washing (skip fabric softener)
(2) wash in a pillowcase so the line doesn't get too tangled, and let the line dry
(3) after the washing, add 6 ounces of a product called Nikwax Polar Proof water repellent in 4 gallons of hot water. Soak/agitate the dry line for several hours, and drip dry (I hang the lines over the bucket so the solution drips back in).

This Nikwax stuff smells like Elmer's Glue and is advertised to restore the water resistance of Polar Fleece. But it transforms the line into near-new suppleness.
 
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