How To Clean Rock Climbing Holds

How To Clean Rock Climbing Holds

A rock climbing is a fun, often exciting sport to participate in and can be a great way to spend time with friends. While enjoying the adrenaline, outdoors, and camaraderie of this activity, it’s essential that your equipment stays clean and functional. Unfortunately, far too many rock climbing holds become contaminated with bacteria, mold, and other undesirable elements. This article will tell you how to a clean climbing facility, how to clean climbing holds, and how to clean holds in general.

The Importance Of Maintaining Rock Climbing Gym Holds

Maintaining rock climbing holds and tools is essential. If the holds are not maintained, they start to decay and may become dangerous. 

Proper Cleaning

The main objective of cleaning the gym is to remove dirt, dust particles, and skin flakes. It is essential to remove dirt and other particles before fitting them into the material’s cracks or holes. 

Dealing With Tarnish

To remove tarnish from gym holds, firstly, you need to remove the tarnish chemically using a tarnish remover. The next step involves rinsing the hold well and then rubbing it with a bit of petroleum jelly or Vaseline. 

Dealing With Scrapes

Sometimes scratches can form on gym holds during your training sessions and workouts. If such happens, you can take advantage of a dry brush or jar brush to gently scrub away the scuff marks with mild soapy water.

Removing Dry Skin Cells

Sometimes your hands become dry or calloused and can easily damage the holds. You can prevent this by applying baby powder or climbing chalk on your hands before training and cleaning the gym holds.

Checking For Any Sparkle

If you don’t have a chance to go over all the steps above, you should check for any sparkle present in the gym holds. To find this out, start by hot-gluing a small piece of paper with a small amount of Vaseline onto one of the holds and cleaning it as usual but do not dry it.

How to Glue Climbing Holds Together

1. Spread Glue: 

You are using your putty knife, spread glue on your climbing hold and on the place where they will attach. Avoid putting too much glue on because it can be hard to remove if there is a lot of it.

2. Clamping: 

Place your climbing holds where they should go and clamp them into place using sponges faster than you would typically climb. Ensure the clamps are positioned correctly and that there is a good amount of contact for the glue to adhere. 

3. Wait for Clamping to Stop : 

Do not move your holds for 24 hours while the glue dries. Typically, this process takes about 30 minutes. 

4. Removing Clamps: 

Remove your clamps after 24 hours and take off any excess glue with a putty knife. Again, you would be better off completing it shortly after this one if you did not give yourself enough time beforehand. 

Hold Cleaning Tools

The tools you use to clean your rock climbing holds must be safe for use on materials that contact your body directly or indirectly. 

  • Long Nose Pliers: These tools are usually made of steel and have a long contour that can fit around the body parts of your fingers. The long nose can apply pressure to the hold and prevent you from poking yourself in the eye on this kind of tool.
  • Wire Brush: The wire brush is made of fragile wires and fibers, and it is also used to clean the hold. 
  • Rubber Mallet: A rubber mallet is made of rubber, and it is used to tap your rock climbing holds instead of using a blunt object like the handle of the hammer.
  • Putty Knife: Finally, remember to have a putty knife that is made of solid material. It will be able to cut through the epoxy without scratching the surface texture of your holds.

What Are The Benefits Of Cleaning Climbing Holds? 

There are many benefits of cleaning your climbing holds. Here are some of the main advantages:

  • Allows You To Work Out More Often!

Let’s face it if you want to be in better shape, and you need to climb more often to stay motivated. Bouldering Base provides access to a gym membership since that is a crucial aspect of bouldering!

  • More Secure Climbing

Cleaning your climbing holds will allow you to practice climbing more safely and improve your skills. In addition, this process will help you become more secure while you climb so that you don’t fall and injure yourself. 

  • You Get To Keep Your Gym Climb Stronger After Cleaning!

Not only does a cleaner hold look nice, but it will also help the holds last longer. Using chemicals on hold can lead to contamination of the material, weakening the holds over time. It Helps To Prevent Injury!

While many of us enjoy working out and training in a dirty gym, this can be dangerous to our health. The reason for this is that as we climb and sweat in our climbing holds, our hands become moist due to the sweat given off during the exercise session even you wear gloves at all time. 

  • Allows You To Clean Your Climb Faster!

The cleaning process itself can take a long time, and it is reasonable to make the most of every minute. In addition, one of the reasons why you should clean your gym hold more often is that it will allow you to make your climbing session much faster.

Summary 

When you are cleaning rock climbing holds, you are tasked with removing dirt, dust, and skin flakes. The climbing gym business and the climbing community are both fantastic and should be taken seriously. However, if you want to be a part of bouldering, you have to learn how to clean your rock climbing holds to keep them safe for use. For this time prepare your harness and rope, wear your climbing chalk bag without chalk instead with some glue. You are getting ready not for a training or session of climbing but to clean and check your climbing holds.