The typical adventure park, challenge course, or zipline canopy tour has an abundance of gear like harnesses, helmets, lanyards, and ropes. This gear, often referred to as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), is what protects us from one of our industry’s most prevalent inherent risks: falling from height. Therefore it is of the utmost importance that we take good care of our PPE – our lives depend on it. But the nature of outdoor recreation means that we often get our stuff dirty. So what do we do then?
The official answer is always ‘check with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)’. For example, if Petzl made your harnesses, you should always defer to Petzl for instructions and specific questions like: “what kind of soap can I use to wash a harness that got blood on it?” OEM instructions regarding care and cleaning of PPE may be included with informational material that came in the original packaging of the PPE item, but they are often listed on the manufacturer’s website as well.
There are, however, some general instructions that apply to most personal protective equipment. Since there are many different types of PPE, for the sake of simplicity we will divide them into three categories to describe the basics of care and cleaning. But remember to always check with the OEM!
Soft Goods (textile products):
Such as ropes, webbing, harness straps, and lanyards.
Storage
- Store clean and dry in a well-ventilated area away from heat sources.
- Limit exposure to UV rays (do not store or dry in the direct sun)
- Do not expose to harsh chemicals especially bleach, fuels or battery acid
- Avoid contact with bug spray, sunscreen, bodily fluids, and food
- Keep clean, away from mud, sand, or other abrasive materials
- Do not stand or walk on soft goods
- Keep away from open flame, including cigarettes
Care/Cleaning
- Wash in clean, lukewarm tap water (86°F / 30°C max)
- When needed, wash in lukewarm soapy water and rinse thoroughly with clean tap water.
- Use only mild, non-detergent soaps, ideally ph neutral. Never use solvents, stain removers, degreasers, etc. Consider a product specific soap such as “rope wash”. Consult with OEM for approved soaps.
- Use a soft bristled brush as needed for difficult spots (i.e. dirt/mud on harness, chin strap of helmets).
- A fan is very useful in speeding the drying process.
- Do not use a heater to speed up the drying process.
- Do not use a high-pressure washer.
Marking
- Consult with the OEM for approved marking strategies.
- Generally speaking, marking is only recommended on labels or comfort components and not on safety components.
- If approved by the OEM, consider connecting a small tag with a unique identifier to the harness. Be sure to put it in a place that will not interfere with intended operation of the harness or other PPE that will attach to the harness.
Hard Goods (metal):
Such as carabiners, harness buckles, lobster claws, trolleys, pulleys, and belay devices
Storage
- Store in a dry, well ventilated place
- Keep clean, away from mud, sand or other abrasive materials
Care/Cleaning
- Hard goods can typically be wiped clean. If necessary they can be rinsed in fresh water, or if needed washed in lukewarm soapy water. Be sure to rinse and dry thoroughly.
- Use only mild, non-detergent soaps, ideally ph neutral. Never use solvents, stain removers, degreasers, etc.
- Use a soft bristled brush as needed for difficult spots.
Lubrication
Carabiners
- Lubricate hinges to restore spring action.
- After lubrication, wipe excess oil clear with a rag
- Do not use WD40 as this will attract dirt
- Use a 3-in-1 oil or what the OEM recommends
Pulleys/Trolleys
- Sealed bearings do not require lubrication
- Check with OEM for specifics
Sanding/Filing Burrs
- Consult with the OEM for tolerances of material loss and approved maintenance of sharp edges.
- Generally speaking most OEM’s allow for using fine grit sandpaper to round sharp edges or burrs to make them friendlier to interacting soft goods. Typically, total material loss shall be no more than 1mm.
Marking
- Consult with the OEM for approved marking strategies.
- Generally speaking, most OEM’s allow for engraving unique identifiers with an engraving pen on the frame next to serial numbers is approved. Depth of engraving must be less than 0.1mm.
- Do not stamp or punch.
- You may use tape or a small amount of paint (paint pen or metal writing paint). Be sure to put in a place that will not interfere with intended operation of PPE.
Helmets:
Storage
- See above storage criteria for soft and hard goods.
- Consider hanging system to maximize ventilation.
- Do not sit on or compress
- Do not put stickers/paint/marker directly on helmet shell. Stickers can hide defects and solvents could damage integrity of the shell. Use only stickers supplied by the OEM.
Care/Cleaning
- Consider routine disinfecting/cleaning with a cloth lightened moistened by rubbing alcohol. Do not submerge helmet in alcohol.
- Routinely wash in lukewarm water (86°F / 30°C max)
- When needed, wash in lukewarm soapy water and rinse thoroughly with clean tap water.
- Use only mild, non-detergent soaps, ideally ph neutral. Never use solvents, stain removers, degreasers, etc. Consult with OEM for approved soaps.
- Use a soft bristled brush as needed for difficult spots.
- A fan is very useful in speeding the drying process.
- Do not use a heater to speed up the drying process.
- Do not use a high pressure washer
Marking
- Consult OEM for approved marking strategy
- Generally speaking, marking is only recommended on comfort components and not on safety components.
- Do not write/paint directly on shell of helmet.
Repair
- Many helmets have replaceable parts including but not limited to: comfort foam components, buckles, headlamp holders, etc.
- Consider repairing helmets to OEM’s recommendations before retiring.
Other considerations in the care of PPE include the manner in which you transport it, whether it’s across your facility or across the country. It is always preferable to have PPE inside of a clean container during transport to protect against potential contaminates. Putting a harness in the back of a truck or other utility vehicle could seem harmless, but this could be a catastrophic mistake if someone else used that vehicle before you and spilled gasoline in the back. Also, beware of temperature extremes from leaving PPE in a hot car, or traveling by train, plane, and boat. If you ever have doubt about improper transport of your PPE, retire it.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons, often learned the hard way, is that ventilation is key. Storing even slightly damp PPE with poor ventilation for a very short period can result in corrosion, mildew, mold that will at the least reduce the life of the PPE and at worst, could result in the need to retire it. This could be a very costly oversight. Be sure to consider this when designing gear storage areas, evaluating strategies for storing rescue kits, and making a plan for drying your gear after a rainy day on the course. Because making a plan for that now could mean you save a lot of money on a rainy day!