........never wash a rope in a washing machine, wouldn't ever consider such a thing!!........at the mouth of the cave rinse the mud or dirt off the rope in the last cleanest water available.....put the muddy coil under the waterfall and let the force of the water flush out the mud......whatever mud is left is ok........don't use any chemicals except those in the water we all have to drink or use to clean a rope...... never dry the rope in the sun, shake it free or slam it against a wall untill the loose water is out and then store it, it'll dry....you can hang it in the wind to speed things, or in your living room........ the rope should be kept very near where you sleep......its my habit to put the new rope in the bed the first nite it is in my house.......my wife is used to it............afterwards, i keep the new rope,with the old, under my bed........here i can hear mice, i know for sure what is happening with the rope for a little more than a third of its lifetime....... larger coils of rope which are left in a bag should not be stored muddy, it will not hurt the rope!!...it will hurt the user, the next time they use the dried-mud-covered rope when they deal with the dust cloud and slow rappel!!!!!...........stuffing a rope takes extra care..you have to clean, and dry, and store them......i know it sounds the same as a coiled rope right?....thats true except that there are two parts to the stuffed rope........heheheheheh