I am very much an amatuer that gets called to nursing homes, etc. I love doing the Walking Knot, but I can't keep the ropes clean, no matter how clean I try to keep my hands clean. Since the gimmick is the part that you touch the most, it gets dingy quicker, and it can be seen appearing at different places in the rope. What can I do to keep white ropes white, without ruining the "magic" part? Any suggestions? Thanks.

I am not sure of your gimmick construction, however I clean my ropes with a small amount of warm water and Dawn .dish detergent. Mix the water and soap in your kitchen sink ( be sure to wash the sink before you start ) and I use a soft kitchen brush or old toothbrush to clean the ropes. Your gimmicks should hold up but you’ll need to experiment with that.
After you wash, be sure to rinse well and get soap out. Towel dry and let sit.
Hope this works for you.

To piggyback on this question, cleaning Daryl's Acrobatic Knot?
Has anyone tried cleaning them? Did the red color "bleed"?

The fear of the color bleeding has kept me from trying it.

Any advice from people who have cleaned their acrobatic knot?

Thanks
Mark