Cleaning and maintaining your bike helmet so that it can last long is very important. However, there are certain things you need to follow in order to clean bike helmet of dust, sweat and chemicals without damaging it. For instance, we should give the foam liner and visor of the bike helmet special treatment.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to detach the components of your helmet properly.
In this guide, we will explain how to clean the various parts of your bike helmet. You clean the helmet straps, pads, foam liner, shell and visor separately to have your bike helmet thoroughly clean.
Use wet microfiber cloths or soft sponge and mild soapy water, preferably baby shampoo (It works very well) to clean your bike helmet. You also need compressed air and toothbrush for the cleaning process.
Cleaning the interior and exterior of your helmet often keeps it looking new for years. Of course you don’t want to move around with smelly ratty-looking helmet.
How to clean bike helmet shell
There are two levels of cleaning the shell of your helmet:
The first is a quick wipe down after a ride. Here are the tips for a quick wipe down after hours of cycling.
- Use a wet paper towel or microfiber cloth and lay it over the shell for a minute or two to soften the debris. Then scrub the surface with a towel or cloth until it is shiny. If there is a crust that is hard to remove, use a motorcycle-specific cleaner. This keeps your helmet clean and free from hardened dead bugs.
- Do not use strong chemicals like dish soap, window cleaner, bleach or ammonia on your bike helmet. This will cause your helmet to age faster. You can use just water or elbow grease.
The second level is deep cleaning, which you do at least two times a season. You start deep cleaning similar to quick wipe down but make sure you start by removing the visor and all electronic devices like LED lights, camera or Bluetooth speakers. Here are the tips for deep cleaning of your bike helmet.
- Place warm wet microfiber cloth on the helmet’s shell (the exterior) to soften any dirt.
- If mud covers your helmet, flush it under running water or use a toothbrush to remove chucks of mud.
- After cleaning the surface, dry it with fiber cloth and coat it with carnauba wax or spray it with S100 Detail and wax. This makes the helmet easier to clean the next time.
- If the interior of your helmet gets wet, dry it with the help of a fan and never use a hair dryer.
- Use air compressor to blow dirt that is hard to remove.
How to clean bike helmet visor
The visor is very delicate because some manufacturers coat the interior of the visor with a special coating. Cleaning your bike helmet visor with strong chemicals will render it useless to prevent fogging. Use warm mild soapy water to clean the visor, rinse it with clean warm water and dry it with clean microfiber cloth.
With a Pinlock visor, you can excess water with a hair dryer set to cool and then dry it in the air before remounting it. This is because the surface is easy to scratch.
How to clean bike helmet pads
The bike helmet pads and the liners form the interior of the helmet. As you ride, sweat accumulates in the pads as time goes on. Cleaning the pads gives you fresh smell from a more comfortable helmet.
You can use soapy water to hand wash the pads or use a washing machine. These are the tips for cleaning your bike helmet pads.
- Remove the padding if possible
- Deep the pads in soapy water for some minutes and then wash them by massaging and squeezing gently. Anti-bacterial detergent will take away any pungent small.
- If you are using a washing machine, place the pads on the most delicate setting and wash with Woolite. Dry them immediately after washing in the air. You can use a fan but not hair dryer in order not to damage the glues keeping the liner and pads in bondage with heat.
How to clean bike helmet foam liner
Here are the tips to clean the interior liners of your bike helmet.
- To clean the foam liners, you need to remove them if possible. With some, only the parts that are removable.
- You can still clean the interior without removing the foam liners, but they will take a longer time to dry.
- Remove any electronics like communication devices.
- Scrub the liners or the interior with warm soapy water soaked in cloths until it is clean. Then Scrub with cloth soaked in clean water to remove all the soap out of the foam liners.
- Press the liners with dry cloth to remove all the water and then let air circulate through the helmet or liners with the help of a fan. Do not put them in the sun.
- Do not use chemical cleaners to clean the foam liners or pads. They can react together.
- Use only cleaners meant specifically for helmets. Some cleaners are for the exterior only.
How to clean bike helmet straps
Sweat gets absorb by the straps as you use your bike helmet. The straps like the liners and the pads accumulate dead skin and body oils. Bacteria then live in them. If you do not clean them often, they will develop a pungent smell with time. The germs in the dirty bike helmet straps can cause a skin disease besides the awful smell it gives out. Here are the tips to clean your bike helmet straps.
- Scrub them gently with microfiber cloth soaked in mild soapy water.
- Use a bristle brush to remove any chunks of mud that the wet cloth could not remove.
After cleaning your bike helmet parts, reassemble the helmet and store in a cool dry place out of the sun’s rays.
This guide may not change much for other sport helmets you will find out there.
FAQs
Can chemicals damage a helmet?
Harsh chemicals like dish soap, window cleaners, ammonia or bleach will degrade your helmet and render it less effective, especially the helmet visor and the foam liners. Used only mild soapy water to clean the visor and use a clean dry microfiber cloth. Do not use strong chemicals on your helmet. Use mild soapy water to clean the exterior shell of your bike helmet.
Can the helmet be submerged in water?
Yes, you can flush your helmet under running water and even submerge in water to remove any chunks of muds that are hard to remove by scrubbing with wet microfiber cloth. You air dry your helmet with a fan and do not use a hairdryer or sun dry it because the heat will destroy the glue holding the foam liners and pads together.
What should I clean my helmet with?
You should use mild soapy water in a soft sponge or microfiber cloth to clean both interior foam liners and the external shell. Baby shampoo works well.
If your helmet is too dirty with mud, use a toothbrush to remove the mud and flush your helmet with running water. You can also use a washing machine with mild soapy water. Using an air compressor to flush dust particles or mud is still effective in cleaning your bike helmet.
Can I wash my helmet while taking a shower?
Yes. Some riders take their helmets to the shower. You scrub your helmet with microfiber cloth soaked mild soapy water. Flush the helmet with running water. Air dry it.
Can I clean my bike helmet in a dishwasher?
I don’t recommend you to put your helmet in dish water. Follow the manufacturer’s instruction on how to clean your helmet. Mild soapy water or baby shampoo works great.
How do you clean a smelly bike helmet?
After riding miles on a hot sunny day, sweat accumulates and the bike helmet straps, pads and foam liners absorb it. The bike helmet gives a pungent odor. These are the few tips on how to clean a smelly bike helmet.
- Soak the helmet in warm water with a detergent, preferably baby shampoo.
- Clean the helmet and air dry it. Clean it often to stop it from smelly because of sweat.
- Deodorize the interior of your bike helmet.
- Don’t deodorize the bike helmet by cleaning the interior using dryer sheets because this fabric softeners have chemicals that irritate the skin, though they may smell good.
