How to Clean a Motorcycle Helmet

Learning how to clean a motorcycle helmet should be the top of your to do lists. Since this will allow your helmet to remain in good condition and working order and of course you will have likely paid good money for your helmet.

Above all, your helmet has an important part to play in maintaining your good health and protection.

Keeping the helmet in good condition is vital for not only protecting you in the event of a crash, but also from flying debris, bugs and protecting from noise pollution. If the helmet is not looked after well then the efficiency of protection from damaging noise will be less even with earplugs.

Here we will look at how to clean your helmet as part of protecting your motorcycle investment, no matter what helmet it is. Along with maintaining your helmet for the long haul. Let’s go!

Quickest Way to Damage your Helmet

Your motorcycle helmet does experience a lot of wear and tear during its lifetime. You have got your actual wear usage which will entail body odors and sweats that will accumulate inside the helmet. Your helmet will absorb a lot of body oils and skin particles during your usage.

This permeates the inner helmet and foam which eventually causes an unpleasant smell.

We have only looked at the inner helmet, what about the outside? You have got bugs hitting the helmet at high speed, looking like microscopic pizzas appearing on the surface. Then you have air pollution which is made up of smog, dust, human finger prints and so much more.

Lets face it if a helmet is going to be used it is going to have to tolerate a bit of a beating. That’s reality.

However, all those things are tame since what will damage the motorcycle helmet the most is improper cleaning. Bug guts and scratches on the outside of the helmet may look ugly, but none of those things actually damage the helmet.

What does cause damage is incorrect maintenance or cleaning using solvents and an abrasive cloth. The truth of the matter is most damage to a helmet will come due to the owner having lack of the correct knowledge on how to clean the helmet correctly.

So understanding this will help you take good care of your helmet with providing with good maintenance.

Helmet Cleaning with some Guidlines

I recommend that if you don’t bother to read up on anything else here on this page or even on this site, then please, please read this section on best practices when cleaning your helmet. Since a lot of people will clean all wrong and only end causing damage. If you check out these basic philosophies, you should be golden.

Clean the liner with mild soaps, such as mild laundry detergent or perhaps baby shampoo
Have a towel that has been soaked in warm water to allow bugs to be soften for about 5 minutes
Remember to use towels that are scratch free microfiber
Apply very little pressure and just allow the soap suds do their work, this will help to prevent scratching
Using something like Honda Polish for an automotive polish on the shell of a gloss helmet
For cleaning out joints and vents use cotton buds
After cleaning allow the helmet to air dry naturally
To prevent guts, water spots and grime form sticking, use a coat of automotive wax to protect the helmet
You can wear a skull cap to protect from body oils and sweats between washing

Avoid:

Do not scrub the shell or visor of a motorcycle helmet when trying to remove difficult bugs
Never use petroleum or a solvent cleaner on your helmet
Never use glass cleaner on the visor
Do not use dish soaps or other harsh soaps on the liner or helmet
Avoid using dryer sheets as they contain harsh chemicals
Avoid using fabric softeners when cleaning the liner
Never put your helmet liner in a dryer

Process for Cleaning your Helmet

There are two kinds of motorcycle helmets that you will end up cleaning. Those with removable liners and those that do not have them. The following will teach you to clean both.

Removable Liner Helmet

If you have a helmet with a removable liner then the process of cleaning is more straight forward. Remove the liner and pads from the helmet and wash on a low temperature or delicate setting in the washer. Also use a low spin rotation for the end of the wash cycle. After this simply let them dry naturally and don’t put them in a dryer, just air dry.

To clean the shell refer to the recommended guidance cleaning above. Simply mix up a washing solution using warm water and mild soap.

Non-Removable Liner Helmet

How do you clean if your helmet does not have a removable liner? The cleaning requires more of a complex procedure as you will need to soak and scrub the entire helmet. You can use a large bowel in the shower. Use something like the shower to allow the helmet to be rinsed well after cleaning.

It is recommended to line the bottom of the bowel with a soft material while you wash. This will prevent the helmet getting scratched. Refer to the above recommended guidelines for cleaning and then let the helmet dry naturally after drying off with a towel.

Remember to remove any visor and/or pads from the helmet before hand.