Helmet cleaning time . . .

[EddyQ]

Well, the summer in NE is now hot and sweaty. My year old Arai Profile was beyond the need for a good cleaning. Plus, I picked up some helmet speakers on the way back from the UN and am itching to get some results out of them.

 

So, the Profile is suppose to have removable liners. Well, maybe I missed something, but a bunch of liner is still in the helmet after removing the cheek pieces and most the liner shell. There is still rancid fabric that rests on your forhead and some fabric around the perimeter of the base that simply looks to be glued in. I saw no other option but to dunk the entire helmet in the sink and clean with water and landry detergent. To dry, I rigged up a small fan to help with airflow inside the helmet. It is now about 5 hours and it is just about all dry. I'll likely leave it there for the nite to be sure. Tommorrow I will look at the helmet closely for the speaker install. My questions are:

 

1)How do most of you clean your helmet?? Take it all apart and fan dry or simply dunk it assembled and ride it dry.

 

2)I am amazed how cheap the fabric/materials are inside helmets. I get the feeling that cleaning too much is bad and too little is bad also. When do you know it is time to clean your helmet?

[Jeepster]

Basically I do what you have done, remove cheek pads and dunk the sucker in the sink. I usually use Woolite, but have used weak dishsoap/water solution.

Rinse very well and dry for 12-24 hours. I do this about twice a year. I ride all year here and about midsummer and towards the end of summer

I just can't bring myself to put my head in that thing anymore.

[RandyBailey]

I've never cleaned the pads on my Arai. I live in Arizona and it gets hot and sweaty inside my helmet much of the year. The funky helmet smell has allowed me to walk into any biker bar in Prescott and be accepted as a real biker.

 

I do keep the outside of my helmet waxed and polished up real pretty, though...

[Dick_at_Lake_Tahoe_NV]

I clean my street helmet the same as I clean my Dirt Biking Helmet--in the Dishwasher. Take off the face shield and pull out speakers if you have them installed. Take the top rack out of the dishwasher if you need to for the helmet to fit. Put in a little dishwasher powder, run the cycle, but don't run the dry cycle--I put mine on the back deck to dry in the sun.

[EffBee]

Fill a sink with warm water and Woolite. Fold a towel and sink it to the bottom of the water (this helps prevent scratching the outside of your helmet).

 

Remove the face shield and the electronics. Submerge the helmet and rub the soapy solution into the lining.

 

Refill the sink with more soapy solution and repeat the submersion.

 

Now rinse using the faucet. Refill the sink with cold water (don't forget to rinse and re-position the towel at the bottom of the sink) and submerge. Rub the rinse water into the lining. Repeat this twice more. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes.

 

When setting it out to dry, I always use a milk crate I have in the garage. Lets air in from underneath as well.

[Karp]

I clean my street helmet the same as I clean my Dirt Biking Helmet--in the Dishwasher. Take off the face shield and pull out speakers if you have them installed. Take the top rack out of the dishwasher if you need to for the helmet to fit. Put in a little dishwasher powder, run the cycle, but don't run the dry cycle--I put mine on the back deck to dry in the sun.

 

Dishwashing soap (for the dishwasher - not hand-soap) contains bleach and should not be used on your hemet! The heated water in the dishwasher will damage the foam in the helmet unless you use a cold-water cycle.

 

 

It might not be a terrible idea if you use a different soap and use a cold-water rinse.

[Troy]

I have a Scorpion helmet and all the pads and liners come out so this probably wont help much. I just toss the pads in the clothes washer on gentle cycle then low heat in the dryer. A dryer sheet guards against funk for quit a while. A spritz of Fabreze now and then between washings helps as well.

[Ewell D.]

I love this site! There is always someone willing to ask a question I am too reluctant to ask.

 

I have been puzzled about this with my Shoei Multitec.

 

Good information.

 

Ewell