Synopsys: Helmet cleaning complete steps can be discussed in 3 separate sections. First to explain all about helmet cleaning concern and precautions and then we will move forward to discuss about steps and methods to clean a helmet.
Later, we will discuss prominent cleaning kits that pro riders use. Following topic will cover the fundamentals of helmet cleaning & care, but to be more specific, this section will cover the disinfectant and deodorizers.
Thirdly, we will talk about cleaning helmet visors, which is one of the most important cleaning parts for helmet. Lets start!!!
Helmet is something that you wear everyday, on every ride. Well that is the thumb rule to ride a bike so why should you not ride your bike with the helmet on. Wearing helmet everyday on every ride is perfectly fine but that has a price to pay !!
With each ride, there are new pollutants and dust storing inside the inner pad coming through the vents. Resulting in a dirty helmet!!! Mostly, wearing a helmet without cleaning is gross but somehow we have adjusted our norms to keep using the helmet over and over again without cleaning.
To understand the blog more clearly, find out the most important topic for you that we will cover in this blog:
- Primary helmet cleaning concern and precautions
- Steps and methods to clean a helmet perfectly
- Prominent helmet cleaning kits available in the market
- Usage of helmet cleaning disinfectant and deodorizers
- Cleaning helmet visors and exterior shell
Let’s point out a few facts making your helmet dirty:
- With every ride, there are new dust and debris accumulating throughout the padding
- Air inlets bring dusts during ventilation process
- Remember the time when you were sick and coughed inside the helmet, that stored germs around your cheek pad
- Somehow your helmet fell off upside-down on Saturday and you shook to get the dust off but the debris was already got stuck inside the interior padding
- During the fall, maybe your visor had a scratch and some dusts are locked around the pin-lock.
- Or maybe you are the biker lady who just likes to ride a bike with your make up on, those are made up of chemical right
Primary Concerns before cleaning your helmet:
Just like the fingers on your hand, every helmet is different. The padding is different, the material varies, the visor material is indifferent and the other liner varies too.Read helmet user manual carefully before cleaning
So before using any cleaning gel or helmet cleaner spray, read the warnings mentioned in your helmet user manual at first. The regulations may have a longer list but the warnings are fewer. Check them thoroughly and learn about the prohibitions of chemical using on your helmet outer shell, interior or even the visor.Read cleaning kit user manual
Secondly, read the usage manual of the bottle of spray or gel that you are going to use. Often the cleaning kit comes with proper user manual that must be followed to get the best result.Avoid damaging inner pads while cleaning
Thirdly, make sure you are not damaging your liner pads. Mostly, cleaning helmet at home causes damage to the padding. Which results into loose fit, uncomfortable ride and loss of property.Clean properly to avoid loose fitting situation
Cleaning helmet without proven method may reward you an helmet with a loose fit. We often get this kind of complains from riders that their helmet does not feel as it was before.
Avoid getting any scratch on your helmet visor
Last and most important, do not let your visor get any scratch. It your tear your heart apart even if you don’t love that particular helmet. This is a situation where you get a heartbreak even after taking a great decision to clean your helmet for a fresh ride.
Helmet cleaning precautions (in short):
- Read the warning labels from helmet manual carefully
- Read out the helmet cleaning kit user manual
- Avoid making any damage to your helmet liners
- Fitting issues may occur if you wash your paddings not in a proper manner
- Never ever let your visor get a scratch
- Before cleaning, remove your helmet sport visor
- Remove any kind of electronic device connected to your helmet
We are done with the safety concerns and basic importance of cleaning helmet. Now let’s get to the point where we discuss about the methods of cleaning helmet.
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Methods of Cleaning Helmet:
- The Old fashioned way (remove the liner, use a bucket of water, mix some cleaning gel, shower your kits or liners into the water) [Not recommended]
- Cleaning your helmet with simple materials found around your house
- Use a high-end cleaning kit, foam or gel that pro riders use
Clean your helmet using homemade cleaning solutions (old fashioned way)
The old fashioned way of cleaning a helmet consists of removing the liner pads, making a water solution with gel or cleaning liquid, soaking the pads for a few minutes and then drying them for the next few hours. Typical method and has a few problem lying down with it.
Problems in cleaning helmets at the old fashioned way
- Pads may degrade
- May not get the perfect fit
- Issues while rearranging the pads
- Maybe your helmet does not even have removable pads. So, what to do now???
Cleaning helmets without removing pads
As usual, prepare a cleaning mixture with baby shampoo and water. Dip your helmet fully but remove the visor first. Keep it dipped for about 30 minutes. Slowly grime the water from pads and liners by pressing softly with your hand. Keep it under the sun until it dries itself out and then you are ready to ride. The best about dipping your helmet fully is to clean your helmet outer shell without any extra hassle.
Now lets move forward to clean your helmet with simple materials found around your home.
Cleaning helmet with simple materials
There are simple materials available in our homes so useful to clean helmet on a regular basis. Like a micro-fiber towel, olive oil, baby shampoo, tooth brash (soft) and water (warm).
One can easily use these simple materials to clean helmet safely and this is one of the best and cheapest methods of cleaning helmet.
Clean Helmet Outer Shell using Warm Water
This is an easy step to perform and you will only need a bucket of warm water and a micro fiber rug. First, wet your rug with warm water, wring it a bit and place it over your helmet outer shell.
Keep it as it is for 15 minutes. This will soften up your helmet outer shell to get rid of dust and debris.
After 15-20 minutes, simply wipe off the full helmet carefully. As the dust stuck to your helmet are already soften up, you will not get any scratch over your helmet while cleaning in this manner.
Do not miss any spot. You can also use the tooth brush to get to the narrow points of your helmet.
Soak your micro-fiber towel again into the warm water bucket and rub every corner of the outer shell to have a shiny helmet on your next ride.
Clean Helmet Inner Pads with Simple Materials
You can prepare a cleaning mixture using baby shampoo and water to sock the grimes out of your lining pads.
To clean helmet inner pads, get to your kitchen and block the sink outing whole. Pour it with water and mix some baby shampoo with it and you have your cleaning mixture ready.
Keep your pads soaked for 2-3 minutes
Now put your lining pads inside the water, keep it soaked for 2-3 minutes.
Rub them with your fingers and try to remove the grimes around the cheek pad and lining pads.
Remember, we are using john-son baby shampoo because it’s all about removing oil related dusts from your helmet lining pads.
Like removing oil from your baby’s head and just the way we do it with our head like back and forth, back and forth.
We have to do it the exact way on our helmet lining pads to clean the grime out. Later, rinse all the soap out using warm water and move in with the next cheek pad.
Let them dry in the open air. As it may take a few hours to dry, I would recommend you to clean your helmet inner pads a night before using them.
Helmet Cleaning Kit
Technology has gone so far from using just baby shampoo and warm water. There are now complete cleaning kit available in the market dedicated to clean helmet interior, outer shell, lining pads and visors separately. Based on the price and popularity, I have gathered a list of complete helmet cleaning kit that can offer you a fresh, shiny and hygiene helmet for your everyday ride.
Muc-off Helmet Care Kit: Clean Your Helmet Under Any Condition
Muc-off started operating in 1994 realizing to reduce the long-time taken to clean a bike. They have come a long way since then. Muc-off helmet cleaner has their initial motto that declared, spray on, wash off, no sweat.
Muc-off describes themselves on being active at every road, To work into that quote, Muc-off has an amazing range of cleaning lubricants, sprays, apparel and even antibacterial products to clean helmet, bike and motorbikes. But, today we will only discuss about Muc-off 4 in 1 Helmet Care Kit.
Muc-off 4 in 1 Helmet Care Kit
The Muc-off 4 in 1 helmet care kit has a foam fresh, visor cleaner, anti-fog treatment and micro fibre cloth. These are mainly the most important thing a rider need to keep his helmet shiny and clean. Let’s discuss all products separately
Muc-off Foam Fresh
Muc-off Foam Fresh dislodges stuck dirt and debris softly. Even the grimes are gently wiped off with this amazing cleaning foam. Muc-off foam fresh is really easy to use as it has a pointy nozzle on its head and the smell is really good.
Overall the Muc-Off Foam Fresh is a highly effective foam kit, ideal for cleaning helmet liners or any soft material which comes into contact with the rider. Foam Fresh ensures and instant foaming action gently removing dirt and grime away from the surface.
The Muc-off foam fresh leaves a clean fragrance inside your helmet. Spray it, let it work, wipe it off and you will have a fresh & clean interior. This is one of the best helmet pad cleaning foam available in the market.
Muc-off Visor Cleaner
Muc-off visor cleaner safely clean up helmet visor and goggles. No issues so far identified using on any type of lens and visors. Amazingly clean up smudges and streaks from any kind of helmet visor and goggle lenses.
This particular Visor & Goggle Cleaner is formulated with de-ionized water and does not contain harmful chemicals. Global leading Helmet manufacturers suggested using the Muc-off visor cleaner.
Besides cleaning helmet, you can use Muc-off visor cleaner to clean bike goggles, cycling glasses and goggles as well as snowboard and ski goggles. Effective, isn’t it??
Even if you need a refill, then you can get a 250 ml bottle of Muc-off Visor and Goggles Cleaner. Capable of refiling the bottle 7 times you will get from the Muc-off 4 in 1 helmet cleaner.
Muc-off Micro fiber cloth
To make cleaning easier, Muc-off helmet care kit comes with a premium microfiber cloth that you can use to wipe off dirt and debris after using the foam fresh or the visor cleaner spray. You can easily clean the cloth after using at washing machine. A premium cloth to ensure top-notch cleaning finishes.
The micro-fiber cloth added to the Muc-off Helmet care kit completes the package. Just like Muc-off described: everything you need to have to keep your helmet clean and fresh.
Muc-Off Premium Anti-fog Treatment
This one is interesting. In a dark cold night the last trouble you can get with your visors and goggles to have fog onto it. Muc-Off developed the perfect solution that can wipe out the fogging issues for 5 days. just spray and wipe the fog out for the coming five days. We suggest you to spray right before starting your ride.
Muc-Off uses cutting edge dehumidifying technology with an anti-mist formula that creates micro-thin transparent coat to avoid fog. You can even use it on your swim goggles or sports glasses. The anti-mist formula beads off rain and water molecule to make your ride that much safer!
An amazing pack of helmet care kit is now completed. Muc-Off 4 in 1 helmet care kit is really capable of cleaning your helmet under any condition, even if you are an off-road biker having issues in removing dirt from interior paddings.
Putoline Helmet Sanitizer
Putoline Helmet Sanitizer is a foaming helmet cleaner. Quick and easy to use in helmet lining. Leaves a fresh fragrance after using in the helmet interior. Neutralizes unpleasant odors in the helmet lining. You can also use this helmet sanitizer to clean the outer helmet shell.Precautions to use Helmet Sanitizes
Helmet sanitizers are extremely flammable and specific precautions are required to use them.
Before using any kind of helmet cleaning aerosol spray, foam or sanitizers, do not forget to read your helmet user manual.
Every helmet sanitizers can cause serous eye damage and irritation.
Sanitizer contain compressed gaseous materials in a can that may burst in extreme heat.
How To Use Putoline Helmet Sanitizers
- Hold your putoline helmet sanitizer in the upright position
- Spray carefully onto the helmet lining
- Rub over with a micro-fiber damp cloth
- Allow to dry in warm and well-ventilated place
Never smoke while cleaning your helmet using helmet sanitizers.
5M Helmet Cleaner
This one is widely available in the Indian market offering a fresh, hygiene and clean look to helmet interior. The 5M Helmet cleaner belongs to the renowned motorcycle spare parts manufacturing company 5M AUTO CARE. Over the years, they have innovated quality motorcycle parts and innovative products.
How to use 5M Helmet Cleaner Foam
- Spray it on the helmet interior foam
- Let the foam dry for a few minutes
- Clean the foam using a micro-fiber cloth
- Keep the helmet in a well ventilated spray
- Wear it on the next day and you will feel the difference
Helmet Care Foam by Motorex
To clean your helmet shell and inner padding, Helmet Care by Motorex is another leading product available in the market. This spray cleaning kit is very effective and easy to use. Work as a deodorizer for helmet interior and refreshes the color with a hygiene fragrance.
Applications of Helmet Care Foam by Motorex
Besides cleaning your motorcycle helmet, you can use the Helmet Care Foam by Motorex to get a shiny look from your road bike helmet, dirt bike helmet, knee braces, bicycle shoes and variety of other things. You can use the helmet care by Motorex to clean the complete helmet including the padding and outer shell.
Features of Motorex Helmet Care
- A fresh smelled cleansing foam for helmet liner and shells
- Removes dirt
- Deodorizes your helmet
- Recommended to use in cleaning boots and other riding gears
How to Use Motorex Helmet Care Foam
- Spray it over your helmet
- Wait for 1 minute to soak the foam
- Clean it up using a micro-fiber cloth
- Let it dry in a well ventilated space
- And you have a clean and shiny riding gear
- Wear it on the following day
So far, I have tried to explain the ultimate guideline to clean and maintain your helmet interior, outer shell and mentioned great kits to clean your visor. But, there’s more to keep your helmet clean and tidy. We have a separate guide to clean helmet visor and a list of must maintain helmet care tips that can help you to explore more.
To understand the helmet cleaning operation more clearly you can check out our other guides mentioned below!! Happy Riding!!
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