The Tips To Wash Your Motorcycle Helmet

The motorcycle helmet is the most protective gear for any motorcycle rider. Just like every part of your motorcycle, you also need to take good care of your motorcycle helmet. Otherwise, you will have an awful experience when you take a motorcycle ride.

If you are planning a long ride then it is important to have a clean helmet. Keeping your motorcycle helmet clean will not only improve your riding experience but it will also make the ride safe. Let’s learn the right way to wash a helmet.

• Materials you need for motorcycle helmet cleaning 

Before you start the endeavor to clean the helmet, you are going to need a few materials. You can find these motorcycle cleaning materials in most retail stores. As a result, you can gather these motorcycle helmet cleaning products easily and start the motorcycle cleaning process immediately. Here are some of the items you need to gather first for cleaning the helmet.

• Microfiber rags

Try to find the softest microfiber rags for cleaning the motorcycle helmet. Soft microfiber rags put less scratch on the helmet. For this reason, it will do less damage to your helmet. These days, you can find specially made soft microfiber rags for helmet cleaning online. Your helmet will have a better shine when you clean it with these microfiber rags.

• Baby shampoo

The baby shampoo works as a cleaning agent and it removes bad odor from the helmet very easily. However, you need to ensure that the shampoo is not petroleum-based. Otherwise, it might keep a stain on the helmet liner. Due to its gentle nature, most baby shampoos can clean the helmet liner very easily.

• Toothbrush

You don’t need an expensive brush for cleaning the helmet. For this job, an ordinary toothbrush with a soft bristle is enough. Make sure that you pick a toothbrush with a small head for cleaning the helmet. It will help you reach small nooks and corners very easily. It becomes very useful for cleaning helmet face shield gaskets and vents.

• WD40 spray

WD40 spray is often used on the outer layer of the helmet. This spray is usually used to remove rust from any surface. Many people use this spray to bring shininess to the helmet. However, you need to use this spray moderately or it might damage the outer color of the helmet. Don’t use this spray on the helmet if you don’t like to odor of WD40.

• Compressed air

With the help of compressed air, you can easily blow off dust particles from deep inside the helmet. These days, compressed air canisters are available at an affordable price online. For this reason, you can easily clear all dust particles inside of your helmet very easily.

• Warm water

The last thing you are going to need is to clean your helmet in warm water. The temperature of the water doesn’t have to be very hot. For cleaning a motorcycle helmet, you can use lukewarm water. Unfortunately, you don’t get this item in any store. You need to heat the water at home for this purpose.

• Helmet cleaning process (Segmented)

We can segment a motorcycle helmet into three pieces. These segments are helmet shell, helmet inner liner, and visor. Anyone can separate these segments easily from most modern helmets. Cleaning a helmet this way is much easier and it gives a thorough cleaning. Let’s learn the best way to clean helmet segments properly.

• Helmet shell

The helmet shell is the hard protective covering that protects your head from big impact. It works as a strong shield and doesn’t let any sharp object penetrate the helmet. This part of the helmet bears the most burses. For this reason, this part catches dirt very easily.

Compared to other parts of the helmet, cleaning the helmet shell is much easier. First, you need to take a wet cotton cloth, and then rub the helmet shell lightly with this wet cotton cloth. Then, you need to apply the baby shampoo to the helmet shell. The baby shampoo will lose all dirt off the helmet shell.

Then you can wipe the helmet shell with microfiber rags while it is wet. This way, you can clean the helmet shell without putting any scratch on it. At the time of wiping the helmet shell, you need to do this lightly. Otherwise, you can put scratch marks on the helmet.

• Helmet inner liner

The helmet inner liner often gets dirty by sweat and hair oil. Along with these two items, the mix of small dirt particles also makes the helmet's inner liner dirty. Regular helmet inner liner cleaning is necessary for a high sanitation level inside of the helmet.

For this purpose, you need to open the inner liner first. Then extract the soft foam inside. In most modern motorcycle helmets, the inner liner cloth and foams are washable. You can wash these two items in a washer with a gentle setting. For this purpose, you should use a very slight amount of detergent or baby shampoo.

After washing the helmet inner liner and motorcycle helmet pads for a few minutes, you need to dry it in the dryer. Then, you can install these two items on the helmet properly. Do this cleaning once a month if you wear the motorcycle helmet for your daily commute. Otherwise, you can clean the helmet inner liner after getting back from a long road trip.

• Helmet visor

This part of the motorcycle helmet often gets very dirty. It is a protective converging for motorcycle rider eyes. This part of the motorcycle helmet protects the rider’s eyes from dirt, water, and bugs. Most motorcycle helmet visors get dirty very frequently. Due to this reason, you need to clear the motorcycle visor more often than other parts of the helmet.

For cleaning the visor properly, first wet it with baby shampoo and hot water. Then let it have a few minutes to soak the water. Then wipe the visor surface lightly with microfiber rags. For this purpose, you should use a good-quality soft microfiber rag. Otherwise, it will put scratch marks on the helmet visor.

It is the best way to clean motorcycle helmet visors. If you do it correctly, then the visor will remain clear without any scratch. After cleaning the motorcycle visor, you can also put anti-fog spray on it. It will prevent fog formation on the visor and give you the best view of the road.

• Helmet cleaning process (Non-Segmented)

Cleaning a motorcycle helmet that has an intact inner liner is more difficult than others. For this type of motorcycle helmet, you cannot use strong detergents. Otherwise, there will be damage to the helmet's inner liner. Here, you needed to be careful at the time of washing helmet liner structures.

For this purpose, take a bucketful of Luke warm water and dilute baby shampoo or light detergent in it. Then dip the helmet in this solution for five minutes. This soaking will lose off all the dirt patches from the motorcycle helmet. Then you can use the toothbrush to remove dust particles from the nooks and corners of the motorcycle helmet.

Then take off the helmet from this cleaning solution and rinse it in the clear water. Then pat the inner liner of the motorcycle helmet with a dry towel. Do this patting multiple times and it will reduce moisture a lot from the inner liner of the helmet. Then, you can keep the helmet under the hot sun for a couple of minutes to dry the inner liner completely.

Make sure that you keep the helmet upside down under the sun. This, way hot sunlight will dry off the helmet inner liner quickly. After cleaning the inner liner, you can focus on the motorcycle helmet outer shell and visor cleaning.

• How frequently do you need to wash the motorcycle helmet?

How frequently do you need to wash the motorcycle helmet depends on how frequently you use it. If you wear the helmet daily to commute, then it will get dirty quickly. At that time, you need to wash the motorcycle visor every next day. Clean the outer shell of the motorcycle helmet once a week and wash the inner liner once a month.

However, you may not clean the motorcycle helmet that frequently if you don’t ride the motorcycle not that much. After making a long ride on your motorcycle, clean the helmet properly. Wipe the outer shell of the motorcycle helmet with WD40. Then, you need to wipe the visor with baby shampoo and microfiber rags. Washing helmet pads become only necessary after making a couple of long tours. This way, your motorcycle helmet will stay fresh before the next long ride.

• Why washing helmet is so important?

Washing helmet keeps its fresh new looks. Your helmet may look junk if you don’t clean it regularly. The price of most good helmets is a lot and you may not want to see them in a bad condition. It is one of the main reasons why most motorcycle lovers clean their helmets regularly.

Another reason to clean the helmet regularly is hygiene. The inner liner of the motorcycle helmet absorbs sweat and hair oil very easily. Accumulation of these two elements increases microbial infestation in the motorcycle helmet.

Having microbial bug infestation in the helmet is not good for your head. You would be surprised to know that you can have a microbial infection on your head if you don’t clean the helmet's inner liner properly. As a result, you can experience an itching sensation on the head. Later, this infection from motorcycle helmets can lead to hair fall. To avoid this type of condition, you can read motorcycle helmet liner washing machine tips.

Another part of helmet cleaning you shouldn’t be forgetting is the visor. A clean visor gives you the best visibility on the road. For this reason, you need to clean the visor every next day or before making any big ride. Also, apply anti-fog spray on the visor if you live in a moist area. The anti-fog spray will prevent fog formation on the visor and give you the best visibility on the road. As a result, your motorcycle riding will be safer.

• Can anyone clean a motorcycle helmet at home?

Yes, you can clean the motorcycle helmet at home without taking anyone’s help. Cleaning a motorcycle helmet is not that difficult job and it only takes a few minutes. It is time to clean your helmet if you detect dirt or a foul smell from the helmet.

First, you need to gather a few cleaning items for this purpose. Then take off all accessories from the motorcycle helmet. After doing that, you need to separate different segments of the motorcycle for easy cleaning. Then you need to wash every part separately for easy cleaning.

Riding a motorcycle for a long time with wearing a stinking helmet is not comfortable. Along foul smell and bad visibility on the visor can make the motorcycle ride dangerous. Therefore, keeping a motorcycle helmet is important if you want a safe motorcycle ride. Washing the motorcycle helmet will improve its hygiene level and give you freshness on the ride.

You need to consider the motorcycle helmet as a part of the motorcycle. For this reason, you need to take appropriate care and cleaning of your motorcycle helmet. You would love this process if you love motorcycle riding. For cleaning a motorcycle helmet, you will get necessary items at your house or local retail stores. All you need to devote is a little time to cleaning the helmet.

After washing the helmet, don’t forget to dry it properly. Riding a motorcycle wearing a wet helmet is not comfortable. At the same time, moisture present in the motorcycle helmet can degrade it slowly. For this reason, wipe off water from every part of the motorcycle helmet. Similarly, use a dryer for the inner liner of the helmet. You can also put the inner liner under the hot sun if you don’t have access to a dryer.