How To Clean The Inside Of A Motorcycle Helmet

Helmet intendance is an oft overlooked attribute of motorcycle life, but it need not exist. This job is something that takes next to no time, and brings large benefits.

Foremost is safety; a dirty visor will impede vision and make for a harrowing experience on the road. Don't think you tin but flip it up, either, a bee to the eyeball at 40mph is no laughing matter.

Subsequently that, at that place's condolement. Your head goes in your helmet, why not make it a nice place to be?

Read on for a guide to helmet cleaning, with some useful tips and tricks to use when yous tackle your own.

What you Demand To Clean a Motorcycle Helmet

The tools for this job tin can be as simple, or as complex, equally you lot want them to be. There are hundreds of cleaning products on the market pitched specifically at those looking for a make clean hat- like this Muc-Off Kit found on Amazon, or this Motul one.

Quality varies amongst them, as does their usefulness, just if your helmet is expensive, new, or both, they are an interesting artery to check out.

That said, you tin can also clean your helmet for side by side to nothing, and that's the way i'll be showing yous here.

The helmet I'm cleaning is a Bong Street 2022. This particular one takes a lot of corruption as a driver lid on Great britain roads.

Bell Street 2022

Equipping yourself for this task is uncomplicated, and I managed to find everything I needed effectually the house. The list is as follows:

Dishrag
Microfiber Cloth
Polishing Cloth
Surface Spray (not bleach)
Washing Upward Liquid

cloths and spray cleaner

Non pictured: a clean towel and some kitchen roll, which I'll use later.

Meridian Tip:

The Possessor's Manual is your friend! It volition often contain cleaning instructions for your helmet. If y'all don't have information technology anymore, try a google search for your helmet model and it shouldn't be hard to find.

Set Upwards And Preparation

At present yous'll want to go your helmet, and yourself, ready. Endeavour to work adjacent to a source of running water, like a hose or a tap, and brand sure you've got a big expanse that y'all don't mind getting moisture.

The Kitchen or the Bath are the obvious candidates, though you could also tackle this outside if you were some sort of maverick thrillseeker.

Kickoff step is to remove the visor. It's worth checking your manual here, or having a wait online, only most helmets have a very simple and intuitive system of clips and strings that'south like shooting fish in a barrel to operate.

Mine tin exist popped off in a couple of seconds with two arms mounted nether the hinge points.

Helmet with visor removed

After that, y'all can take out the inner linings and pads. In my example, these were attached with a few popular tabs and a strip of velcro. Just observe the attachment points, and carefully remove them without applying too much strength.

parts inside motorcycle helmet

Now close all your vents up, to cease any dirt existence washed in whilst cleaning, and you're ready to go.

Cleaning

With all the components of the helmet separated, cleaning can commence. Tackling the pads and lining outset is a expert thought, every bit this volition allow them the maximum drying time. Fill upwards a big bowl with hot h2o and Washing Up Liquid, and chuck them in.

Inner helmet parts in washing up bowl

Once they're saturated, agitate them in the h2o with your hands and piece of work the soap through. If yours are annihilation like mine were, yous'll be morbidly surprised by the color change in the water. Rinse and repeat until the water wrung out of each component runs clear.

I'll be air drying mine, so this is where that make clean towel comes in, but if you were nether time pressure you could besides use a hairdryer on its everyman setting.

Simply be careful not to heat upwardly the plastics or foam by using sweeping passes and non prolonged, direct oestrus.

Inner helmet parts drying

Top Tip:

Don't be tempted to put these in the washing machine- the temperature and violent movement volition probable cause damage.

Next up, the visor. This is arguably the near important function of the procedure because- yous know- yous need to run across, and then information technology pays to give a trivial extra care and attention to these side by side steps. With that in mind, submerge the visor in some fresh soapy water.

Washing helmet visor

At present use the microfiber cloth and polishing rag together to gently clean the visor's inner and outer surfaces.

If there are any stubborn marks on stuck-on grime, don't be tempted to apply any other cloth or sponge with an abrasive surface- stick to your microfiber cloth and employ a fingernail through information technology to remove the offending dirt.

With that done, pat the visor dry. Then switch to your polishing fabric and, well, polish.

Now is too the time to apply whatsoever visor coating y'all may take, but I discover the touch of the washing up liquid is often enough to provide some lubrication for rainwater runoff.

For more see how to keep rain off a motorcycle helmet visor.

Elevation Tip:

Hold the visor up to natural light occasionally whilst cleaning- information technology's easy to miss marks and streaks otherwise.

At present you'll desire to motion on to the shell of the helmet.

Use your surface spray and microfiber textile, but utilize the spray to the cloth instead of the shell itself to stop over awarding. An optional actress pace here is to use an former, soft bristled toothbrush on the vents and other hard plastic inserts to really get into all the nooks and crannies.

Either way, make sure y'all're thorough hither, equally at that place are many places on a helmet that will collect dirt and are easy to miss when cleaning.

An instance is the prophylactic seal that acts as a gasket between the helmet and visor- these will oft have recesses that demand special attention to go all the crud out.

Last Steps

Now that all the actual cleaning is done, yous tin start to put your helmet back together. Before you lot practice though, you tin spray the inside of the crush with some air freshener or like anti smell product- make sure it's non-aerosol, though, every bit the solvents in spray cans can wreak havoc with the cream in your helmet and return information technology useless.

Clip in all your linings and pads, existence careful to line up and attach them by all available points, and reattach your visor.

Check the activity in the hinges to make sure you've done this right and it won't fly off at speed or on being lifted and, you lot're done.

Y'all can expect forward to a sugariness smelling, bacteria and dead insect free helmet feel- at least until the side by side rain.