How to Clean a Motorcycle Helmet Cleaning a Helmet Motorcycle Helmet
The question about whether or not to wear a helmet will always be a flash point. It is almost as bad as religion or politics. Some states require it by law, some have age requirements, some leave it up to the rider. Statistics have shown that they do save lives. I personally go 50-50 on it (I live in Illinois and am not required by law). Whether or not you should wear it is not the question at hand. What is being asked is how to wash your helmet.
The first thing that you need to do is inspect the helmet. Why does it need to be cleaned? Is it only to remove road dust and the never ending build up of bugs, then you are in good shape. All you have to do is clean the helmet with warm soapy water. If it is full face helmet, you will also want to clean the visor.
Always check with the owners manual before using any kind of chemicals on the any part of the helmet. If the owners manual (if you can't find your original, you will be able to find a copy online) says that it is OK, feel free to wax the helmet if the shiny look is for you. It would be waxed in the same way as you would the motorcycle itself.
Going back to the visor (once again, if it is allowed by the manufacturer) you can clean it with soap and water. Many people will use a combination of products on the visor. After it has been cleaned on the outside, you apply a product like Rain-X. This will cause water to bead up and fly off of the visor the same way that it does on the windshield of a car. Why would you want to do this? It will increase your visibility if you happen to get caught in the rain while riding. The same companies that make products like Rain-X also make an anti fog chemical. This will help stop the inside of the visor from fogging up. If the temperature difference is enough, fogging will occur. The same thing happens on a car windshield, unfortunately, you don't have the benefit of defrost on a bike.
The chinstraps are easy to clean. Just use plain soap and water on those. You will want to use a soft brush on the plastic clip or buckle depending on the type of helmet. If these are not in good repair, the helmet is useless.
Helmets have inserts inside them. Most people will refer to them as the padding. These can get (for want of a better term) pretty gross from all the sweat. If your particular helmet is capable, remove them and clean them with soap and water. If they are permanently in place, you will clean them the same way, you will just have to do it while they are inside the helmet.
That covers how to clean a helmet if it is just dirty. We are not quite finished yet. If it is just dust, bugs, and sweat then you don't have a problem. If there is any damage from an impact whether it is from an accident or just dropping it on a hard surface, cleaning off the mark is not good enough. The integrity of the helmet may be compromised. Basically, it may not be safe anymore. If this is the case, you may as well not be wearing a helmet at all. If there are any scrapes or cracks, you need to buy a new helmet to keep your cranium in one piece.
Depending on what the helmet is made of, certain chemicals may harm it. That is why it is very, very important to check with the owners manual before using anything but soap and water on it. All the other goodies may seem like a good idea, but they may do more harm than good. With the piece of safety gear that has the function of protecting your brain, you can never be too safe.
