Topic: Helmet washing

[70CB750]

The weather will not get better anytime soon, time to wash the lid.

Anybody has any tips or ideas?  I plan to take out what I can and wash it in washer on gentle cycle - with woolite - and clean the rest of the helmet.

Suggestions welcomed 

[MoMo]

Seems like a good plan to me.  I did something similar once, make sure you remove it before the drying cycle or you'll have a very unusual liner .  I would also consider using a cleaner like Simple Green or Krud Kutter- spray it in, let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes then hose it out.  Helmets can get a bit on the gross side during the hot summer can't they

 Staying warm?  There is a huge radius of people up here without electricity, fortunately I am with ...Larry

[MoMo]

I wouldn't use Simple Green. Your idea of Woolite is fine. Use the Gentle cycle only. Air dry it.

For the shell, wipe down with spray wax cleaner. Use a clay bar on the shell to get it REALLY clean, then use a synthetic wax for protection.

Out of curiosity, why not Simple Green?   Seems to be a fairly gentle cleaner to me, never tried it for helmet cleaning though...Larry

[70CB750]

Thanks, gents 

With my wife we slept once in a field somewhere in Germany near Swiss border - on our way to France - nice night, no tent.  I woke up in the morning and found two slugs in her helmet.  I tossed slugs and wiped the helmet down with wet ones and did not tell her for few years 

Yes, Larry, staying warm so far I was hoping to ride today/tomorrow with the days being warmer, but there are way too many frozen puddles due to night frost in our area to tempt it on a motorcycle.

[MoMo]

It's fine for the shell, but for the liner it would require an enormous amount of rinsing to fully flush it out. Woolite on the other hand is much less viscous and rinses more easily/completely. Also, it's pretty darn gentle on your scalp, where SG can be aggravating.

Many helmet companies offer a true wash product for their liners. You could pick one of those up if in doubt. But Woolite is probably just as good and may be present in your home already.

Makes sense,  thanks...Larry

[BobbyR]

I wouldn't use Simple Green. Your idea of Woolite is fine. Use the Gentle cycle only. Air dry it.

For the shell, wipe down with spray wax cleaner. Use a clay bar on the shell to get it REALLY clean, then use a synthetic wax for protection.

Out of curiosity, why not Simple Green?   Seems to be a fairly gentle cleaner to me, never tried it for helmet cleaning though...Larry

Simple green stinks like hell and it lasts a while on fabric.  Baby Shampoo for the inside since it disolves hair and skin oils, has no mositurizers. and will rinse out clean.   

[MoMo]

I wouldn't use Simple Green. Your idea of Woolite is fine. Use the Gentle cycle only. Air dry it.

For the shell, wipe down with spray wax cleaner. Use a clay bar on the shell to get it REALLY clean, then use a synthetic wax for protection.

Simple green stinks like hell. Baby Shampoo for the inside since it has no mositurizers and will rinse out clean.   



Out of curiosity, why not Simple Green?   Seems to be a fairly gentle cleaner to me, never tried it for helmet cleaning though...Larry

that is a better, less expensive idea Bobby...Larry

[Stev-o]

I used Simple Green, worked great.  The odor, which I don't find overly offensive, did not linger. 
Spray on, wipe down, done. 

BTW - there is a "lemon flavor" of Simple Green now too.

http://simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner-lemon//

I use it to scrub down the deck on the boat, no worries when rinsed off into the lake, leaves the boat Lemon fresh!

[krusty]

How old is the helmet, how much use has it had? Maybe time for a new one?

[70CB750]

Lemme think - 2nd year of Godzilla, it was the long ride in fall weather to PA and back that convinced me to ditch open face.

It is one plus year old.