How do I clean my helmet? Tips from top helmet vendors
Allie HarbuckIf you’ve been following us on Instagram, you might have seen a wild and wacky post we shared where someone plopped their beautiful new helmet into the dishwasher. Needless to say, this startled us a bit. It also started quite the conversation with our followers. When we asked if you wanted us to share the correct (non-dishwasher) way to clean a helmet, the answer was a resounding yes. So, we chatted with some of the top helmet vendors at AETA to get the scoop straight from the pros. Here’s what they said!
How to clean a Charles Owen helmet
Sophie from Charles Owen, says, “With our helmets, there are lots of different layers, which have all got integral components in them. So it’s really important not to use anything harsh on your helmet.”
If you have a painted finish on your helmet or a hard finish on your helmet, use warm water, some mild detergent on a cloth to wipe over the top of your helmet. And if you have a fabric covered helmet, it’s really important that you wait until it completely dries, then use a soft bristle brush to remove dust. You can pick the dust out of the fabric by lightly brushing over it in circular motions. At this point you can then go back in with your clean cloth with the mild detergent on it just to wipe it over to lift up any additional dirt that’s on the helmet.
If you expose your Charles Owens helmet to heat, the EPS liner liner is compromised. This liner is made up of essentially little beads and the heat will break this layer down and damage your helmet.
When you come to clean the inside of your helmet, a lot of the Charles Owens helmets will have a removable headband now. So it’s super easy. You can just take them out, pop them in the washing machine on a cool wash or hand wash them in the sink. Again, some mild detergent that will lift up any dirt, grease, makeup and leave it nice and fresh for you.
If you have a helmet that’s got a fixed headband, this means that you can’t take it out of the hat. We have developed a helmet cleaner and deodoriser. This can be sprayed inside the helmet. Leave it to work its magic and then again with a soft cloth you can use it in circular motions to lift the dirt up and it’ll give you a nice fresh helmet. Also smells delicious, so we love that.
As for dishwashers, it’s not something that should be used, ever. It’s really important to not expose your helmet to any kind of heat or heavy machinery like that. The components are there to be protective, so you’ll need to use delicate materials only. And if you are having to dry your helmet after getting wet, it’s really important that it’s stored in an ambient temperature, again, because heat can damage the components of a helmet.
How to clean a KASK helmet
Andrea with KASK says, “For the outside, use only a microfiber cloth. For the inside, only cold water and soap.”
KASK helmets have liners, attached with three snaps inside the helmet. You remove the liner, you wash it with cold water, no dryer, no washing machine, only cold water and gentle soap. And never in the dishwasher. It’s hand wash only.
KASK helmets also come with a cleaning kit when you purchase the helmet. In that cleaning kit, you’re going to have a piece of microfiber cloth to remove the dust. Don’t use alcohol, don’t use cleaning products, only water and the microfiber cloth. It’s as easy as that!
How to clean a Samshield helmet
Our Samshield reps say “The best thing to use for the outside is glass cleaner.” Amonia-free glass cleaner works great to clean the polycarbonate shell. For the inside, the liners can be removed and you can put them in the washing machine at 30 degrees on a cold cycle. Please absolutely do not put your Samshield helmet in the dishwasher or the washing machine. Our reps say, “this is terrible for the product.”
How to clean an Antares helmet
Estelle over at Antarès says, “All you have to do for the outside is clean with a soft, wet, cloth. For the inside, you can wash our liners on a cold cycle in the washing machine.”
For the inside, you can always use a disinfectant spray and then you can spray around after it’s used to make sure it’s soft, and the smell is good. Otherwise, whatever the helmet brand is, you can always wipe it clean with a wet cloth, soft, wet cloth. That’s all you have to do.
If the liners come out, of course you take them out. Ours, you can wash them at 30 degrees. No dryer, just you let them dry. And not on a heater either, you let them dry. Antarès liners are made of technical foam, so it’s really fast to dry.
For the outside of the helmet, the matte paint is more fragile than the glossy paint so you need to be really careful. For matte helmets, use a wet really soft cloth. If your helmet has finger prints, use a glass cleaning product without ammonia because ammonia will remove the paint.
If your glossy helmet has scratches, then you need to send back the helmet because Antarès can repaint it or at analyze if the scratches are like impacting the safety of the helmet or not. On a glossy helmet, you can wipe it clean and you can use amonia-free glass cleaner. But never use any aggressive cleaner and don’t put it in the dishwasher. Don’t put it in the washing machine either, even in a laundry bag.
And if you have some leather part, like leather inlay, leather harness, you can always clean the leather with leather soap and you can use a little bit of oil if it gets stiffer.
So, all of our vendors confirm that helmets should not go in the dishwasher. While it may seem like a genius time-saving method in the moment, it will actually damage the structure of your helmet.
We absolutely loved putting together this fun little how-to for you! Leave us a comment with any how-tos that you’d like to see us tackle in the future. And don’t forget, we’ve also addressed in depth how to clean your helmet liner. We’d also love to help you shop for a new helmet. If you already know your size, shop online. Or if you need a fitting, come by one of our stores!
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