How To Clean a Motorcycle Helmet? [A Detailed Guide]

Motorcycle helmets protect our head and face from dust and dirt, right? As a result, they get dirty in a short period, and you should clean them on a regular basis. However, the cleaning process of a motorcycle helmet isn’t as easy as you might think. It’s a tough task indeed.

But no need to be worried. In this article, I’m going to write a detailed guide on how to clean a motorcycle helmet. And in the last part, you’ll also get those tips that I always followed while cleaning my motorcycle helmet. 

Hence, consider reading this entire article at least one time if you don’t want to spend any money on the cleaning of your motorcycle helmet:

5 Steps To Clean Any Motorcycle Helmet Like Pro:

In this part of my article, I’ll explain to you the whole process of motorcycle helmet cleaning in simple 5 steps. By following these 5 steps, you’ll also be able to clean any motorcycle helmet like a pro:

Remove All The Accessories:

Before starting the proper cleaning, you’ve to remove all the external accessories, such as pads, visors, liners, etc. from your motorcycle helmet. Similarly, if you use batteries, microphones, antennas, or other internal electronic accessories with your motorcycle helmet, remove them too.

Because these accessories can be damaged by the touch of water. Be careful when you remove the internal and external accessories from the helmet. After removing, keep all these accessories in a box and then clean them separately.   

Use Different Cleaning Techniques For The Interior Sides: 

Two types of motorcycle helmets are used by the riders. One type of helmet comes with removable liners, and the other type comes without a removable liner. Though the cleaning process of exterior parts is quite similar for both removable and non-removable liner motorcycle helmets, the interior side cleaning process is completely different from each other.

Below, I’ll separately describe the interior side cleaning process of these two types of helmets:

For A Removable Liner Motorcycle Helmet:

If your motorcycle helmet has a removable liner, you don’t need to take any extra hassles for cleaning the interior side of it. Just remove the liner and all the pads from inside the helmet and then soak the pads into the mixture. 

Make the mixture with half a bucket or bowl of water and a mild cleaning agent. Personally, I use a mild soap for cleaning the pads of my removable liner motorcycle helmet. Because harsh chemicals make cleaning agents damage the firmness of your pads. 

Anyway, soak the helmet pads into the mixture and allow at least 20 minutes to remove all the dirt from it. After that, bring out the helmet pads from the mix of water and mild soap or detergent.

Lastly, rinse the pads thoroughly three or four times into the clean water. It’ll remove cling soap or detergent from the helmet pads. Squeeze the pads gently and then place them for drying. Avoid warm water and hard rubbing while washing the interior side of a removable liner motorcycle helmet. 

For A Non-Removable Liner Motorcycle Helmet:

You’ve to do a bit of extra work cleaning the interior side of a non-removable liner motorcycle helmet. First of all, dispel the visors, cheek pads, or any other pads which are removable. 

And then sprinkle the soap or detergent on the non-removable pads of the helmet. Keep away from the use of harsh chemicals as a cleaning agent. After that, pour water on the interior side of your non-removable liner motorcycle helmet. 

For pouring water under the helmet, use a mug or place it directly down the tap. Now, use your hands to rub the cleaning agent (mild detergent or soap which you’ve chosen) properly around the non-removable pads of your motorcycle helmet.

Gently rub the pads. In a while, the pads will imbibe the cleaning agent that you rubbed into them. After that, wash the pads a couple of times into the clean water to remove all the studs of the cleaning agent. 

Use little force to squeeze water from the pads, and then wait until the interior side of your non-removable liner motorcycle helmet is drying properly. Don’t use hot water while cleaning the interior sides of a helmet. 

Clean The Exterior Parts Of Your Motorcycle Helmet:

In the previous step, I discussed how to clean the interior sides of both removable and non-removable liner motorcycle helmets. In this step, you’re going to learn the cleaning process of the exterior parts. 

By following the same technique, you’ll be able to clean the exterior parts of all motorcycle helmets. The exterior side of your motorcycle helmet is quickly affected by bugs and dirt. For this reason, you need to clean this part with more importance.

First, soak a microfiber towel in hot water and then drape it over your motorcycle helmet. Keep that way for some time. It’ll make the following cleaning procedures easier by gradually removing the dirt from your helmet.

Now it’s time to remove the wet microfiber towel from the helmet. Also, detach the face shield at that time. After that, take a new wet microfiber rag for gently wiping around the exterior side. Use a toothbrush for cleaning the nooks and crannies where microfiber rags are not able to reach.

In this way, clean the whole exterior parts of your motorcycle helmet. I recommend warm water instead of the normal water for cleaning the exterior parts of a motorcycle helmet. Nothing to fear, warm water will not do any damage to the exterior sides. 

Clean Few Other Things:

In this step, we are going to clean a few other things that are attached to your motorcycle helmet. Generally, your motorcycle helmet comes with a face shield and an internal sun shield. Also, wash these two things while cleaning the helmet.

Check the owners’ manual once before cleaning the face shield and internal sun shield. Using a wet microfiber rag, you can gently wipe the smudges, dirt, or dust from your face shield and the internal sun shield. Before starting the wiping, make sure that you use a wet rag to cover them for the time being.

Reassemble Your Motorcycle Helmet:

Before starting the final step, make sure you’ve just successfully finished the cleaning of your motorcycle helmet. Now, reattach the pads, face shield, or other parts of the helmet that you removed earlier for cleaning purposes in this step. Don’t rush while reassembling your motorcycle helmet.

That’s it. Now, your motorcycle helmet is ready for subsequent use once it is dried up properly. Anyway, consider checking the owner’s manual before the first time cleaning. It is because you don’t want to void any manufacturer warranties.

What Can You Use To Clean Your Motorcycle Helmet?

You can clean your motorcycle helmet by using a few readily available tools. All of these tools are available around you, and they’re cheap too. Here I make the list of these tools:

A Brush:

In the market, you’ll find specific brushes for cleaning. But you don’t require that for cleaning the motorcycle helmet. An inexpensive soft bristles toothbrush is capable enough to get the job done.

Microfiber Rags:

Microfiber rags are often used in cleaning. In fact, they’re very good at it. For cleaning your motorcycle helmet, you also require a clean microfiber rag.

Cleaning Agent:

It’s time to select a cleaning agent. You can use a mild detergent, soap, or baby shampoo for cleaning your motorcycle helmet. Don’t use any harsh or petroleum-based cleaning agent.

Warm Water In A Bowl:

Warm water is more effective than normal water for removing dirt from your motorcycle helmet. However, use hot water only on the outside of the helmet as it can damage the inner pads. 

Before starting the cleaning process of your motorcycle helmet, make sure that you’ve gathered all the listed tools.

How Often Should You Wash Your Motorcycle Helmet?

It depends on the weather and riding track condition. On a hot summer day, you sweat a lot during riding. As a result, your helmet goes dirty quickly, and you badly require a wash. Similarly, if you ride your motorcycle on the mud road, your helmet will also get dirty after one ride.

Rider preference is also a significant factor here. I know many of my friends who love to wash their motorcycle helmets after every ride. However, personally, I prefer to do that minimum after the three rides.

Can You Machine Wash Your Motorcycle Helmet Pads? 

The removable motorcycle helmet pads are easily washable in washing machines. But you’ve to change a few settings of your washing machine before putting the helmet pads into it.

To get the best wash, put the pads into a washing bag and set the setting on ‘hand-washing or gentle’ mode. At the same time, set the washing machine temperature under 30-degree Celsius or 86-degree Fahrenheit. Also, use mild soap or detergent to remove any malodor from the helmet pads.

7 Tips For Motorcycle Helmet Cleaning:

At the beginning of this article, I promised to let you know the things I personally follow when cleaning my motorcycle helmet. Here are my 7 tips for motorcycle helmet cleaning:

1. Always use a gentle soap or detergent while cleaning your motorcycle helmet. Because any solvent-based cleaner agent can badly damage the color of the helmet.
2. Use a limp and scratch-free microfiber towel in the cleaning process.
3. Never scour the visor or shell of your motorcycle helmet to remove the rock-ribbed bugs.
4. Don’t give too much pressure, especially when cleaning the gloss shells and visors. Exceeding pressure makes scratches in the helmet.
5. Don’t use warm water for cleaning the interior side of your motorcycle helmet. Warm water is suitable only for exterior side cleaning. 
6. It is wise to avoid a dryer for helmet liner. 
7. After cleaning, make sure that your motorcycle helmet dried properly. You can dry it both inside and outside of the room.

Last Few Words:

Regular cleaning preserves the shininess of your motorcycle helmet for a longer period. You can easily clean your motorcycle helmet by following my described steps. Furthermore, watch this youtube tutorial to make things easier.