Can I Wash Motorcycle Helmet With Dawn Dish Soap? [An Important Guide]

Motorcycle helmets are the primary safety companion for riders. It protects a rider’s head and upper body organs by covering them in a strong shell. But as they are used frequently on streets, helmets get dirty over time. There are many helmet cleaners out there in the market but you are looking for an easy solution.

So the question just popped up in your mind, can I wash a motorcycle helmet with dawn dish soap or any dishwashing soap?

Washing motorcycle helmets with dawn dish soaps can create several problems in the long run such as removal of the wax coating and color strip off. The helmet body will look faded and other inner components can also be damaged if dish soaps are used frequently for helmet cleaning. 

Now that you know, dish soaps are not the proper substance to clean your stylish helmet, you might ask what can I use to clean my motorcycle helmet? Well, this writing is going to answer all your questions. Stay till the end.

Why Dish Soaps Are Not Good for Motorcycle Helmets?

Dish soaps or detergents are made for heavy cleaning purposes. They have strong chemical bonds and are mostly used for cleaning oils, burnt spots, etc. If you use dish soap over motorcycle helmets for a long time, the shiny wax layer and color coating of the helmet will wash away due to the strong bleaching effect of dish soaps. 

Which Products Should I Use for  Motorcycle Helmet Cleaning? 

Several products are cheap yet very effective to clean your motorcycle helmets and you probably have them in your house. Let’s see some of the items that you can use to clean the helmet: 

• Mild baby shampoo.
• Glass cleaner. 
• Gentle soaps.
• Baking soda.

What Tools Do I Need to Clean a Motorcycle Helmet?

Before you start the helmet cleaning, take it to a suitable place. You need some specific tools for cleaning the motorcycle helmet such as: 

• A primary cleaner such as shampoo, mild soaps.
• Kitchen towels.
• Screw remover.
• Cloth fiber.
• Scrubber or sponge
• Cleaning brush. 
• Water pot to soak inner paddings.

5 Easy Steps to Clean Motorcycle Helmet In Home:

The primary cleaning ingredients and tools are mentioned above, now let’s start the cleaning process. Keep in mind that motorcycle helmets consist of many parts so you’ll have to wash them separately. 

1. Remove All Electrical Parts And Inner Liners: 

There can be several electrical parts inside the helmet such as a speaker, heat generator, cooling fan which can be damaged while cleaning a helmet. Follow these steps before cleaning: 

• Take a screwdriver and detach all the screws to remove all necessary electrical parts. Keep them in a dry place.

• Take your inner liners out if they are removable. Nonremovable inner liners have certain ways to clean. That will be discussed later. 

2. Start Cleaning  from The Helmet Shell:

Helmet Shell is the most exposed area to dirt, damage, and muds. Helmet bodies attract dirt more easily and need cleaning first. Here are the ways to clean it: 

• Make a mixture of 300 ml warm water and add 3 tbsp of baking soda to it.

• Take your kitchen or paper towels and soak them inside the mixture. 

• Pour warm water over your helmet body. Now place the soaked papers over your helmet and leave them to dry. 

• Take papers out after drying and finish the cleaning with water and dry towels. 

3. Clean Your Helmet Inner Liners:

Helmet inner liners protect the head as well as soak all the moisture, the sweat of the head and become dirty over time. If you have removable or nonremovable inner liners, there are ways available to clean both types. Let’s talk about them. 

1. Clean Removable Inner Liners: Take your liners or paddings out first. You can use a washing machine or use a hand for cleaning. Follow these steps: 

• Fill a water pot with warm water and mix a little amount of mild shampoo.

• Soak your liners in water and leave them for a while. 

• Squeeze the inner liners with your hand to let all the water out and let it dry or you can just throw it in the washing machine with your other clothes. 

2. Clean Non Removable Liners: Non-removable liners stay with the shell and are not detachable in most cases. Here’s how you clean it :

• Pour the mixture that you created before inside the helmet shell and fill it. 

• Now use your fingers to gently rub and wash all the inner liners. Do it for 5 minutes and leave it for 30 minutes for the cleaner to work. 

• After the given time,  pour all the mixture out and rinse the helmet. Take a soaking towel to rub all the body and lining to remove the dampness. Dry the helmet completely under the sun and if possible overnight. 

4. Keep Helmet Visor Clean for Better Sight :

A shield or visor acts as a protector for your eyes and the face shield must remain clean to give you a clear view of everything on the road. So how you clean the visor. There are chances that you either have a detachable visor or a non-removable one. Let’s get back to the cleaning process:

• Take your screwdriver to detach the visor from the helmet. If it’s a nondetachable liner,fill-up space behind the visor with clothes and towels so that water can not reach there. 

• Use damp towels over visor glass and let it sit for a while. Then remove it. It will take away muds, stains, and dirt from the body. 

• Use a glass cleaner or liquid soap. Spray the cleaner all over the visor and rub it with a towel at the same time from inside and outside. 

• Take a wet cloth in the last step to remove the cleaning substances. Leave the visor and helmet to dry completely. 

5. Use Q-Tips for Helmet Vents Cleaning:

Vents are tiny spaces from where air reaches inside the helmet and in that process dirt also gathers inside. These spaces are not easy to reach and clean. So here are few solutions :

• Soak your Q-tips in any light oil. Then put it inside vents. Oil will attract all the dirt and sand particles inside these spaces. Continue the process till all the dirt is out. 

• Use a mild liquid soap to remove all the oils after the cleaning and use a blow dryer to remove water from vent spaces. Or you can leave it under the sun to dry it naturally. 

How to Keep Helmet Visors Clean on A Ride? 

Visors can become blurry on the road due to weather conditions or dirt. To fix that,  keep a lens cleaner and a fiber cloth with you always. Clean the visor part with a lens cleaner whenever you need it on the go. 

How Do I Clean Fungi And Molds From Helmets? 

Molds and fungus generally grow inside the helmet if you don’t let it dry properly after every clean. To remove molds or fungus, wash the helmet with hot water, clean and dry it completely under the sun. Or you can use a bleach solution to get rid of molds. 

What Should I Use to Remove Odor And Stickiness from Motorcycle Helmet?

Odors and stickiness are generally caused by the dampness, dirt, sweats, and other chemical substances of air. There are few items such as rubbing alcohol,  vinegar, lemon spray that can help you to clean the sticky condition as well as cut the bad odor from your helmet. 

Final Words:

Motorcycle helmets get dirty over time due to many factors. With simple steps and mild products, helmets can be cleaned properly. Using any kind of dish soaps is not ideal as they can rip off the color of your helmet and cause other problems.