Smelly helmets: what do you do?

Besides washing all the interior padding...

There is a little piece of filter foam in the chin vent, they get funky after rain riding, on top of dirt/dust/bug guts/etc. Carefully pull it out with a pick or tweezers, clean it dry it put it back in.

 

nothing but chemicals in your sweat too - and we know those slowly degrade your helmet.

 

Is there any write up or video on cleaning the chin vent? I can't find anything.


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Read the chemical breakdown on lettuce sometime, LOL

 

i pulled the sponge from the mouth vent and cleaned it.
so after watching
i noticed that the back shoulder padding and chin strap covers can be removed and cleaned as well.

now the only area that smells is the pull down shield at the bottom of the chin. that's not removable. so i'm thinking i can just clean that with some dish soap and a cloth?

 

helmets, gloves, leathers, all go on a guest bed when i get home under a big ceiling fan. boots on the floor, basically everything out to dry. Spray a little fabrize. If it was really hot, or rainy, i try to leave the helmet getting some air by leaving the gear bag open all the way home. Leathers hanging. roof vents open on the trailer.

I ride dirt more days of the week than not. Get home, 1 shot of fabrize in the helmet, then sits on the dryer with a small fan blowing on it overnight.

Occasionally i'll wash the entire helmet with a hose and lil laundry detergent . sit the helmet on the air conditioning condenser fan out side till it quits dripping, then inside in front of the fan to fully dry

NEVER leave your wet, sweaty helmet or gear in a bag or box with no air flow for more than the trip home. It will get real funky. I see people putting helmets in fancy cushioned bags, after a long weekend racing, and put it back in their trailer.. i can only hope they take it out when they get home to dry fully.

 

Cedar shavings/chips in a permeable bag. Try it.

And drying your gear is certainly number one. My son plays hockey and his gear is rotated on a boot dryer after every time he's on the ice. Nothing smells. He has friends who's hockey bags you wouldn't want to get ten feet from.

 

i didnt, but my drive home was 20 hours.

 

mine is often about that, over 2 days. Like this weekend, driving home from Summit Point to Tampa.. will leave the track around 6pm Sunday night , but with stopping on way home at a hotel, it will be late afternoon Monday when we get back. I will hit the helmet with fabreeze at the track, then put it in the helmet bag but leaving it open.. protects finish, but allows some air flow on way home. Roof vents on trailer open.. better than nothing, or will often have it in the back of my Excursion with ac vents blowing on em and my leathers on the way home..

 

so this stuff fixed it. thanks Shawn!
I washed the liners and that sponge by the mount vent, but it was still smelling by that chin guard that you can pull down. I sprayed that MotorEx stuff in there twice and let the foam do it's job.

 

No prob bud......I use it once and a while just to keep it fresh as the scent of it doesnt bother me at all