Helmet Hints & Tips: Difference between revisions

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It's no news to most people that the inside of a helmet will get just a bit stinky after a time. If you don't have removable cheekpads/liner (and many don't) [http://www.homemadesimple.com/en_US/febreze/home.do Febreze] is recommended to take away some of the smell and make you civilized again.

Another suggestion is to take a shower with your helmet. ~~Pick up your favorite~~ shampoo (anti-bacterial is better), ~~lather~~ up the helmet~~, rinse and repeat~~. ~~You won't be able to use~~ the helmet ~~for~~ a ~~few days to~~ a ~~week (depending on current humidity levels where you are)~~, ~~but~~ the ~~shampoo~~ is ~~designed to take away~~ the ~~stuff~~ that~~'s got~~ the ~~funk in your lid~~.

Another suggestion is to take a shower with your helmet. Well, not literally. Just turn the helmet upside down in the sink, fill it with lukewarm water, and add a squirt of shampoo (anti-bacterial is better). Press and release the foam padding, as the funky smell is sweat and oil in the foam and liner that is being decomposed by bacteria. Rinse thoroughly, again pressing the foam inside until all soapy residue is gone. Do not use hot water. Then drain, squeezing out excess water by pressing the foam with your hand. Wad up a towel and fist it around inside the helmet to absorb excess moisture. Set the helmet either on top of a fan, or in front of a fan, so cool air will blow directly through it. Let it sit overnight, and it should be sufficiently dried. Do not dry it with warm air, such as from a hairdryer. That can get warm enough to alter the energy absorption characteristics of the liner, which is basically foam rubber and styrofoam. Lukewarm washing and cool drying is the key.

Something else that works well is a big plastic "floor" fan that can be tilted from straight forward to straight up. You can regularly dump your helmet and gloves, or other riding gear, on top of this fan and turn it on for 30 minutes or so. This helps prevent it from getting funky in the first place.

For funk prevention, Dan Borgeson (link below) suggests putting wadded-up newspaper inside the helmet when it's sitting on the shelf between rides. (And no, the online NY Times won't work.)

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 It's no news to most people that the inside of a helmet will get just a bit stinky after a time. If you don't have removable cheekpads/liner (and many don't) [http://www.homemadesimple.com/en_US/febreze/home.do Febreze] is recommended to take away some of the smell and make you civilized again.
-Another suggestion is to take a shower with your helmet. Pick up your favorite shampoo (anti-bacterial is better), lather up the helmet, rinse and repeat. You won't be able to use the helmet for a few days to a week (depending on current humidity levels where you are), but the shampoo is designed to take away the stuff that's got the funk in your lid.
+Another suggestion is to take a shower with your helmet. Well, not literally. Just turn the helmet upside down in the sink, fill it with lukewarm water, and add a squirt of shampoo (anti-bacterial is better). Press and release the foam padding, as the funky smell is sweat and oil in the foam and liner that is being decomposed by bacteria. Rinse thoroughly, again pressing the foam inside until all soapy residue is gone. Do not use hot water. Then drain, squeezing out excess water by pressing the foam with your hand. Wad up a towel and fist it around inside the helmet to absorb excess moisture. Set the helmet either on top of a fan, or in front of a fan, so cool air will blow directly through it. Let it sit overnight, and it should be sufficiently dried. Do not dry it with warm air, such as from a hairdryer. That can get warm enough to alter the energy absorption characteristics of the liner, which is basically foam rubber and styrofoam. Lukewarm washing and cool drying is the key.
+Something else that works well is a big plastic "floor" fan that can be tilted from straight forward to straight up. You can regularly dump your helmet and gloves, or other riding gear, on top of this fan and turn it on for 30 minutes or so. This helps prevent it from getting funky in the first place.
 For funk prevention, Dan Borgeson (link below) suggests putting wadded-up newspaper inside the helmet when it's sitting on the shelf between rides. (And no, the online NY Times won't work.)