Cycling: How to clean your helmet in 5 steps

Cleaning your bike helmet is very important, as it is always in contact with external elements, such as sweat, hair, your breath and even saliva. It is also affected by weather conditions, such as rain, dust and smog. And besides, we often put it on the floor, on a bench or in the car.

Of course, regular washing is necessary to disinfect the internal casing, the clips and the exterior.

Time needed? Just 10 minutes.

The parts of the helmet

The helmet is divided into three parts:

Internal casing: the part that is always in contact with the head
Clips/straps: the area where most sweat accumulates because it is always in contact with the skin (or beard)
Outer casing: Washing the external part is necessary to remove dust that can accumulate so the helmet still looks new.

Material required

To achieve an optimal and proper cleaning of our helmets, we need the following elements:

A container with water
Detergent
A cloth to clean the outside
A brush

Cleaning the helmet: the 5 steps

Step 1: fill the container with warm water (it does not have to be very hot) and pour in a minimum amount of detergent (there are also specific detergents for technical parts).
Step 2: Dip the clips and straps in the water and leave them to soak for a few minutes. Then we must scrub them vigorously with the brush to remove the impurities absorbed by the fabric. You can’t imagine the dirt that collects there! Once you’ve finished, wring them out completely.
Step 3: Let’s go to the inside part. If the pads are inside, they must be removed and placed in the sink. Even here, rub vigorously. Then, immerse a cloth in soapy water and scrub the internal casing, especially the ventilation slats and the lock on the back.
Step 4: with the same wet and wrung -out cloth, clean the exterior. It would be good to take advantage of the cleaning to check the condition of the helmet and replace it if there are any broken parts.
Step 5: Once done, just let the helmet dry naturally in a well-ventilated, shaded area. We recommend not using a dryer or hot air in order to avoid dissolving the glues.

Specific fragrant products

There are specific “spray” products on the market that give off good odours but we must take into account that they do not have anti-bacterial properties.

The same applies to other foam-style cleaners suitable for cleaning the helmet: since the helmet is made of plastic, it requires nothing but water and detergent.

Find all cycling products on Deporvillage

Stefano Francescutti