A. Mild bleach to remove any road scum
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A. Mild bleach to remove any road scum
B. Any commercial kitchen cleaning product
C. Soap and water
Always clean your helmet and visor with soapy water. Use a soft cloth or microfibre towel and a mild detergent. Rinse the soap off with water. The detergent will get rid of any oil and grime.
Pay particular attention to cleaning the visor. You don't want to scratch it otherwise it'll be difficult to see through when there's sun strike.
Because solvents and other materials can weaken a motorbike helmet shell you should also avoid sticking stickers on it unless you know that they won't have any effect on the plastic.
Avoid painting the helmet and even be careful about leaving it out in the house where it could be exposed to fly spray and cleaners. Keep your helmet in a helmet bag.
Your inner lining will get grubby and smelly fairly quickly if you're wearing your helmet frequently. All the oil and dirt from your hair will transfer into the pads.
If you have removable pads, it's easy. Simply take them out and immerse them in a bucket of warm, soapy water. Squeeze a few times to get the soapy water through them, then rinse and dry them. Or you can put them in your washing machine on delicate cycle.
If you don't have a removable lining, you'll need to wash them in situ. First, you'll want to take your visor off to make it easier.
You'll need a bath or a deep sink with a towel in the bottom to cushion any knocks when you move the helmet around. First, rinse the interior of the helmet really well - make sure it's wet the whole way through. Now put some shampoo in the helmet and start massaging it through the fabric and the pads. Take your time - this whole process is going to take at least 20 minutes to do it properly. Add a bit more water to get some froth happening.
Once you've finished that you'll need to run it under the water and keep squeezing the lining until there's no shampoo coming out and the water is clear.
Now you'll need to dry the helmet. If you're in a cool environment, it's going to take several days, so be careful you don't start developing mildew. First, you'll need to drip dry a bit. Preferably leave it on a rack in the airing cupboard, or direct a fan at it to speed up the process.
This video shows you how.