smelly helmet

[gfbikernyc]

um.....other than getting a new one, what is a good way to get ride of that smell in your helmet? any tips ladies?

[malkin]

Febreze?

[OakLeaf]

You can put your whole helmet in the sink and wash the straps with dish soap. If the pads detach, they'll dry faster that way.

[NbyNW]

How old is your helmet? They should be replaced every so often, but I'm not on top of what the current recommendations are.

[marni]

I throw mine in a sink of warm water along with a touch of dawn dish soap or shampoo to cut out the body grease and accumulated sun screen every time the straps start showing white salt stains. Let it soak about 15 minutes, swish it around and then rinse and let air dry. In the summer that is weekly for me while in the fall spring and summer I can get away with doing it once or twice a season.

marni

[malkin]

Looking on the bright side, I crash often enough that I haven't had a helmet get stinky.

Lately, I've been wearing a hat anyway and Brewer has taken to wearing a scarf both of which can go in the washer.

I don't think I'll be washing any helmets until they start sporting laundry tags: Hand wash in cool water with mild detergent...

[TrekTheKaty]

Ditto rinsing in the sink--but I also wear a buff underneath my helmet.

[spindizzy]

I just went and sniffed my helmet...I have never washed it..wondering if smelly helmet smells may be wafting to others around me during races... it doesn't smell but i shall give it a regular sniffing :eek: ..just to be sure.

[Delta7]

I remove the pads put them in a small laundry sack and wash in the washing machine. The helmet goes in the dishwasher.

[OakLeaf]

I wouldn't put it in the dishwasher. Temperature is too high, even if you air-dry and even if you don't use your dishwasher's onboard water heater.

Both Snell and CPSC standards for bicycle helmets require them to survive temperatures of 50°C (122°F), plus or minus 2° (Snell)/3° (CPSC). Tap water is ordinarily hotter than that.

Even considering the length of a single dishwasher cycle vs. the minimum four hours a helmet has to undergo the heat stress, this is a total risk/benefit analysis FAIL. Benefit: you save ten minutes and your hands stay dry. Risk: catastrophic head injury.

And that's disregarding the potential effect of dishwasher detergent on the EPS. I don't know whether chlorine bleach (or oxygen bleach, if you use a "green" detergent) degrades EPS or not, but it's generally a bad idea to expose a helmet to any harsh chemicals.

[TrekTheKaty]

Thanks, Oakleaf. I was embarrassed to admit I just rinse and don't use soap :o Now I feel better :D

[bunny_ninja]

soaking the pads in vinegar might work. It kills nasties, and the odor goes away with rinsing and time :)

It is how I was my shorts. i pour vinegar on the chamois and run them through the wash with a high efficiency detergent (and the rest of my clothes)

[kenyonchris]

Bike bike helmet smells like daisies in comparison to my riding (horse) helmet (for you horse people it is a Charles Owen jockey helmet...I jump horses off cliffs so I go for the heavy duty stuff)...at least the bike helmet has vents that are useful, my riding helmet not so much. Plus, it sits amongst my saddle pads, leather, and gross gloves when not in use. It is not submersible.

SO, I use a dryer sheet to keep it fresh. I stick one in there after I ride and let it sit. It may not kill any germs (don't want to think about it) but it keeps the smell in check. I keep one in my bike bag as well and my helmet stays much nicer between washings. I do wash my helmet, but it would seriously decrease the life of the pads and such to do it as often as it probably SHOULD be done, but my hair is much happier if I keep a bounce sheet in there with it.

Having said that, I do not have sensitive skin. My husband's delicate skin would never survive.

[Bike Chick]

I remove the pads and wash them in the sink and let them air dry and wipe the helmet out with a cloth using the same soapy water I washed the pads with.

DH wears his in the shower and washes it while he shampoos his hair ;) I kid you not.......... It works for him. I just haven't gotten beyond feeling foolish standing naked with my helmet on to try it.

[Angela]

You can also just by new pads if yours are too old and smelly. It's a cheap fix if the helmet is still good.

[LizF]

DH & I both use shampoo in the shower to clean our helmets. I've had really good luck w/ Nature's Miracle for bike clothes funk. A glug in the washer seems to cut the stink. It's an enzyme cleaner sold in pet stores for pet "messes." It works on anything organic. Besides bike clothes, I've used it on milk spilled in mini-van in August in Texas, vomit, dog/cat messes, & my son's football clothes left in a locker for a week with a damp towel. So I think it'll work for helmets too.

[Bike Chick]

Where do you buy this stuff? Sounds like something everyone needs to keep on hand.

[Crankin]

Buy another helmet and rotate between the 2. I never put a helmet that is still sweaty and wet on the next day. A couple of years ago, I was having terrible problems with my head itching; it happened only after a ride where my helmet was not completely dry from the day before. I did try wiping the helmet down, washing, etc.
Now, when I finish a ride, I let my helmet air out after giving it the sniff test. If it's not dry the next day, it's time to wear the other one.

[Becky]

I've had really good luck w/ Nature's Miracle for bike clothes funk. A glug in the washer seems to cut the stink. It's an enzyme cleaner sold in pet stores for pet "messes." It works on anything organic.

+1 for Nature's Miracle! When the pit stink in jerseys gets to be too much, I'll heavily spray them and let sit for a few minutes before I toss them in the washer. They come out smelling just fine, even DH's jerseys!

I get it at Petsmart, but just about any pet store should have it. If you can't find that brand, any brand of enzymatic cleaner should work- just double check the label for laundry instructions and spot-test first.

[bcipam]

I've actually come up with a simple solutions for helmet, gloves and especially shoes. I keep a small spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol (the really cheap stuff). After each ride, everything gets a good spray - the alcohol keeps bacteria from forming and causing oder.

I do occasionally wash my helmets in the sink just to get the salt off the straps etc. Also after a mountain bike ride through water, I will soak my shoes in alittle water and bleach. I wear leather Sidi's and they do just fine after drying out in the sun.