How to Clean A Bike Helmet For Long-lasting Use

We sweat quickly while riding our bikes, especially on hot days. Our helmets get the worst of it as helmets are confined spaces where sweat, hair, skin particles, and dirt settle in.

Needless to say, this is unhygienic and can be prevented by cleaning your helmet from time to time. If you are wondering how best to clean a bike helmet, we will explain everything you need in this article.

How Do You Clean Your Bike Helmet?

If you want to wash your helmet, it is best to do it with soap and a sponge. It is best to wash the inner linings by hand or in the washing machine on a slow cycle.

The water should be slightly warm, a maximum of 25-30° C. The straps are also cleaned with soap and water. Dry the helmet in a dry and well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight.

If your helmet is MIPS, it can be washed with the same soap and water solution without removing it from the helmet. If any part of the MIPS system is broken or damaged, the helmet will have to be replaced.

The glue, on which velcro is often glued to hold the inner lining of the helmet, does not like experiments with immersion underwater and can come off. If this happens – be careful of the choice of glue!

Many quick-dry adhesives are very corrosive to various types of foam, including EPS foam. So if you try to stick the velcro in place, you risk ruining your helmet.

Cleaning the outside of the helmet

You don’t have to put your bike helmet in the water to clean it. You can easily clean the outside with a cloth, warm water, and common household detergent. Wipe the bicycle helmet thoroughly, but be careful not to damage it. The detergent also removes stubborn dirt.

Cleaning the straps of the helmet

Washing-up liquid and water are usually sufficient for the straps of your bicycle helmet. Wipe the straps thoroughly. A little more water can be used here so that any stored salts are also dissolved.

Cleaning the paddings of the helmet

Cushions are attached to the inside of the bicycle helmet. These can be easily removed from most bicycle helmets and washed in the washing machine as we mentioned above.

Or, they can be easily cleaned in the sink. To do this, leave water in the sink and add a little washing powder or liquid detergent. Now put the paddings in and let them soak in the lye water. Then rinse the upholstery with clear water.

Avoid washing in the washing machine

Can a bicycle helmet go in the washing machine for cleaning? It sounds very simple – you take the bicycle helmet, put it in the washing machine, select a suitable program and you’re ready to go.

But that’s absolutely a no-no. Basically, a bicycle helmet does not belong in the washing machine. The working principle of a washing machine is the polar opposite of things like helmets.

On the one hand, the helmet can be damaged by movement during the wash cycle and ultimately become unusable, on the other hand, cleaning in the washing machine is also going to be damaged. 

Also, get in the habit of putting your helmet away immediately after a bike ride. This avoids leaving it lying around outside where it would be directly exposed to the sun or rain.

Do not store your bicycle helmet either in places that are too exposed to variations in temperature and humidity, such as a garden shed or the rear shelf of your car: most helmets are certified to comply with temperatures between -20 ° C and + 50 ° C.

Outside of this temperature range, the quality of the materials, and therefore the shock absorption capacity, may deteriorate

When to replace the mountain bike helmet?

If you are fortunate enough to ride in a helmet without falling, then the lifespan of such a helmet is approximately 3 years. Its wear is affected by sun and sweat.

Therefore, if you are often in the sun, or your helmet is susceptible to moisture, then it should be replaced earlier. If you only ride on weekends and prefer cycling in the morning and evening (so that it is not so hot and not in the active sun), then you can safely use a helmet for up to 5 years.


We hope that with these tips your helmet will last as long as possible in its optimal conditions, but you have to know that its useful life is normally between 3-5 years. 

You should consult the instructions of each manufacturer who will tell you how long the helmet will last and no longer guarantee optimal protection against accidents.


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