How to Clean an ATV Helmet

Keeping your ATV helmet clean is important and knowing how to do it is equally so. You will need to gather the proper materials, avoid using harsh chemicals, as well as get more info here regarding safe techniques for cleaning both the interior and exterior of the helmet thoroughly.

General rules and cleaning materials

Cleaning your ATV helmet after a long ride is often times an overlooked process and many riders put a lot of care into getting their vehicle clean and looking good and forget that their helmets need the same care and attention. They shouldn’t simply throw their helmet in with the laundry.

After long hours of riding your ATV, especially in hot weather, the build-up of oil and sweat from your scalp can make your helmet become unrecognizably dirty both on the inside and outside fairly quickly.

That is without even beginning to mention the dirt and dust that can find their way inside it when riding in harsh weather. It only takes one day for the helmet to become a home for bacteria and mildew, which can make it smell awful and make the experience of wearing it unpleasant.

Thus, to ensure that your helmet is cleaned out properly both in and out, our easy-to-follow guide will take you every step of the way to show you how to clean your ATV helmet properly and quickly. It is important to get all the cleaning materials you’ll need before you start this task so that you can make the best use of your time.

There are lots of cleaning materials that you can use, and if you are not satisfied with our options you can replace them with whatever you have available as long as the owner’s manual of your helmet does not prohibit you from using them for cleaning purposes.

We found that for cleaning the interior of the helmet, baby shampoo is the most popular choice since you need something that is not petroleum-based so that it does not damage the sensitive fibers inside the helmet. Baby shampoo is also very good at removing the oil that your hair and skin will leave on the inside of the helmet.

You will also need a few microfiber rags to help you clean the exterior, as well as the face shield if your helmet has one. Make sure that the rags you intend to use are already cleaned since if they are not and they have dirt particles trapped inside, there is a risk of roughing up the exterior finish of the helmet during the cleaning process.

Cleaning the helmet can be done in a tub, bucket or sink, but you need to make sure that you have access to warm water. The water needs to be warm so that the dirt, grime, and dead bugs that are stuck to the helmet can get loose without damaging the helmet’s finish.

Finally, it would be smart to get a toothbrush as well since it can help you a lot especially when cleaning around the vents and face shield gaskets, both being places that are quite hard to reach and clean with a microfiber rag. There is no need to get an expensive toothbrush, get one that is cheap and that has soft bristles, like those designed for sensitive teeth.

Cleaning the interior

While there are many riders who prefer to toss the lining of their helmet into the laundry, it is best to avoid doing this. Doing it a couple of times will not damage the fabric but heavy washing will degrade it, not to mention that high spin cycles can deform the foam padding and render it useless.

The good news is that washing the internal liner by hand is just as fast and easy as doing it in the washing machine, and it can even be more efficient. To clean the interior of the helmet you should start by removing the liner and cheek pads. They should only require a few strategic tugs to get out.

While in most cases the pads and liners are attached with snaps, some can use a hook-and-loop material or magnets. This is why it is best to take the time and consult the owner’s manual before starting this step. Once you have figured out how to remove the main liner and the pads, you can start the actual washing process.

The interior of the helmet is the part that needs to be washed most frequently since if you don’t then the smell of the face sweat and the hair oil will certainly force you to do it. Now that you have all the interior parts you can begin by filling a sink, bucket, or tub with warm water and baby shampoo.

Get each part individually and dunk, scrub, and massage it in the soapy water. Once you have cleaned it thoroughly, you should let the helmet liner and cheek pads air dry. Remember that they can take some time to dry completely, so at the very least, you should try and clean them the night before you plan to go riding.

With that said, it is best to clean them during the day since an afternoon in the sun should make sure that they are well-dried before you snap them back in the helmet. When drying the internal lining at night, make sure that you do so in a room that is well-ventilated since otherwise, you might wake up to see that it is still damp.

With the lining outside the helmet, remember to clean the inside of the helmet as well. While chances are that it is not as dirty as the lining was, there may still be residual sweat present which if left uncleaned could cause unpleasant smells.

All that you will need for this process is a damp rag. Use it to wipe the inside of the helmet a few times and that should be all. If your helmet does not have a removable inner lining, the best solution is to dunk the entire helmet inside the sink, bucket, or tub filled with warm water and squirt some baby shampoo in it.

Soak it in and scrub just as you would a dog, to make sure that the water penetrates the lining and the foam padding. Rinse it very well and set it out to dry.

Cleaning the exterior

For the exterior things are much more simple: you start by removing the visor from the helmet and mixing a washing solution made from the same baby shampoo you used for the interior and some warm water. Soak a few microfiber rags in the washing solution and place them over the areas where dirt and bugs are present.

Let the rags on the helmet soak for several minutes and do the same process for the visor as well. Once the dirt and bugs are soft, you can begin the cleaning process by rubbing them loose with the washing solution and your fingertips. Don’t scrub using the rags since that causes swirls.

Use the toothbrush to clean inside vents and other places that are hard to access. Once you’ve scrubbed all the dirt and dead bugs away, you can wipe away any leftover soapy water with a moist microfiber towel. To dry the helmet shell, get a dry microfiber towel and wipe away any liquid that’s left on the surface.

If you want to give your helmet that shiny look it had when you first bought it and you want to make future cleaning more manageable to get through, you can apply a coat of automotive wax to it, as that will give it a protective coating.

This is an optional step but one that you should consider. Finally, inspect the owner’s manual once again to see how to reassemble the helmet correctly.