Fendertele

I would not. The inner shell is expanded foam which is typically highly flammable. The heating elements could pose a fire hazard.

kahn

That is one advantage of my dishwasher - no heating element. No limitations on top rack or bottom rack utensils. But I will would not put my helmet in there! Permanent furnace filters - YES. Helmets - NO.

urbanknight

I used a hand brush with a little bit of hand soap to get the salt and sweat out of my straps. Worked great.

Hentze

Soap and water

delbiker1 

All I ever do is wipe down the outer shell and after a ride let it dry out in the sun if sweaty.

Sy Reene

Yeah, I still haven't braved the dishwasher method. Though many dishwashers I assume might be like mine.. I can turn off hi-temp wash and rinse, and/or heated drying, and there's settings like "Crystal/China"

cyclezen

helmets have been showering with me for decades, since I stopped using a 'hairnet' - not every ride, depends how salty they seem...
helmets, especially the helmet pads seem to last much longer with the frequent showering.
Always have at least 3 helmets which get rotated in rides, depending on conditions, assures longer life and always have a clean, dry one to use.
One helmet has a soft, cap-like brim for those long sunny rides, wet rides or late-day rides when expecting low sun in your eyes...
Buy a new helmet when one gets too old...
Not really more expensive, because each has a different 'age' and rotation gives an extended life-span.
Funny shape to my head, so fit is critical, so I always have lots of time to find a good replacement...
Thx
Yuri

Bikerdrummer

I took a motorcycle safety class and they said to get a new helmet every 2 years because the styrofoam naturally decays and provides less protection over time. I would assume same with bike helmet, also I would imagine water isn’t good for the foam either.
I just wash any removable padded fabric and replace every 2 years. But I don’t buy expensive helmets.

thehammerdog

Honesty.
it never crossed my mind to do so.
30 plus yrs riding
maybe use fabreze?

Sy Reene

Interesting. I wanna see a pick of your 30yr old helmet that's gone without a cleaning.

DonkeyShow

Dunno about bike helmets, figured i should wash mine. But in the car racing scene we would use....well i cant remember exact names but was basically a bag/stand sort of thing that would plug in and blow air through it. Seemed effective but we also had fireproof hood things we wore under the helmet that we could just throw in the wash.

Riveting

I also get "white rigid straps" due to salt buildup, as well as rigid half-finger gloves. I knew I couldn't be the only one.

thehammerdog

well i have 4 helmets and buy new one every so often.
​I simply never washed a helmet...silly goose.

steine13

I wash my shirts and jersey by hand in a clean bucket so they can soak for a good long time. Time to time i put the helmet in after with a weight to keep it submerged.
same withe the 'rinse cycle'. Easy enough, and clean enough.

steine13

..and I have 2 helmets. One for training rides and one for civilian life. That helps a lot.

Metieval

You know people fall in shower....

"A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that approximately 234,000 people ages 15 and older were treated in an American emergency department for non-fatal bathroom-related injuries in 2008. That averages to about 640 people per day."

So returning from a ride and jumping into shower still wearing your helmet has a logical and practical purpose!! Other than washing the salt and sweat off of it.

Anyways, if I don't jump in shower wearing it. It can be rinsed off in sink. Mild soap and water. Usually it is better a helmet is washed after a ride, before allowing the sweat and salt to dry on helmet and get crusty.

Sy Reene

I figured as much, but still don't understand how you lived with or avoided white, crusty salty helmet straps?