Helmet stink!
#26
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I used to take my helmet inside and keep it at my desk, and yes, it started to stink. Then I got lazy and left the helmet strapped to the bike while I was at work. No more stink. Apparently sunlight dries and fumigates it. Of course, this only works on nice days.
#28
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I soaked my helmet last night in Oxyclean and the stink came out. I took the pads out and squeezed it through them too. We'll see how it does with a ride.
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I picked up a sanitizing wand (UVC) to deal with my kids noxious soccer cleats (the UV kills the bacteria & the stink) and tried it on my helmet.......problem solved.
#30
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#31
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First, OP needs to gain some perspective - for example, I live in Central Florida. Second, after every hot and sweaty ride I line the inside of the helmet with a paper towel and wrap the straps with towels as well and let it dry till next day. Capillary action draws out salt and stink.
But, I do think you have a better point than the AZ poster, as--let's chant it together!--it's not the heat, it's the humidity.
Last edited by Lieren; 09-26-12 at 08:53 PM. Reason: Edited because apparently I can't type.
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I just tried the dishwasher method and it really worked nicely. The straps and pads are the cleanest they've been since the helmet was new. Some of the real thin stick-on foam pads came off, but they were not important. Thanks for the suggestion.
#33
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Yep, being the cheapskate that I am, I periodically overhaul my helmet when and as needed with new stick on pads that accumulated with all the extra pads that came with my helmet and my kids'. Glad to hear it worked for you. Last two times through the dishwasher, all my pads stayed attached.
#34
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I think my head sweat tends to dry more easily than my hand sweat. With the gloves, even using the fingerless, vented, meshy gloves, there is just not enough air flow to dry it. Here in Hot Humid Houston you need gloves to keep the handlebar grips from slipping out of your hands. So even without gloves, the air flow isn't enough on the grasping surfaces to dry up sweat.
At work, I point a mini fan that I use to cool off at the helmet to dry the padding and straps. I place the gloves close to the cooling fan exhaust on my laptop so the warm dry air can dry them.
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Yeah, my glove funk is way worse than my helmet smell. I started off washing them every other day and finally bought several more sets.
I think my head sweat tends to dry more easily than my hand sweat. With the gloves, even using the fingerless, vented, meshy gloves, there is just not enough air flow to dry it. Here in Hot Humid Houston you need gloves to keep the handlebar grips from slipping out of your hands. So even without gloves, the air flow isn't enough on the grasping surfaces to dry up sweat.
At work, I point a mini fan that I use to cool off at the helmet to dry the padding and straps. I place the gloves close to the cooling fan exhaust on my laptop so the warm dry air can dry them.
I think my head sweat tends to dry more easily than my hand sweat. With the gloves, even using the fingerless, vented, meshy gloves, there is just not enough air flow to dry it. Here in Hot Humid Houston you need gloves to keep the handlebar grips from slipping out of your hands. So even without gloves, the air flow isn't enough on the grasping surfaces to dry up sweat.
At work, I point a mini fan that I use to cool off at the helmet to dry the padding and straps. I place the gloves close to the cooling fan exhaust on my laptop so the warm dry air can dry them.
#36
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I just tried the dishwasher method and it's awesome! Like a new helmet!
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I recently ditched a 4-year old Giro Stylus helmet. I was drying the pads each day with a paper towel, and removing and washing them regularly, but they were still getting smelly after a couple of days. The pads were starting to fall apart a bit too. Not bad enough to warrant changing the helmet, but a strap anchor started pulling out through the foam so it had to go.
A bit of searching for stink-free helmets led me to the MET Sine Thesis helmet. https://www.met-helmets.com/index.php/range-2011/3-sine-thesis
Shockingly expensive (and maybe tricky to get outside Europe) but it's the only one I could find that uses a series of gel pads all-around instead of foam pads. Some of the cheaper METs have the gel pad at the front, but fabric ones everywhere else. The gel pads seem to be available online with a bit of searching.
No more helmet smell. Online reviews all say it's super-airy, lightweight etc - I can't say I've noticed, but I haven't worn it on a really warm day yet to test that. I have occasionally heard wind whistling through it, which didn't happen with my previous one.
Only downside I can see is that the biggest size isn't all that big. I'm a 60cm head, the 'large' size supposedly goes to 61cm. I've had to do some careful shaving of the foam inside the helmet in a couple of spots - I seem to have a slightly squarer-shaped head than whoever this was designed for. Happy with it now though.
A bit of searching for stink-free helmets led me to the MET Sine Thesis helmet. https://www.met-helmets.com/index.php/range-2011/3-sine-thesis
Shockingly expensive (and maybe tricky to get outside Europe) but it's the only one I could find that uses a series of gel pads all-around instead of foam pads. Some of the cheaper METs have the gel pad at the front, but fabric ones everywhere else. The gel pads seem to be available online with a bit of searching.
No more helmet smell. Online reviews all say it's super-airy, lightweight etc - I can't say I've noticed, but I haven't worn it on a really warm day yet to test that. I have occasionally heard wind whistling through it, which didn't happen with my previous one.
Only downside I can see is that the biggest size isn't all that big. I'm a 60cm head, the 'large' size supposedly goes to 61cm. I've had to do some careful shaving of the foam inside the helmet in a couple of spots - I seem to have a slightly squarer-shaped head than whoever this was designed for. Happy with it now though.
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Dish washing detergent is packed full of sodium hypochlorite. It's absolutely destructive to a helmet liner. Helmets are designed to allow sweat to flow out the back. They self clean once sweat saturates the padding. Unless you're allergic to your own sweat, it's not a big deal. Just wear it, sweat in it, and you'll get used to it.
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Dish washing detergent is packed full of sodium hypochlorite. It's absolutely destructive to a helmet liner. Helmets are designed to allow sweat to flow out the back. They self clean once sweat saturates the padding. Unless you're allergic to your own sweat, it's not a big deal. Just wear it, sweat in it, and you'll get used to it.
gm
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So, I commute daily in Philly, where the summers (and springs and falls) can be succinctly described as "disgustingly hot." As a result, the lining of my helmet has taken on a certain sweaty stink that I can't figure out how to get rid of. I've already removed and washed everything that can be removed and washed, but there's a layer of padding that can't be removed and is harboring some serious stink. Does anyone have any ideas about how to rehabilitate this helmet?
Throw out and buy a new,
once the stink is in it's too late,
don't be shy, the new one loves to take a private shower with you every day while you are both
naked.:-) 😊😊😊
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I use gentle soap and baking soda solution to clean the MIPS and helmet, making sure I rise it out well every 4-5 days on my commute helmet, the Prevail II. I also change out the MIPS liner every year. In desperation, I'd soak the liner in vinegar..
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First, OP needs to gain some perspective - for example, I live in Central Florida. Second, after every hot and sweaty ride I line the inside of the helmet with a paper towel and wrap the straps with towels as well and let it dry till next day. Capillary action draws out salt and stink.
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After removing all that can be, saturate the padding with water then work in a paste of Sodium Bicarbonate (Arm & Hammer) into the padding. Get as much as you can into the padding then after a few minutes rinse it out. No strong soaps de-greasers or solvents are needed. Just baking soda and water.
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#47
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Rinse VERY well since sodium bicarbonate in water is basically carbonic acid, which can eat through the EPS if not rinsed thoroughly.
After removing all that can be, saturate the padding with water then work in a paste of Sodium Bicarbonate (Arm & Hammer) into the padding. Get as much as you can into the padding then after a few minutes rinse it out. No strong soaps de-greasers or solvents are needed. Just baking soda and water.
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Here is a fair explanation stripped from waiakeasprings...
"A lot of brands are adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to their bottled water. "But why?", you may ask. Well for starters, sodium bicarbonate is a way to create a higher pH, or alkalinity, in drinking water. Sodium bicarbonate is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron, which contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, has been used since ancient times and has various health benefits. Many waters with a pH <6.5 are acidic, soft, and corrosive. Thus, sodium compounds like sodium bicarbonate are added during water treatment in order to raise the pH of the water by chemically neutralizing the acidity as well as to soften the water. - https://waiakeasprings.com/blogs/content/why-brands-are-adding-baking-soda-to-their-water-what-you-should-know-about-it/"
"A lot of brands are adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to their bottled water. "But why?", you may ask. Well for starters, sodium bicarbonate is a way to create a higher pH, or alkalinity, in drinking water. Sodium bicarbonate is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron, which contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, has been used since ancient times and has various health benefits. Many waters with a pH <6.5 are acidic, soft, and corrosive. Thus, sodium compounds like sodium bicarbonate are added during water treatment in order to raise the pH of the water by chemically neutralizing the acidity as well as to soften the water. - https://waiakeasprings.com/blogs/content/why-brands-are-adding-baking-soda-to-their-water-what-you-should-know-about-it/"
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#49
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Thanks for that, which is absolutely correct. I wasn't very clear or fully expand with that statement. Na2CO3 is absolutely a base, but when it reacts with an acid, it turns more acidic, which is why it is used a a drain unclogger with vinegar. Always good to rinse anything properly.
Here is a fair explanation stripped from waiakeasprings...
"A lot of brands are adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to their bottled water. "But why?", you may ask. Well for starters, sodium bicarbonate is a way to create a higher pH, or alkalinity, in drinking water. Sodium bicarbonate is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron, which contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, has been used since ancient times and has various health benefits. Many waters with a pH <6.5 are acidic, soft, and corrosive. Thus, sodium compounds like sodium bicarbonate are added during water treatment in order to raise the pH of the water by chemically neutralizing the acidity as well as to soften the water. - https://waiakeasprings.com/blogs/content/why-brands-are-adding-baking-soda-to-their-water-what-you-should-know-about-it/"
"A lot of brands are adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to their bottled water. "But why?", you may ask. Well for starters, sodium bicarbonate is a way to create a higher pH, or alkalinity, in drinking water. Sodium bicarbonate is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron, which contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, has been used since ancient times and has various health benefits. Many waters with a pH <6.5 are acidic, soft, and corrosive. Thus, sodium compounds like sodium bicarbonate are added during water treatment in order to raise the pH of the water by chemically neutralizing the acidity as well as to soften the water. - https://waiakeasprings.com/blogs/content/why-brands-are-adding-baking-soda-to-their-water-what-you-should-know-about-it/"
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#50
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I tried Oxyclean on a black/yellow Giro Syntax and it messed up the finish on the outside black shell. Be cautious on this solution.