How to get mildew smell out of a helmet?

Did chumpcar last weekend and helmet has some nasty funk to it that's stinking up my office where i keep it. Any suggestions?

I've had success washing out helmets with regular old hair shampoo. It does take a lot of rinsing to get the suds out, and you have to let it dry for a couple days.

Use a laptop fan (the type the computer rests on) to help dry it out

Spray with "Helmet Fresh" available at most motorcycle shops. Motorex makes a great foam anti-stink stuff too but hard to find. helmet care foam

I read recently that a half cup of borax dissolved in a cup of hot water will get rid of mold. Haven't tried it yet.

Or if you have a lot of sunlight, it'll dry it out and the UV will kill some of those little funk makers.

stuart in mn wrote: I've had success washing out helmets with regular old hair shampoo. It does take a lot of rinsing to get the suds out, and you have to let it dry for a couple days.

So wash your hair, but before rinsing, put the helmet on

Wash with the same stuff the ladys use for there dedicate closes (can not think of the name at the moment) then hose it down with Fabrees.

dean1484 wrote: Wash with the same stuff the ladys use for there dedicate closes (can not think of the name at the moment) then hose it down with Fabrees.

Woolite! I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about.

How old is your helmet? If it's 5 years old, might be time to pick up a SA2015. You can cover that stank up, but once it takes root it will just come back. Like a mildewy bath towel -- comes out of the laundry fresh as a daisy, then you smell like mildew as soon as you use it.

Lots of Fabreeze made my helmet wearable again after such an issue.

Question? Do you wear a balaclava? If not consider doing so in the future. Your sweat will soak into the balaclava instead of the helmet lining, or at least most of it. Also find some way to dry your helmet after each use. Any kind of fresh air to help dry it out before the funk develops.

RossD wrote: I read recently that a half cup of borax dissolved in a cup of hot water will get rid of mold. Haven't tried it yet.

Borax is spectacular, and cheap. Do as Ross recommends and it'll work. I had some funky, mildewy T-shirts and just couldn't get rid of that offensive smell no matter what laundry detergent I used. The borax worked.

I have never successfully defunked a helmet, maybe I just have a stinky head. I tried shampoo once, but I guess I didn't rinse well enough because the next time I wore the helmet, about 50min into my enduro stint the soap remnants were dissolved by my sweat, which then ran into my eyes. Not fun. Whatever cleanser you use, be sure to rinse totally...then rinse some more. From there on out I swore that the stink was just the price to pay.

You could use this.

I once left it in the bag after the last race of the season. Next spring, the helmet actually cleaned up ok with a wipe and some sunlight, but my drivers logbook is still moldy.

stuart in mn wrote: I've had success washing out helmets with regular old hair shampoo. It does take a lot of rinsing to get the suds out, and you have to let it dry for a couple days.

I just tried this over the weekend on my motorcycle helmet. Had over two years of daily use funk in it. Smelled good on the way in to work, smelled like the same old funk mixed with shampoo on the way home. YMMV.

I don't use a balaclava. Helmet is less than a year old. Has a few track days, autoxes, and two 14hour chump car races under it's belt and the first time it's ever stunk. I think the problem occurred at the Chateau at Sebring. One of my buddies cranked the a/c down super f'ing cold and my gear bag was near it and it condensated all over my stuff. I have a nice mold/mildew stain on my cool shirt as well from this. Wife got the stink out of my other stuff, the helmet has been more difficult. I'll give the old borax a try.

Baking soda?

My kids left a motorcycle helmet on the lawn last night and the dog chewed all the foam out of it. So if it did smell, it doesn't now.

Is it a full-face helmet?

If so, just drink beer whenever you wear it, and all you'll smell is beer-breath.