How To Clean A Moldy Riding Helmet

Well, it's time to get my bike out of storage.
I put my helmet in my top case when I put the bike away, which was apparently not a good idea. When I opened the top case my helmet looked like it had a bit of frost on it. It's mold.

Not a lot of mold and it's mostly around the chin strap. The liner looks to be fine (plus I can take out the liner and wash it) and there is a light layer of mold on the chin bar.

Buying a new helmet is a remote possibility, but I sure can't afford the expenditure if I don't have to. I'd prefer to do something to clean it.

Any thoughts on this? Is it safe? The integrity of the helmet appears fine, but what about putting this on my head? Will I breath the spores and get high?

Jamie
You have to do something. High would be the best result, which isn't good while on the bike...
Google Mirazyme (I think I spelled it close enough). It is made for getting mold and mildew out of camping gear, supposed to be safe for nylon and other fabrics--not sure about the foam, though.
Well for me, I'm pretty sensitive to mold, so that would be extra-questionable. I'd remove the liner and first inspect the rest of the helmet - did the mold get onto the styrofoam internal "protective" layer? Is it at all damaged? If so, it's new helmet time. If not, you may be able to wash the liner and use some cleaning solution to clean up the helmet. If you have mold that seems to be growing between the styrofoarm and helmet shell, you should probably spring for a new lid.
FYI: you won't get high. What COULD happen is you could have an allergic reation and/or respiratory problems. Mind you, lots of are flows through the helmet so that's a good thing, but I'd make darn sure it's clean before wearing it, as sweating into the helmet would just contribute to more mold growth.
MiraZyme is listed as an odor eliminator...
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___25676

I'll go by the outdoors store and see what they have.

Thanks.

Jamie
Having developed a lung infection from mould spores previously, I'd err on the safe side and be leaning towards a replacement. (I was replacing carpet in our previous apartment about 10 years ago and didn't wear a mask, docs figure I inhaled some mould based upon the infection).
Everyone's different though, so YMMV.
Mold + your lungs = Real BAD.
Don't risk your lungs over a helmet. Take your first loss and buy a new helmet before you inhale mold spores that are almost impossible to eliminate from your system.

And yes, while it's true that you will inhale some spores naturally, this is waaaaay more than a normal exposure.

-jeff
There are a few cleaners I know that kills mold spores. Pretty hard on the helmet liner thou...But if things are tight I wouldn't be afraid to try some bleach and water washed out with some laundry detergent. I spray a little bit of febreeze in my lid in the summer and let it dry to get some of the funk out...I work with mold off and on in basements where furnaces get the condensate drain backed up it sucks but it's part of life. If you think you're alllergic to mold stay away from it and ignore the above.
Does Bleach Really Kill Mold?
Will chlorine bleach kill mold or not—yes or no? The answer is yes, but with a caveat. That answer comes from The Clorox Company, Oakland CA, manufacturer and distributor of Ultra Clorox® Regular Bleach. The company’s correspondence to Spore°Tech Mold Investigations, LLC stated that their Tech Center studies supported by independent laboratories show that “…3/4 cup of Clorox liquid bleach per gallon of water will be effective on hard, non-porous surfaces against… Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (Athlete’s Foot Fungus)”. Whether or not chlorine bleach kills other molds and fungi, the company did not say. The words “hard, non-porous” surfaces” present the caveat.
If you clean all of the liner it will kill the mold it however will not get all the way into the foam I'm guessing and breed further mold.
A 10-15% solution of bleach will kill mold if left to sit for 10 minuites. Fill a bucket with water, add bleach, dunk and let it sit. The mold will be dead, however, I have no idea what that would do to the foam. It may do nothing, but it could degrade the foam's performance.
I would vote for a new lid.
Spray it with a good antibacterial cleaner and run it through the dishwasher on the bottom rack. Remove after washing to air dry.
Mike
You can buy anti bacterial shampoos as well. after it comes out of the dishwasher scrub it out real good with that.
anti-BACTERIAL is NOT anti mold.
The dishwasher idea is good (REMEMBER TO SHUT OFF THE DRY/HEAT CYCLE!!!

And don't forget to treat your topcase!!!! It has spores all over it and will transfer them to anything you put in it.
I think the intrusion into the foam would matter if its an open cell foam (like self inflating mats) or a closed cell (which I think is moto helmet liners)
Hell I would soak it in 10% chlorine and put it in the dishwasher to get rid of the chlorine. my .02.
The liner is fine. At least outwardly so. It only had a few little smots of mold on the bottom, the interior of the liner looked fine. I ran it through the washing machine with hot water. It looks and smells fine.
The rubber on the chin guard has a very thin layer of mold, and the chin straps are probably the worst. The foam on the inside of the helmet looks like new. No sign of mold on it at all.

I'm probably going to get some bleach and scrub the chin strap with a scrub brush and then maybe rinse it down with some Fabreeze or something to make the bleach odor go away. Good tip on treating the inside of my topcase.

Jamie
Chlorine needs 20 minutes wet contact time to effectively oxidize/kill biologics. It would be my first choice for this.
Dude. If money's tight I'll front you for a new helmet.
You don't wear mold. Ever.

Yes bleach your topcase.

Sheesh.
Well bleach is what I was thinking of doing... and bleach is what I did.
The mold wasn't so much inside the helmet as it was just on the lower part of the pad and on the chin strap.

I disassembled my helmet and thoroughly scrubbed it with a bleach solution. It's fine. I'll be fine.

Jamie
So in two weeks, when you start a thread about these mysterious headaches and nosebleeds you've been getting don't expect me to post anything but an "I told you so!" :ddog
Sure thing. I've got no problems admitting I'm wrong.
And even at the moment I admit that it's a small risk, thus my concern and reason for starting this thread.

But I think it cleaned up well. I don't think there was as much mold as I initially thought. it was just in a few places. Not to mention the topcase (and helmet) were stored outside, in freezing temps.

I'll let you know. Or if you don't hear from me again, you know what happened.

Jamie
I soak my helmet in a bleach dilution every once in awhile. Garbage bag in a box works well. Helmets are also very bouyant.
After a bit of soap and water I run it thru the dishwaher on rinse.

Spring fresh everytime.
Put it in the freezer for about 2 days.
The heat-loving bacteria will die.

Then clean it out.

Repeat if necessary.

Trust me, this works for shoes, helmets, gloves, etc.

Hope this helps.