Here is how to clean your football helmet. We spend hundreds of dollars on quality Schutt football helmets so, why don’t we look after them?
The offensive smell emitting from your football helmet stems from bacteria created by sweat, skin cells, and hair products, all of which will shorten the life of your helmet and its inner protection by slowly breaking it down. These bacteria love to grow and multiply because it is confined, damp, and cozy warm.
This bacteria is bad for your health and the condition of your helmet, as metal can rust and soft plastic padding and foam can deteriorate.
Here are some simple routines that will have you and your prized equipment possession smelling fresh (to the delight of your teammates).
- Firstly, never use abrasive cleaning pads that will scratch or damage your helmet.
- Second, never use bleach or strong cleaning detergents that can leave a harsh residue and irritate the skin
After every use of your helmet at the very least take it out of your bag when you get home and let it air dry, you can also wipe it out with a soft cloth.
After games or every few practices in the pre-season, you will want to give your helmet a detailed clean. Using a little bit of dish detergent and warm water take a soft cloth and wipe all surfaces of your helmet both inside and out. Be sure to get into all the nooks and crannies while you are cleaning, once finished dry off the helmet using a soft cloth. Once the helmet is dry you can also spray it with a disinfectant spray to kill any stubborn bacteria.
At seasons end, you will want to give your helmet the ultimate clean ready for offseason storage. If you are comfortable doing so you will want to take your helmet completely apart cleaning every section as described above. Let all parts of the helmet dry before putting it back together again and storing it.
If you are not comfortable disassembling your helmet I recommend removing all padding held in by velcro and then cleaning the helmet as best as you can as described above.
We get it, cleaning a football helmet may not be exciting but, you and your teammates will thank us later once the smell is gone and you get longer life from the most important piece of football equipment you own.
If you are looking to buy a new helmet check out the range of Schutt helmets from US Sports Gear
If you are looking for NFL supporter gear then check out the range from Fanatics.
And that is how to clean your football helmet!