Helmet Fresh

HELMET FRESH

CW EVALUATION

Laundering your liner

IT’S A TERRIBLE START TO A WONDERFUL day: Just as you go to put on your helmet in preparation for that highly anticipated weekend ride, a dreadful odor assaults your olfactory senses.

Some riders never break a sweat inside their helmets, but those who do know that an unfortunate by-product of perspiration is one of the most gutwrenching smells this side of a septic tank. Even frequent washings with soap and water don’t squash the stench.

Fortunately, there is a cure. Helmet Fresh, distributed by Bennett Engineering (11181 East HJ Ave., Galesburg, MI 49053; 616/665-9425), is a chemically engineered, non-toxic, non-allergenic, non-flammable and non-corrosive mixture of bacteria-consuming enzymes. Developed after long hours in a blistering-hot race car, Helmet Fresh is an environmentally friendly formula that attacks the bacteria responsible for producing these odors.

To test the product, we borrowed an off-road helmet with lots of use-and few cleanings-to its credit. Indeed, the smell emanating from the interior was horribly repulsive, even to the owner. As instructed, we washed the non-removable liner thoroughly with mild soap and hot water before saturating the foam with Helmet Fresh. After kneading the clear fluid into the liner, we left the helmet to air dry.

Once it had dried, the helmet didn’t smell like new, or even like cheap perfume. In fact, it didn’t smell at all. After several long trail rides, the perspiration-related odor did return, but a repeat cleansing gave identical results.

Each application used about 1 ounce of the bottle’s contents. At $5 per 5-ounce bottle, that’s little more than a buck per application, which is a small price to pay for the satisfaction of putting on a clean-smelling helmet before a long-awaited ride.