A Tip from Emilio: Wash your helmet and shoes.....please

Triathlon Forum
1

I posted this on the forum about 7 years ago, and I was reminded of it after a training session with group of newbies yesterday. So here it is again.

When was the last time you washed your bike helmet, your bike shoes, and your running shoes? If you have been wearing them, and haven’t done so in the past few months, they probably stink. If you can’t smell it, ask someone else to, then look at their face…the truth comes without words being spoken.

**HELMET: **Are the straps white with salt deposits, and are the little pads slippery from sunscreen and hair product, and is the outside stained with grime? I rinse my helmet after almost every long ride (once a week when wearing a Skin Cooler Helmet Beanie). It is 5 years old and looks brand new still.
TO WASH: Turn on your kitchen sink and let the water run luke warm. Run the water on the helmet, the pads and the strap. Then take about a tablespoon of shampoo, dish soap, liquid hand soap, or liquid laundry detergent, and rub it between your hands and finger and then apply it to all the surfaces that absorb water. Rinse it thoroughly, shake it to get excess water out, and put it in the sun to dry. Wipe the outside with a cotton towel. Stay away from stronger detergents, as any residual that is not rinsed will run into your eyes when you sweat in it again.

RUNNING SHOES: I train with socks in training shoes and I race without socks for anything Olympic distance or shorter. I always wear socks in longer races. A lot of my training is on the beach and if the tide is high, my shoes get wet, very wet with salt water (life is tough in La Jolla, CA). So I wash them a lot.
TO WASH: Machine wash them in cold water with some laundry detergent. I wash 4 or 5 pair at a time. When they are done in the spin cycle, immediately put them in the sun or dry-room to dry. Believe it or not most quality running shoes can withstand about 20-30 washes. The last, midsole and outsole these days glued so well, that they can withstand this sort of care. For most of us that is about a wash every couple of weeks before it is time to replace the shoes anyway.

BIKE SHOES: I still don’t understand people who always ride without socks. To do so every now and then to simulate a race is okay, but not all the time. I learned bike shoes are a lot more resilient if you wear socks. I have a pair of SIDI Triathlon shoes I have rinsed and washed with, believe it or not, regular shampoo over 50 times and they are still in good condition.
TO WASH: Best is to use the sink again, room temp water, and mild detergent and an old toothbrush. Shampoo works too. Wet the shoes, clean as needed, towel dry as much as possible, then set in the sun just long enough to dry. If the shoes have leather, saddle soap works well to preserve the softness.
The cleaning tips above will not only keep your gear smelling and looking better, they will also reduce the likelihood of acne, cysts, and other forms of dermatitis, infection in the eyes and ears, as well as promote healthier feet, toes, and toe nails.

Yours in endurance, Emilio De Soto

2

Especially in the summer, I wash my helmet after almost every ride. Far too hot and I sweat far too much not to. Yes, my straps and even the cushions will turn white with salt.

I don’t wash my shoes as often, but I do wash them from time to time. One of the few nice things about living in an oven is that I can wash my shoes, hang them out in the sunlight and they’re dry in just a couple hours.

The one thing I didn’t see you mention was gloves. I always wear gloves when I ride. I wash those regularly as well. They will get al crusted with salt, sweat and oils too.

3

Especially in the summer, I wash my helmet after almost every ride. Far too hot and I sweat far too much not to. Yes, my straps and even the cushions will turn white with salt.

I don’t wash my shoes as often, but I do wash them from time to time. One of the few nice things about living in an oven is that I can wash my shoes, hang them out in the sunlight and they’re dry in just a couple hours.

The one thing I didn’t see you mention was gloves. I always wear gloves when I ride. I wash those regularly as well. They will get al crusted with salt, sweat and oils too.

Great point on living in the desert, that dry sun will cause your shoes to shrink so it is best to not leave them out for too long.

I did not mention a lot of other items, such as gloves, because I have found them to be something most people do wash, just like socks, and other garments, after almost every use.

4

I did not mention a lot of other items, such as gloves, because I have found them to be something most people do wash, just like socks, and other garments, after almost every use.

You’d think that’d be the case with gloves but just seems like many people don’t. They take them off, throw them in a bag or counter, until the next ride.

Personally, I have some Downy handwash detergent next to my bathroom sink. After I shower my gloves, arm sleeves and headsweat band get washed. I rotate through three sets so there’s always at least one set clean and dry for my next ride.

5

I did not mention a lot of other items, such as gloves, because I have found them to be something most people do wash, just like socks, and other garments, after almost every use.

You’d think that’d be the case with gloves but just seems like many people don’t. They take them off, throw them in a bag or counter, until the next ride.

Personally, I have some Downy handwash detergent next to my bathroom sink. After I shower my gloves, arm sleeves and headsweat band get washed. I rotate through three sets so there’s always at least one set clean and dry for my next ride.

It sounds like you are yet another person who does after almost every use. You have a nice process. I am a fan of hand washing in the sink or even shower.

6

Thank you for the reminder, my stuff is definitely due.

7

few things:

the helmet is the most important piece of safety equipment. i treat mine with the utmost care. with that said, here are a few things i would avoid.

avoid soaps, unless you have something really gentle. if you have to soap, just soap the straps and avoid letting soap sit on the foam itself. i have no proof, but why possibly degrade the foam when you don’t need to. i simply place my helmet upside down on the grass, spray it with the shower setting, making sure to get the straps for about 30 seconds. i then grab the helmet and swing it to use momentum to get the straps as dry as possible, then i just let it dry in the sun (shell side up) while i’m cleaning my bike. when i’m done, i let it finish drying indoors.

uv light causes all kind of havoc to stuff, without a doubt it degrades foam. helmets have a shelf life. for the most part, they are relatively cheap. call me crazy, but i have like 4 mountain bike helmets and 2 road bike helmets. if a helmet is dropped, or dented, or crashed in anyway, it’s replaced, if it sees regular use and is 3 years old, it gets replaced. otherwise, light use i’ll keep for 4 years (ie, my downhill mtb helmet).

a big reason people’s shoes smell is because they wear their running shoes as daily shoes as well.

don fresh socks, put on running sneakers, finish run, take shoes off, pull insoles out and let dry.

8

Umm. I ride/run in the rain and get drenched once a month and that’s pretty much been my ‘wash’ of helmets and shoes for the last 30 years or so.

Running shoes - Always wear socks, and so long as I dry them well if they get damp then all is well.

Cycling shoes, ditto, although here they do last a lot longer. Main thing is to take out the insole after a wet ride and they stand on a rack in a room with a dehumidifyer over night. When I used to commute I had a standard cold air fan that would blow into them and dry them morning and at home. If they do get stinky due to failure of doing the above, a 10minute soak in a bucket of water with some ‘milton’ (baby bottle sterilizer) and then dry as above.

Cycle helmet. Now here I do admit things can get funky. Luckily it’s been the cushioning not the straps, and those have been removable on my helmets over the years. But as someone else mentioned, whilst I’m prone to holding onto kit for a good while - ‘buy well, buy once’ - helmets in NZ get swapped every 3 years due to the UV. I don’t know the evidence for all of this but I know that I spend more in gels, Training peaks, bike rolling resistance, strava and zwift subscriptions a month than a new helmet. And that helmet is what will provide some protection to my brain in the case of a crash. Hence I err on side of caution here.

But good cleaning tips. Worst for me is my sandals/jandals/flip-flops I use to go to the pool. They hum real bad. Same deal though with the milton in a bucket.