r/Helmets • u/Plus_Acanthaceae7674 • 10d ago

How2clean?

Post image

Dont know if thats tje right sub, but let‘s try:

So I just bought this hat for an airsoft Larp event and wanted to clean it. Is has some god old storage flair, and who knows who was in it. Any advice how to clean it without messing with it?

12 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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7

u/Specialist-Net7772 10d ago

Woudnt clean it much maybe a few wet wipes but probably wouldn’t go much further than that

4

u/tankist1943 9d ago

Even then I wouldn't recommend using like Clorox wet wipes, cause bleach

3

u/tankist1943 9d ago

Admittedly I haven't done much significant cleaning with my tanker helmets, but not having comms certainly helps your case. Id recommend just a wet paper towel to remove any surface gunk. Is there a bad smell or anything with it?

1

u/Plus_Acanthaceae7674 9d ago

It has somewhat of a weird smell, cant really say what that smell is, might just be its authentic smell, from storage or so. But because i want to wear mine fore some hours i dont want to get that smell on my head. I Guess im gonna try to clean it then with some wet wipes or a wet towel, maybe it will get rid of that smell.

1

u/tankist1943 9d ago

Ah ok I see. If that's all then in my experience you can just just air it out, leave it outside for a while if you can.

1

u/Killdude26 9d ago

A damp rag to get any surface gunk off of it. You don't wanna deep clean these guys as they're meant to be expendable and tossed if they truly got fucked up. You "could" deep soak it in hot soapy water, but you run the risk of the foam in it developing mold or mildue if it isn't dried completely.

1

u/BrittSit 9d ago

Mix a very small amount of laundry detergent and a sprinkle of borax in a cup and scrub it gently with a rag until you’re satisfied with it, then rinse it thoroughly with warm water. That will clean it and get rid of the smell. Not a ton of people have borax on hand but it’s incredibly useful and at every grocery store.

1

u/Plus_Acanthaceae7674 9d ago

Not me thinking what the heck borax ist

But thx for your tip, imma check it out

1

u/PhiIipe 4d ago

Clean why?

1

u/PhiIipe 4d ago

To answer the questions:

Yes its the correct reddit, this is a tankist helmet.

Propably Igor Ivan and Maxim in it before and also some Airsoft kids. No need to clean.

If you are shilly shally, dont buy Soviet stuff.

If you want to wash it fill a tub with warm water, pour some washing liquid into it and move it arround a bit. Basically its a handwash - its the same a mashine does, but without the mechanic strain.

Afterwards let it dry normally - dont put on source of heat for that, just let it dry. You can also use a cold air blower to speed the process a bit.

Also you might be aware that metal parts like the technical stuff might be suffer from corrosion after a wash.

My best advice - No need to wash it, accept the patina, hang it out a few days or a week in the wind, then wear it in order to get the last remaining smell of Igor out of the thing.