what works the best???

[Dickey]

We seem to be at a loss in my dept for a good, cheap and easy way to clean our helmets. We have Ben Franklin II's for helmets. Something that you have found that works well and does not damage the helmet or any decals that may be on the helmet.

Know this sounds kinda stupid but I said I would ask.(why clean it anyway??)

Personally, I think the best is a bottle of SoftScrub and some elbow grease.

Thanks alot.
_________________________
Lt.Jason Knecht
Altoona Fire Rescue
Altoona, WI

[BCmdepas3280]

If you want your helmet to be clean, then don't use it ......otherwise you can use a soft brush and mild dish soap on the outside and liquid laundry soap and warm water on the inside. Do not use any abrasives they will scratch the shell. Let the helmet air dry.

[RdRunnr]

A Doctor needs to be sterile, a Chef, clean........you are speaking of Firefighters right? By nature of the business, if your Helmets clean, you can't be doing much anyway.

Only for annual inspections was the Helmet required to be "presentable", not clean. Some of what burns, leaves lasting effects on all Helmets.

[CALFFBOU]

1st- Like someone said, mild soap (Joy, Dawn Costco)
and warm water. A product called "simple green". www.simplegreen.com might help. Make sure
you dilute the SimpleGreen first. I havent used it
alot, but its pretty popular.

2nd- A fire helmet, much like the rest of your PPE
should be properly cleaned and maintained. I rather
have clean gear then some Doctor telling me about
how cancer started on my neck and is starting
to spread. Or sitting alone in a hospital bed waiting
for your next Chemo shock all because you "got crust".
What a joke, give me a break!

Clean your PPE!!! Impress me with your skills, education
and knowledge. Not crust, dirt and grime. Please invite
me to your retirement party, not funeral.

And there is my favorite- "Think progressive,
not old school."

[gordoffemt]

Well, I'm not going to use religion to make a point. But, I do agree with CALFFBOU on this.

Studies have shown that the dirtier your gear, the less likely it is to protect you as it was designed to.

I don't need dirty or burnt gear to prove that I can do my job when called to do it. That mentality is much like refusing to wear SCBA to prove what a tough "smoke eater" you are.

Keep it clean!

[Weruj1]

I am with CalffBOU.............Simple Green is the best.......cuts gunk like a knife for sure..........

[Fire304]

Windex is fairly gentle and good for spot cleaning, dish soap and water. I pull my liner out when it gets slimey enough to bother me and hand wash the sweat band in the sink then let it dry. I hate to say it, but Bouca is right, clean it after every call, at least with a hose off.

[Resq14]

Wait, I thought TupperWare was dishwasher safe?




Go easy with the Simple Green. It eats through sticker adhesive (read: tetrahedron's, crescents, fronts, maltese crosses, SOL's, flags, etc.).

[CALFFBOU]

Originally posted by Resq14
Wait, I thought TupperWare was dishwasher safe?

My department issued Cairns 1010 is plastic so I
guess you are referring to it. Funny how when it
really comes down to it, TupperWare is really rubber
but Phenix and Cairns make plastic/carbon helemts.

Kinda shows a person's ignorance and education,
dont-cha-know.

[MIKEYLIKESIT]

Originally posted by CALFFBOU


My department issued Cairns 1010 is plastic so I
guess you are referring to it. Funny how when it
really comes down to it, TupperWare is really rubber
but Phenix and Cairns make plastic/carbon helemts.

Kinda shows a person's ignorance and education,
dont-cha-know.

............ Must be nice to be right all the time.

[Bones42]

Wait, I thought TupperWare was dishwasher safe?

I know of a Deputy Chief who will disagree with this. At our last dinner, he was presented with a memorial piece of Tupperware...mostly due to full response for reported structure fire that ended up being Tupperware lid burning in dishwasher.....at his house!

[Fire304]

Originally posted by CALFFBOU
My department issued Cairns 1010 is plastic

Funny, went to Cairn's web site and they describe the 1010 as "actually made of fiberglass-high temp resin shell", not plastic at all!

Kinda shows a person's ignorance and education,
dont-cha-know.

Couldn't agree more.

[RdRunnr]

Calffbou........what does a presentable helmet have to do with cancer? My implication was......a firefighters job is dirty, and thus so does their gear get. There are carbons and pvc's and all matters of unburned residue on our gear, some actually requiring decontamination. This residue will stay on, no matter what color liquid soaps you use. Therefor "it is dirty". If "Stickers" are the problem, paint the numerals or letters on with the same paint used in the Helmet. "CRUST" as you call it......does not come from oven-burned helmets, but rather a world of experience. Since you research so carefully your opinions......please lead me to the source of neck cancer cases coming from crustie helmets and other "real" firefighters gear!

[CALFFBOU]

Originally posted by MIKEYLIKESIT
............ Must be nice to be right all the time.

I will be the first to admit I am probably more
wrong than right. The thing is I learn from my
mistakes. I also research and learn from others.

[CALFFBOU]

Originally posted by RdRunnr
Calffbou........what does a presentable
helmet have to do with cancer?

This one is easy. The dirt, grime, debris
and other nasty stuff can collect and
build up on your helmet. As you wear the
helmet, that junk starts to roll off with
water or just plain usage. PLUS, you use
your hand to don your dirty helmet, right?
Then what do you do...rub your ear, scratch
your neck, rub your eyes...where does that
dirty grime go? In your pores.

Best to keep ALL of your PPE clean to
avoid contact with any type of cancer
or any other job related hazardous
nasty stuff.

Hope that answers your question.

[Dickey]

Thanks for all your posts. I will look at the Simply Green.

I believe you need a good mixutre of old school AND new school. Personally I guess I would rather rinse off the big chunks and leave it. Shows character I think. Anyway, I thought I would check and see.

Thanks again.
________________________
Lt.Jason Knecht
Altoona Fire Rescue
Altoona, WI

[hwoods]

When a friend says that he would rather come to my retirement party than my funeral that just about says it all. Clean Gear is safer gear. Fact. Stay Safe....

[firemangeorge]

Amen hwoods.

I don't need my gear to do my talking for me. I used to think I needed to impress other ffs with my crusty gear. Then I grew up.
My bunkers get cleaned after every good fire and I clean the rest of my stuff on a regular basis. I have found that the same soap that cleans the grime off my hands takes the same off my helmet, without much damage.

Clean gear is safe gear. And it shows your pride.

[Resq14]

Originally posted by CALFFBOU


Kinda shows a person's ignorance and education,
dont-cha-know.

Whoa. Someone needs to take a dose of lighten-up meds.

In your quest to enlighten and "save" the jakes of the world, consider a leading risk factor in heart disease: stress.

What do you think you do to people when you insist that their relatively safe traditions (the ones that pale in comparison to the risks we face everyday in civilian life... you know, the ones that you apparently abhor) are not compatible with the fire service? You stress them out. Therefore, it could be hypothesized that in your quest to make the fire service a safer place, you are in fact doing more harm than good.

This is far more likely than "neck cancer" (?) from a helmet.

[CALFFBOU]

Originally posted by Resq14


Whoa. Someone needs to take a dose of
lighten-up meds. In your quest to enlighten
and "save" the jakes of the world, consider
a leading risk factor in heart disease: stress.

What do you think you do to people when you
insist that their relatively safe traditions (
the ones that pale in comparison to the risks
we face everyday in civilian life... you know,
the ones that you apparently abhor) are not
compatible with the fire service? You stress
them out. Therefore, it could be hypothesized
that in your quest to make the fire service
a safer place, you are in fact doing more
harm than good.

This is far more likely than "neck cancer"
(?) from a helmet.

All that typing above is a far reach. I never
said I was going to save any Jakes or change
the fire service. Again, just throwing out
some common sense and basic knowledge about
PPE maintenance. Enough has been said, we
dont need to go back and forth on this one.

As for SimpleGreeen, I have used the product
several times with success. But I am not
100% knowledable about them. Gotta just
check them out for yourself.

HWoods- Thanks for the backing.