In a damp basement for 10 years the guts have been compromised even without the mold issue. Foam and the liner does go bad with age and no use.

 

At least a dog didn’t **** in it

 

Does it really have mold, i.e. can you see it, or just a musty basement smell. #1 if it's really mold then you have a serious problem in the house you need to deal with and screw the helmet issue. #2, if it's just stuffy closed up basement smell then probably airing the helmet out will solve that issue, might try that with the basement also. If you have a room ionization machine, put that in front of the helmet for a day. Might put it in the basement a while too.

 

If you put it in the microwave, fill it with popcorn first. Then. at least something useful will come out of it.

 

Slightly off topic but somewhat related...ahh probably not, but.....

Several of us where in Daytona, and one of the guys feet got wet in pouring rain, had leather boat shoes on and they were soaked. So he thought, hey let me dry them out in the microwave. Put them in for several minutes and when they came out they were curled up like the wicked witch of the west shoes. Laughed our skirts off on that one.

Needless to say he was buying drinks that night, which was not an inexpensive event..

 

You can try this.

https://www.jpcycles.com/product/zz9...e-helmet-fresh

 

The plastic parts and styrofoam liner are liable to melt in a microwave.

 

Baking Soda and a sealed bag for a few days might do the trip. I use to do a lot of car detailing and occasionally one that had been sitting had that moldy smell, a few days with baking soda in the carpet and upholstery with the windows up in the sun normally did the trick.

 

I would think that after 10 years, whether you ever wore the helmet or not, it is not going to offer the level of protection you would want in the event of a crash. Things degrade over time. Consult the manufacturer of the helmet if you want the definitive answer to whether the helmet is safe to wear or not. I wouldn't trust my life to a 10 year old helmet, but that may just be me.

 

The whole concept of wearing a helmet that is ( or has been ) full of mold just sounds gross to me :<(