How to Wash a Hat: A Quick Guide

Washing a hat isn’t as simple as throwing it into the washer like the rest of your clothes.  This guide on how to wash a hat will ensure your $30 investment stays clean and fresh for years to come.

I like wearing hats. They are convenient, fast, and show allegiance to your favorite sports team (Green Bay Packers).  Hats are like a brand-new pair of shoes or new cell phone.  You swear to yourself that you’ll take care of them perfectly, never get them dirty and place them in a safe spot every time they are put down.

But a year in, your white shoes are grungy, your phone has been dropped at least a dozen times in the last month, and your hat has definitely seen better days.

Like white shoes, there is a way to bring a hat back to life.  This guide on how to wash a hat will show you.

How to Wash a Hat: A Quick Guide

Supplies:

• Bucket (or sink)
• Pre-Treatment Stain Remover (for heavy stains)
• Laundry Detergent
• OxiClean
• Soft Bristled Brush (Toothbrush)
• Clean White Towel
• Head shaped jar, vase, or can

Step 1: Pretreat

Hats can get pretty grimy, especially around the sweat band area and brim, where your fingers touch.

Grab a pre-treatment stain remover and spray onto the problem areas.  Let it sit for 15 minutes and grab a toothbrush.  Gently work the stain remover into the material.

It’s very important to not scrub too hard, especially around artwork or stitching, as the brush may pull and distort the threading.  Just use nice, gentle strokes, moving the brush in the same direction as the fibers.

Step 2: Wash and Soak

Fill a bucket or sink up with cool water.  Why cool water? Cool water can help colors from fading and shrinking.  Plus, it helps avoid setting pesky sweat stains.

While filling, add a tablespoon of OxyClean and a teaspoon of laundry detergent, ensuring they dissolve into the water.

Gently lift and dunk the hat several times into the bucket and gently go at the stains again with the toothbrush.

When you’re satisfied, let the hat soak for a few hours or overnight.

Pro Tip: Avoid using bleach, even on white hats, as this can break down fibers and stitching.

Step 3: Rinse

Drain the soap bucket and refill with clean, cool water.

Douse the hat repeatedly in the clean water to remove soap and grime.

If needed, rinse under the sink to ensure all soap is removed from the fibers.

Step 4: Dry

Hold the hat and let it drip for a couple minutes.

Then, using a clean, dry towel, blot the hat so the water is absorbed.  When you feel like you’ve done everything you can with the towel, put it onto a flat surface.

Grab a vase/flower pot or coffee tin (anything head shaped will do) and turn it upside down onto the towel.

Place the hat onto the vase and let it drip dry.

Don’t put into the dryer, as the heat and tumbling can distort the hat.

Step 5: Enjoy your newly washed hat!

Important Things to Note:

1. You may hear that you can use a dishwasher or washer to wash a hat.  This may work for hats that don’t really matter, but if you want to keep your hats in great shape, avoid these options.
2. Before you begin this process, grab a clean white rag and get it wet. Dab onto the hat, and if any color bleeds, you’ll just need to use cold water to wash.  Soaps and detergents may strip away color, possibly ruining it.
3. Hats made before 1983 often used cardboard brims instead of today’s plastic. You can tell it’s cardboard if it makes a hollow noise when you flick it.  You definitely don’t want to get these vintage hats soaked. Instead, spot clean it with a soft brush and spot rinse with a clean cloth dipped in water.  Make sure to avoid saturating the cardboard brim.  Air dry.

How to Wash a Hat: Wool

Wool is a delicate, natural fiber that is easily distorted by a washing machine’s agitation.

If you have a wool hat that needs to be washed, it’s important to do it by hand.

Fill a bucket or sink with cool water and add a detergent specifically made for wool (Woolite).  Dunk the hat and massage the stained fiber without twisting or scrubbing at it.

Let it soak.

When you’re satisfied, rinse the hat in a cool water bath.

Using a thick towel, blot the hat to absorb as much water as you can.

To avoid distorting while drying, wear the hat until it dries so it conforms to the exact shape of your head.  It may be unpleasant and uncomfortable to wear a wet hat, but it’s the best way to ensure it holds a perfect shape!