3 Ways to Clean a Hat

Before washing your hat and, actually anything, you should first look at the label to understand the main “do’s and don’ts” of that exact material. As soon as you can account for those details, you’ll decide which washing method — by hand, washing machine, or spot cleaning — is best for you.

If the label says dry clean only, do that and don’t try any other method, otherwise you could damage your hat.
Why is the age of the hat important? If you have a baseball cap, it’s essential to know that, since until the early ‘80s most baseball caps were made with cardboard bills rather than any durable/washable fabrics such as cotton. Hence, if you have an old baseball hat, don’t put it in water.

So, the 3 main ways of washing a hat are:

By hand
Cleaning the hat by hand is a very effective way to clean it even if the label says it’s safer to just wash it in a washing machine. Baseball caps, wool hats and hand-knit hats are the types best suited for hand washing.
Firstly, you should add a mild detergent to the water. Try to use a mild detergent or soap without bleach. (always check the labels.) If you have a wool hat, it would be best to use a soap specific for that fabric.
Secondly, scrub the stained spots. Give some attention to soiled areas of the hat. This most often includes the sweatband of your hat. Here the body oils, makeup, and sweat stains can accumulate through time.
Once you’ve understood that your hat is not losing color or showing any other signs of damage, soak the hat in the bowl or sink.
Finally, rinse the hat and remove it from the soapy water. Rinse it under a faucet of cold running water to wash off the detergent..

Machine wash
Before doing that consider that straw hats, wool baseball caps, hats made from cashmere, silk, and other delicate fabrics are not intended for machine wash.
Next step is using a garment bag. Even when you are 100% sure that you can machine wash your hat, try using a zippered garment bag to protect the shape and color of your hat. You don’t want to permanently damage it, right?
Wash the hat in cold water, because in case you wash it in high heat, it could cause shrinkage and reshaping of the hat.
Use the delicate cycle to make sure the wash is gentle and that the hat doesn’t get damaged. Again, you don’t want it.

Spot Clean a Hat
This is one of the safest methods to treat a hat. It requires more patience and won’t always remove all the stains, but it will keep the hat intact. The straw hats, leather, suede hats, baseball caps with cardboard bills are all best suited for spot cleaning.
Dab the dirty areas of the hat with a washcloth and mild non-bleach laundry detergent or soap. If you are cleaning a straw hat, be careful not to make the straw damp.

All these methods of cleaning are safe and effective if you do it properly. At the same time applying to a professional cleaning service ensures 100% clean and tidy hats returned exactly the way you want them to be cleaned.