Whether you wear a baseball cap for work or play, there may come a time that it needs a bit of cleaning. Today Britta is going to help us out with this tricky cleaning situation!
Britta writes…
My husband Neil is a line cook at a local restaurant, and his everyday “uniform” includes wearing a hat. As you can imagine, the combination of sweat, smoke, and kitchen grease has not been kind to his work hats over time.
Newer caps with plastic brims can actually be cleaned in the dishwasher, but Neil’s favorite vintage caps have cardboard brims that need a little TLC.
When he brought them to me, they looked pretty sad and dingy, and they didn’t smell great either. But he loves those hats, so I assured him I would find a way to give them the care they deserved.
What I came up with is a simple method that will not only get your baseball hats clean, but it will also minimize any color-loss or warping. And you’ll be able to do it in just a few minutes!
What you’ll need…
I started by applying a stain stick to the inside of the headband, where the sweat stains were the most apparent. I also applied it the stain stick to any spot that looked particularly grimy.
After letting the pretreatment soak in for a minute or two, I filled a bucket with cold water (to help protect the color on the hats), added two scoops of OxiClean powder, and stirred the water a bit to help it dissolve.
Then one at a time, I dunked the hats into the bucket, using my fingers to work the soap into the fabric. After a minute or two of this, the water had become a murky, light brownish color. (Gross, but it showed the hat was coming clean!)
After a few minutes of dunking and scrubbing the hat, I brought it over to the sink and rinsed it under cold running water. I paid extra attention to rinsing the parts that I had pretreated, to make sure there wasn’t any residue left over.
After rinsing, I used a couple of clean kitchen towels to blot any excess water off of the hat, especially in the band area where there is more fabric.
To help the hat keep its shape while it dried, I placed the hat on an upturned jar. (It’s important to let your hats air-dry to avoid shrinking or warping.)
That’s all there is to it! It took me only 15 minutes or so to wash both hats, and they look so much better than they did before.
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And best of all – they actually smell clean! Had I known that cleaning them would be so easy, I would have done it a long time ago! :-)
How do you deal with dirty caps?
I throw my husband’s hats into the washing machine with a regular load, then air dry, and they come out just fine!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No time for handwashing my barn hats! I’ve always thrown them in the washer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.To shape the hat, I use a baloon. Just blow it up a bit, put the hat on it and then blow it up until it fits tight or however you want it to be. Your welcome!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have always used empty coffee cans to dry the hats. Works for me and it keeps the shape!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also, loved the idea of the Oxy Clean! That stuff really works!
I have washed my husband and daughter’s in the washing machine on cold for years…they get soft, but they seem to like that….I re-shape them by hand and air dry. no shrinkage and no fading. these are usually cotton-poly blend or all cotton not wool “fitted” hats.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Put it on the top rack of dishwasher, invert pan after it comes out, put it on it and there you have it–all clean and not wrinkled or shrunk!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I put some vinegar in the water to prevent colors from bleeding.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I no longer have a dish washer… But you just put the hat in the dish washer with a pot on top. Done. Clean.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a baseball hat plastic frame to hold the hats and put them through the dishwasher works great saves my hands and the frame holds the hat while it/they dry I live in A dry area so I leave them on the counter or hang them outside in the shade In the frame .
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I did have one hat come out the the dishwasher looking very sad blotchy fading I think it was the dishwasher soap I used
I learned a long time ago to,dry them on the bottom of a cooking pan. Just turn the pot upside down and fit the cap over the bowl. Works perfect every time. It keeps the shape and does not allow for shrinkage.
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