Because baseball caps are subject to oils, sweat, and dirt, before you know it, they can become a nasty mess. However, frayed fabric, misshaped brims, and faded colors can be the result of cleaning a baseball cap improperly.
There are right ways and wrong ways of washing a baseball hat. This becomes particularly important when you consider the collectability of some of them. If the baseball hat is particularly rare (thereby collectible), or even if it just means something special to you, you'll want to make sure it's cleaned carefully and properly.
There are three basic ways of cleaning your baseball hat:
Let's look at the steps involved in handwashing, since it's the safest way to clean most any hat.
Step One: Get a Brush and a Clean Container
You should designate a cleaning bush that you only use for the care of your hats, and you'll need a clean container. There are actually cap cleaning brushes available on the Internet, courtesy of New Era. Otherwise, a toothbrush works just great.
Step Two: Water Temperature
The water with which you wash your hat should be lukewarm or cold. Make your choice and fill the container. Opt for colder rather than hotter because hot water encourages shrinkage.
Step Three: The Right Detergent
Add your choice of detergent while you're filling your cleaning container with water. A tablespoon of shampoo, dish soap, or laundry detergent will suffice. Caution: Never use bleach or products with bleach in them because it will fade the color(s) of your hat. For removing oils and dirt, shampoo works well. For removing stains, Oxiclean is great.
Step Four: Spot Cleaning
Particularly dirty areas of your hat can be better cleaned by scrubbing them lightly with detergent and the brush. Be particularly gentle around embroidered and stitched areas. Stitching can be torn if you scrub too hard. The inside of the hat should be cleaned as well as the outside because the inside is very frequently covered with oil, dirt, and sweat. To the outside of the fabric, these can seep through.
Step Five: Rinsing
Under clean water, the spot cleaned areas should be rinsed. Repeat scrubbing as needed after checking to see that all the stains have been removed.
Though not particularly good for all hats, some people choose to soak their hat in soapy water if heavy staining is a problem. As an example, your 59Fifty hat isn't a particularly good choice for this method.
Do not soak your hat in any kind of liquid if it has a cardboard brim, as do many older hats. It will be ruined. Rather, spot clean the brim of your hat if it has cardboard in it.
Hats that can be soaked can sit in the soapy water for as much as a couple of hours, or as little as 30 minutes – depending on the amount of staining. To review the stains and see how they are doing, check your hat every 30 minutes. You may still choose to use the brush on problem areas.
Stage Six: More Rinsing
Once you have removed all of the stains and dirt, use clean water to rinse out all the detergent residue.
Stage Seven: Drying Methods
You can either air dry your hat or towel dry it. You can get rid of extra moisture by using a clean, lint free towel.
If you air dry your hat, while it's drying, to help it retain its shape, you can use a head shaped object or a hat shaper.
Some people, while the hat is drying, opt for one or two extra steps:
Now That You Know How to Wash Your Baseball Hat, It's Time to Buy One at Hat Heaven
At Hat Heaven, we know how much you love your hats. That's why we included instructions here as to the proper way to care for them. The next time you need a baseball cap, check out our impressive inventory. If you've already damaged your favorite hat by washing it the wrong way, there's no better time to purchase a new one than right now at Hat Heaven.
Got questions? Email us at customerservice@hatheaven.com.
