I’ve got a pro style baseball hat, and it needs to be washed. The label says to dry clean it, but I wonder if there’s a better, easier, and/or cheaper way to do it. It’s a New Era size 8 Oakland Athletics home cap, for those that are curious.
I think there’s some sort of plastic holder thingy that allows you to wash the cap in your dishwasher, assuming you have one.
Is the cap made of wool? If so, I strongly advising following the cleaning instructions on the label.
BTTT. I also have the same questiion. I’ve heard of the plastic thingy before but apparently they didn’t catch on. What’s a mutha to do?
Pro caps are made of wool. The “plastic thingy” is called a “cap keeper” - I once washed a pro cap using a cap keeper, and the cap was ruined.
I still have my cap keeper and use it to put a cap in my luggage when I travel. It protects the cap against crushing.
I don’t know how well dry cleaning works with a pro cap. I’ve never tried it myself - I just buy a new cap when the old one gets too grungy. My caps usually last a couple of years.
By the way, size 8 is really big. I wear a 7 5/8.
I’m an A’s fan, too, by the way.
Dave is a big guy; he is “great”, if you will. 
Used a “cap keeper” and they pretty much bite. You can still find them at K/Wal-Mart type stores (I think mine was from Dollar Tree or something.) I would definitely try to dry clean something as precious as an Oakland A’s cap. If it was a Giants cap, of course, I’d just beat it with a wet rock. (<- Blatent Troy McClure SF and Kyla baiting.)
I wear caps often enough that I can do a load of laundry with them. When I`ve rotated through the fleet, I collect them all and soak them in the washing machine for a few hours with the detergent added. Then I wash them on gentle cycle and low speed rinse. Use no spin if you can select that on your machine.
Never destroyed a cap from washing them and they come out very clean. Hang dry. This is also the time to “shape” them, as they dry (the softball and rubber band trick).
No kidding 8 is big! I would have almost suggested just getting a new one, but it must be a pain to find an 8. I wear a 7 5/8 and the (brick-and-mortar) stores rarely have them. I suppose adjustable caps don’t work either.
[qupte]If it was a Giants cap, of course, I’d just beat it with a wet rock.**
I SAW THAT!
It’s good if your cap is dirty. It looks lived in. Why would you want to wash it anyway?
God, that was the worst attempt at coding I have ever seen. I am a pathetic excuse for a human being.
Forgive my ignorance, what’s the softball and rubber band trick. Certainly your head’s bigger than a softball, right?
It’s for the brim, man, the brim! You can’t have a straight brim! That’s so unsexy.
Most bills nowadays are made of plastic, so the cap keeper is pointless. The bills don’t get ruined in the washing machine like they did when the bills were made of cardboard. Just hang it on the line and reshape the bill to your liking. Any wool hat will shrink over time, whether washed, worn in the rain, or sweated into. All you have to do is stretch it out. Most MLB hats have the high rise front, because of a stiffer mesh inside two front hat panels. When washed, the wool shrinks and the mesh doesn’t hold it’s shape. What you get is more of a low crown looking hat, which I prefer. I throw all my new hats in the washer to shrink them a little more.
For shaping the bill, I just roll it into a tube, and work it from there. Only takes a minute or two.
Word of warning: Don’t use a “kap keeper” plastic thingy in the WASHING machine.
Tried that once. It jammed between the spinning and fixed baskets, locking the the spinning one solid. The fan belt proceeded to smoke, then melt, resulting in burnt rubber smell everywhere and a visit from the FDNY thanks to a call from a panicy neighbor. It was a nightmare.
You shouldn’t use that cap keeper, period. Not in the dishwasher, not in the washer, not on a boat, not with a goat…
Actually, I’ve never had problems with the bills, but I think it’s to keep the back fasteners from snagging on stuff. (I know a fitted cap wouldn’t have that, but I’m still saying NO to putting wool through the washer.) I’ve washed regular caps in the washer without the keeper, and the results were mixed. Sometimes the lining gets all screwed up, sometimes the little top button falls off, sometimes the little snap/velcro fasteners in back get all screwed up, sometimes the color fades terribly, and sometimes they come out fine – it’s a little adventure every time. But these are 90% caps we got for free or 3/$10 or something. I wouldn’t risk the washer on a decent hat.
Thanks for all of the tips so far. I understand the grungy hat desirability thing, but with mine, the yellow is kinda grayish browny yellow, and it smells funky. I figured the kap keeper was a waste of time- I think I’ll try the soak method.
VV- why would anyone want a Giants hat?
I’ll have you know I look extremely cute in my Giants cap.
Plus, wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m a Tigers fan. The horror, the horror!
I’ve been very disappointed with the official caps recently. Seven, eight years ago, the caps could hold up to anything. These days, if it drizzles, you end up with these little “ribs” showing up along the front. Plus on the inside, there’s these little stiff plastic string-like thingies that start getting loose and coming out, stabbing you in the head. (I should say that I wear hats, quite literally, all the time, so I put on a lot of milage.) I’d say, don’t get it wet at all. If it’s too grungy, spring the $25 for a new one.
Kyla- Looks like the terrorists have already won. ::sigh::
Actually, I don’t hate the Giants the way Sox fans hate the Cubs. I wish the team no specific ill will, nor general malaise. In truth, I’m more of a fairweather bandwagoneer type of Giants fan, while being a true A’s fan. Yes, I admit, I am an Athletic supporter.