I have a couple hats that I need to wash. The problem is that putting the hats into the washing machine will destroy the hats. (Cardboard bills won’t make it through the wash)
Anyone have any ideas?
One of my hats was given to me by my Grandmother. She wore it while watching the Denver Broncos play. The hat is important to me since my Gram gave it to me. My Gram passed away on 9-11, before the attacks, and she willed me the hat because we watched the Broncos together all the time.
The hat needs cleaning yet I don’t want to harm it because, as wacky as this sounds, it means a lot to me.
Someone makes ball cap washers. They’re plastic forms that you fit your cap over, then the top form fits over that, then you just toss them into the washer and then the dryer.
I have one but I forget where I got it.
If the cap is super-special, and it sounds like yours is, I’d use one of these forms and then do the Woolite-and-air-dry-thing.
I do mine in the sink with dish detergent.Let soak a while,then scrub inside sweatband (if it needs it with a vegetable brush) Use warm to cool water rinse thoroughly.Comes out like new everytime no fading.
Woolite’s good but more expensive.
I just hang it over a doorknob with a towel (doubled up for more thickness) spread under it,to catch the drops,until dry.Overnight dries it for me.
If the bill is really cardboard reinforced water may destroy the integrity of the shape. You need to use a solvent cleaner in those cases but they can be dangerous.
I’ve washed a lot of my hats before, and the best method I’ve found is to wash them by hand in the sink with warm water, a soft brush, and woolite. To dry them, buy one of those small size basketballs, fit the hat over it, and let it air dry outside (not directly in the sun, of course). This should get the hat clean and help it keep its correct size and shape. I have used those hat holders for the dishwasher, but the hats always seem to be misshapen after the wash.
Humm… I’ve always washed mine in the ol’ washing machine. I throw 'em in there with the rest of the laundry, and they come out fine. Now you guys have me worried!
Well, I don’t want to endorse one vendor over another, but the product described by Another Primate is called a “Cap Shaper”. A search for that phrase will return numerous vendors.