There is a proper technique to wash a baseball cap so that it retains its shape and lasts over many years and treks, and beach days to come. As with most cleaning tasks, begin with the most gentle cleaning method and work your way up. If your baseball cap is only slightly filthy, a brief soak in the sink will suffice.
However, for severe sweat stains, you’ll want to increase the stain-fighting power. If you are still wondering how to wash your hat right then begin with the gentlest way in our baseball cap cleaning directions below.
Here’s how to wash your hat
- Soak the hat in water. Fill a clean sink or bucket halfway with cool water and add a few drops of a moderate laundry detergent (no bleach). Make suds in the water by gently churning it, then soak the hat for 10 minutes.
- Thoroughly rinse. Wash the hat in cool water to remove any dirt and detergent residue. Using a clean towel, pat it dry. To drain excess water, gently squeeze the hat, but avoid twisting the brim or doing anything else that could bend the cap out of shape.
- Reshape and allow to air-dry. Reshape the crown and pack it with something to ensure that it dries in the proper shape. A cloth, paper towels, a tiny dish, a container, or a ball can all be used. Never, ever put your hat in the dryer.
Cleaning a miserably dirty cap
If your cap appears to have slid into the home plate, pretreat any dirt or sweat stains prior to soaking in a stain solution like OxiClean.
Make a cleaning solution and test it on a small section of the cap to ensure that it will not cause any harm or discoloration.
With a little brush, apply the mixture immediately to the spots and scrub gently in a circular motion. Then soak the hat for 15 minutes, examining to see whether the spots require more scrubbing. Remove the cap from the water, completely rinse it, then form and air-dry as before.
Spot cleaning!
Some baseball hats should not be soaked and should instead be dry-cleaned or lightly spot-cleaned.
Vintage caps built before the 1980s, for example, frequently have a cardboard bill that would warp if wet. Simply tap on the brim to find out how long your hat has been around. It’s a plastic brim if it feels strong and doesn’t bend readily. It’s a cardboard brim if it bends readily.
To spot clean a baseball cap, simply use a tiny brush and some light cleaning detergent to scrub gently, immediately blotting any extra liquid.
Washing your hat in a dishwasher – Is it a good idea?
While a baseball cap can be washed in the dishwasher, you might not want to. You absolutely cannot put a vintage hat with a paperboard brim in the dishwasher. If you must use the dishwasher for convenience, use cold water and a moderate cycle to avoid color loss and distortion.
Put the hat on the topmost rack of the dishwasher and double-check that your dish detergent is free of bleach. To maintain your hat looking its best, it is strongly advised that you wash it by hand with laundry detergent.
Lastly
Baseball caps should be cleaned three to five times every season if they are worn often. If you wear the hat on a daily basis or during the peak of the summer season, you might need to wash it more frequently to remove stains and odors.
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