Whether you have a vintage Stetson hat, a cowboy hat or wool felt fedora, they will get covered in various outdoor elements. Debris, dirt, sweat stains, grease stains, body oils, and watermarks can undoubtedly damage your precious hat. Therefore, you need to focus on the cleaning and maintenance process. But remember that care and maintenance of your hat is not a daunting task if you follow some simple rules. So, what measurements you should take to clean your felt hats?
First, you need to know the details about the felt hats to apply proper cleaning methods. The felt hats are made of wool, a natural and durable fiber. After collecting the wool, it’s been treated using heat and pressure that bends the fiber together to create wool felt.
Apart from the wool, the felt hats can be made using animal fur from beavers, rabbits, and other furry creatures. Therefore, you need to see the label or instruction of hats so that you don’t end up using irrelevant cleaning methods for your hat.
The cleaning method of the hat is not hard, but time-consuming. If you try to complete the cleaning process in haste, you might damage the fabric and structure of the hats.
How to Easily Clean and Care for Felt Hats
Clean as You’re Ready to Go
One of the best ways to protect your wool felt hats and make them look as good as possible is by cleaning them every time you wear them. This might sound like an extreme job, but the process doesn’t take much effort. This will also help you increase the longevity of mens felt hats.
You need to use a soft-bristled brush or microfiber cloth specifically designed for cleaning purposes. To ensure the smoothness of the fabric, sweep away the dust or debris with the brush in a counter-clockwise direction. You can also consider purchasing a high-quality lint roller that will help you remove dust and debris from the surface of the hat. You can also use tapes to remove the debris particles effectively.
Store the Hat in Cool Place
The way you store and take care of your hat will undoubtedly have an impact on lifespan. When you’re not using your felt hat, make sure you put it in a box and store it in a dry and cool place. Make sure the hat is not exposed to direct sunlight. This way the hats will stay dust-free and safe from any type of fading problem.
Even though this might sound strange, you can arrange and store your hat upside down so that the crown is facing the bottom. When you arrange your hat in such a way, you will be able to protect the brim. Additionally, this will help you save space if you have multiple felt hats.
Spot Cleaning a Felt Hat
If you’re cleaning and storing your felt hats properly, the cleaning process of the hats will become much easier over time. However, sometimes your hat might be exposed to some hard stains that would require extra attention.
- If the stain is hard, use a sponge and soak it in cool water. After that, use the wet sponge to run away from the stain. Make sure you don’t use excessive water. You can also use mild soap.
- Pay extra attention while cleaning the decorative elements of the hats such as sweatbands. Most of them aren’t durable enough to withstand pressure.
- Make sure you rub the sponge in a counter-clock direction to prevent any type of damage to the fabric.
- Choose the cleaning cloth as per the color of the hat. If the hat is white, consider using a white cloth.
- If the stain is more stubborn, you can use a combination of baby powder and baking soda. Apply this solution directly to the stained areas. As per NBC news, you can also use vinegar to get rid of stubborn stain.
- If necessary, continue repeating the process until you get rid of the stain.
Hand Washing a Felt Hat
Felt hats cannot be doused in water directly as they might cause damage to the fabric. Not to mention, the excess moisture can also increase the growth of mildew. Therefore, make sure you go through the spot cleaning before applying a full-on hand washing.
People make mistakes while cleaning their felt hats by hand. They either submerge their hats too long in water or apply excessive pressure. These two factors will undoubtedly damage your hat permanently. If you feel that the hat is dripping wet, place it outdoor under the natural sunlight. Don’t use any type of third-party heat source such as a blow dryer to dry the felt hats quickly. Even if you’re planning to use the blow dryer, make sure the heat temperature is set to the lowest.
Machine Wash Your Felt Hats
If you don’t want to go through the spot cleaning or hand washing methods, the last option for you is machine cleaning. But use the dry cleaning method while applying machine wash. Make sure you determine if the felt hats are machine washable or not.
Conclusion
These are the tips you need to remember to clean and care for your felt hats properly. If you have any other questions regarding the cleaning process, comment below and we will answer soon.
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