Is your child’s baseball or softball hat (or even your husband’s!) absolutely disgusting?! I happen to have 3 baseball players in our house and their hats are, honestly, so gross! They are full of dirt, smells, sweat and oils.
I have to admit. In the past, I have had some unhappy boys in my house because I threw their hats in the washing machine and (according to them) I “RUINED” the crown of the hat! {In my mind…at least it was clean! LOL.}
Lesson learned. No more washing machine.
Next up is the dishwasher method…we’ve all heard of it. Just throw the hats on the top rack and wash away. Sure, it won’t ruin the shape of the hat, but that super hot water can shrink the hat and run the color!
No dishwasher.
Finally, I discovered the best way to clean baseball hats as well as for them to keep their shape! Simply use a degreaser and soak!
Here are simple step-by-step directions to clean your baseball hat:
1. Use your favorite degreaser (I used Orange Goop, but others to try are Purple Power or Simple Green) and spray or rub on to the bill and inside of the hat. Let set 20-30 min.
2. Dissolve 1/2 cup of laundry detergent in warm water in the sink. I used Tide Powder, but feel free to use what you have on hand…liquid works too!
3. Place hats in the water and soak 2-3 hours (check out that icky water!).
4. Thoroughly rinse hats in cold water after they are done soaking.
5. Re-shape the hats and allow them to air dry.
Enjoy the cleanliness!
I think everyone loves his baseball cap but the hard time comes when it needs to clean the cap. I have had success with a cold wet rag and some woolite to get the dried sweat stains off of the side of a dark cap but any level of soaking and the hat is pretty much ruined. Cleaning baseball caps require especial attention and this article explains nicely how to clean the baseball cap. Cleaning of baseball cap is essential for its durability and good looking.
No matter what method you follow to clean your cap, always remember to read the tag of the cap about cleaning instructions. It is very important to clean the cap properly. Improper cleaning can alter the shape of the baseball cap, ruin the brim of the cap, and shrink of the cap.
One tip I have learned after washing, is if you stuff the wet cap with a dry towel in the early stages of drying, it helps to reshape the cap as well as prevent shrinking. Once the towel has absorbed most of the moisture, and the cap is still damp, remove the towel and allow the cap to dry the rest of the way on its own. I have washed caps for my father, husband, two sons and myself using the soaking method for washing and this towel method for drying for 30 years without a casualty.
I think a great idea is to gently clean your hat after each use to make sure dust, dirt and that nasty, salty sweat stain doesn’t set in. You can use lint rollers and even wet wipes to keep your hat fresh. I know it can get dirty playing on the ball field so I just suggest doing it the best you can.
There are certain things you can count on if you play the game of baseball long enough. One of them is someway and somehow it is inevitable that you will get your uniform dirty at some point in time. You will get a grass stain from making a diving play in the outfield or embed some dirt in it as you slide safely into second base. Not to mention you are sweating the whole time you are playing too. One of the toughest uniform items to keep clean is your baseball cap.
Many people are under the impression that their baseball cap cannot be washed and when it gets dirty you simply throw it away and buy a new one. Well, that would be a waste of a perfectly good ball cap because baseball hats most certainly can be washed. With that being said, there are some things you need to do to get them clean and some things to avoid when trying to wash them. One school of thought on baseball hats we told you about and that is you can’t wash them. Another wrong theory is you can wash them any way you want and that is absolutely also not true. Baseball hats can handle washing but it has to be done delicately or you will ruin them.
Another tricky part of washing a baseball cap is getting it to retain its shape. It’s a lot harder than you think and many a ball cap has been made structurally useless after a vigorous washing. You certainly don’t want to wear a baseball hat that has been made flat or had its brim distorted during the washing process.