How to Wash a Hat (Without Ruining It)

Good news: you can wash almost any hat at home without wrecking it. Bad news: the two methods most people try first, the washing machine and the dishwasher, are the ones most likely to ruin it.

Here’s how to do it the right way, plus what to change for wool, felt, straw and white hats.

The quick answer

1. Check the tag inside the hat for care instructions.
2. Brush off loose dirt and dust while the hat is dry.
3. Spot clean the outside with a mild cleaner and a soft brush. Work in small circles.
4. Give the sweatband extra attention. That’s where the smell and the yellow lines come from.
5. Wipe off the suds with a damp cloth. Don’t soak the hat.
6. Air dry it on something round, like a rolled-up towel or a ball, away from heat and direct sun.

That’s it for most baseball caps, snapbacks and fitteds. The details below will keep you out of trouble.

Before you start: check two things

1. The care tag

Look inside the hat, usually along the back seam or under the sweatband. If it says “spot clean only,” believe it. If it says “dry clean only,” that’s a hat to treat gently or take to a pro.

2. What the brim is made of

Most modern caps have plastic inside the brim, which handles a little water fine. A lot of older and vintage hats have cardboard brims, and cardboard plus soaking equals a soggy, warped bill that never recovers.

Not sure what yours has? Flex the brim gently. Plastic springs back. Cardboard feels stiffer and can crease. If you can’t tell, assume cardboard and keep the brim as dry as possible.

What you’ll need

• A soft-bristle brush (an old toothbrush works for small spots)
• A gentle cleaner. A dedicated hat foam, or a few drops of mild dish soap or laundry detergent in a bowl of cool water
• A clean microfiber cloth or towel
• Something round for drying: a rolled towel, a ball, a coffee can, or a hat form

Skip bleach, harsh stain removers and anything with strong solvents. They can fade the color and eat through the stitching around the logo.

How to wash a hat by hand, step by step

Step 1: Dry brush first

Brush the whole hat while it’s dry. You’ll knock off a surprising amount of dust and loose dirt, and the cleaning step works better when you’re not just pushing grime around.

Step 2: Spot clean the outside

Put a little cleaner on the brush, not directly on the hat. Scrub in small circles, panel by panel. Go easy around embroidered logos so you don’t fuzz the threads.

If you’re using soap and water, dip the brush, tap off the extra, and scrub. You want the hat damp, not dripping.

Step 3: Go after the sweatband

Flip the hat over. The sweatband is where sweat, oil and sunscreen build up, so give it more time than the outside. Scrub along the whole band, then wipe it clean. If you’re dealing with yellow or white salt lines, we’ve got a full guide on getting sweat stains out of a hat.

Step 4: Wipe, don’t rinse

Use a damp cloth to wipe away the suds. Holding a hat under the faucet soaks the brim and the crown, which is how hats lose their shape. Wipe a couple of times until you’re not picking up any more foam.

Step 5: Dry it on a form

Stuff the crown with a rolled towel or set it over a ball or coffee can so it keeps its shape. Let it air dry somewhere with good airflow. Most caps take a few hours. Thicker hats can take most of a day.

Keep it away from the dryer, a hair dryer, radiators and direct sun. Heat shrinks fabric, warps brims and can fade dark colors fast.

Can you put a hat in the washing machine?

You can, but it’s the riskiest way to do it. The spin cycle bends the brim, the crown collapses, and hot water can shrink cotton and wool. Some newer polyester performance hats survive the gentle cycle in a cap cage, but plenty don’t.

If the hat matters to you, wash it by hand. It takes about five minutes and you’re in control the whole time. More on this in our washing machine guide.

What about the dishwasher?

This is the most popular hat “hack” on the internet, and the one we’d talk you out of. Dishwashers run hot, the detergent is made to strip grease off plates, and the heated dry cycle is rough on brims. We break it all down in can you wash a hat in the dishwasher?

Washing different kinds of hats

Baseball caps, snapbacks and fitteds

The steps above are made for these. Go easy on the brim, keep fitteds on a form while they dry so they don’t shrink, and don’t scrub flat brim stickers if you’re keeping them on. Full walkthrough: how to wash a baseball hat.

Wool hats

Use cool water only and very little of it. Wool shrinks and felts with heat and rubbing, so dab more than you scrub, and brush with the grain when it’s dry.

Felt and cowboy hats

Felt doesn’t like water at all. Most of the cleaning is done dry, with a soft brush, working counterclockwise around the crown. Spot clean stains with as little moisture as you can get away with.

Straw hats

Brush off dust, then wipe gently with a barely damp cloth. Soaking straw can make it go limp or crack as it dries.

White hats

White shows every sweat line. Clean the band often, before the stains set in. Skip chlorine bleach; it can actually turn some white fabrics yellow. We cover this in how to wash a white hat.

How often should you wash a hat?

If you wear it a lot, a quick clean of the sweatband every couple of weeks keeps stains and smells from building up. A full clean whenever it starts to look dull or smell funky is plenty. The more often you do a light clean, the less often you need a deep one.

Mistakes that ruin hats

• Soaking the whole hat in a sink or bucket
• Hot water, especially on wool and cotton
• Throwing it in the dryer
• Bleach or harsh stain removers
• Drying it flat or upside down, which crushes the crown
• Bending the brim back into shape while it’s wet

FAQ

Can I wash a hat with dish soap?

Yes. A few drops of mild dish soap in cool water works for most cotton and polyester caps. Use it on a brush and wipe it off well so it doesn’t leave residue.

How long does a hat take to dry?

Most baseball caps dry in a few hours with good airflow. Thick or wool hats can take up to a day. Don’t wear it until it’s fully dry or it can lose its shape.

Will washing a hat shrink it?

Hot water and heat drying are what shrink hats. Cool water, gentle scrubbing and air drying on a form keep the size where it is.

How do I get the smell out of a hat?

Clean the sweatband first, since that’s where the smell lives. Let it dry completely, then use a fabric deodorizer inside the band.