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How do you wash ball caps?

17K views 21 replies 15 participants last post by  bigbear796 
#1 ·
hey doods, whats the best way to thoroughly wash baseball caps? do you throw 'em in the dishwasher or what? i don't want to have to take a brush and fast orange to them again
 
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#3 ·
I used to use a brush and dishwashing liquid. If you put them in the dishwasher or the washing machine they get all deformed, even if you use those little hat form things. Those things suck... Just buy a new hat
 
G
#4 ·
I have a 3 step process:
1. Buy a nice everyday hat and where it proudly.
2. Forget one day that you are wearing your nice aht and it turns into a greasy work hat.
3. Where greasy work hat for work and get new nice hat

Actually I use a small scrum brush and dishsoat under hot water then hang in sun. Usually does a decent job. I have used one of the forms too for like a dishwasher and wasn't very impressed at all, just ended up with a greasy wet hat out of the washer.
 
#5 ·
I wash my hats in the washing machine on the gentle cycle... spray thoroughly with simple green or spray and wash if it's real grungy, hit it with a brush if it's really really grungy, toss in washer (cold water, gentle cycle). When it's still damp, you can reshape the bill if you need to. I've washed all mine this way and haven't had any permanent deformities
 
#6 ·
Wash it however you want (I use the washing machine) just make sure you reshape the bill and fill the hat with a towel or rags as it dries. That will keep it from becoming floppy. The plastic form things don't work too well.
 
#11 ·
I've noticed that the really good caps with the multiple rows of stitching in the brim will wash and survive a lot better. Caps with the seam in the middle of the top section and lotsa stitches are the ones which seem to have the best useful life.
 
#12 ·
Eh, wear it until it dies. The entire 4 years I was in the Marines I had this one cover (cammie hat for us civilians
) that I had from boot camp to finish. Wore it every day to work, except for inspections. I was first told to throw it away and get another one about 2 years in.
It survived every senior person to me who ever told me to get rid of it. It totally fit my head and didn't need to be ironed to go back into a perfect Marine Corps spec shape. You could ball it up, step on it, put it in your back pocket, drive over it with a truck, and then pick it up, shake it some, put it on my head, and it'd be right back to shape. It had a nice salt ring on it, and some definate stains, but the smell went away after a while.
My crew even named it, "Old Salty". Had it's own place of honor on the dash boards of our work trucks. Mainly because no one else wanted their hats to touch it. We joked that sometimes it ate other covers when no one was looking.
All of my Marine Corps stuff is still sitting in my seabag in a corner, except for Old Salty. It's sitting on top of my lamp, a reminder of good times.


Okay, so it's late and I'm feeling sentimental.
Just wear them until it's time for another one. Unless it's some sort of hat you just can't replace, when you should probably baby it.
 
#14 ·
Here's a good one,
I hate to admit sometimes that I'm cranially endowed, and I'm doubtful its because of more brains,<smile>, but I've been buying my "low-pro" ball caps from bigheadcaps.com and it has specific directions for washing...it says right on the tag..."How to clean....Buy a new hat" ha ha. I still do wash em though...cold water wash in with a load of clothes in the washer...and then hang to dry....they're not even nice until they're all ratty and falling apart anyways!! Just my 2 cents worth. I see New Era has some beautiful fitted caps in larger sizes on their website, but they don't ship to Canada yet.<frown>.
Cory
 
#20 ·
Shorts,
I had a couple of caps dry cleaned before...but only because I was working at a commercial laundry plant and it was free, I would never pay to have it done. Anyhow, they may have been clean but they shrunk like a bugger and wouldn't even fit on my head after that.....don't know if it was the "perk" or not, maybe the sonofabitch put them in the dryer and didn't tell me. he he he. What the heck..its only a hat anyway. LOL
Cory
 
#21 · (Edited)
Just tried one of those dishwasher frames. They work great - however, I think unless the hat is demolished and you are trying to resurrect it, and/or you are REALLY particular about your hat shape, you can get same results just putting it on the top rack of the dishwasher. Save the $10.

Hits -

  • You DON'T use dishwasher soap. Spray & Wash or Shout it first.
  • Don't use extra hot, extra heated water, if your DW will do that.
  • Don't put it through the dry cycle. Either set it to Econo dry (no heat) or take it out before dry cycle start
s.

The best thing the frame is for actually, is setting the hat on while it dries. Which seems to take hours.

One thing though - those plastic frames have really flat bills. So if you are into flat-billing it, you are in luck. Otherwise...
 
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