How to Clean Baseball Caps and Fitted Hats

If your clothes are an extension of yourself, a sweaty hat doesn't send the right message. Giving your baseball cap a proper cleaning while maintaining its structure can be a challenge.

Popular advice suggests tossing it in the dishwasher or washing machine, but the end result can be a shrunken hat that will make you feel like you dropped the ball. However, a good scrub or hand washing under running water can be all it takes to remove the stains left behind by a long day.

1. Start by running warm water in the sink.
2. Gently rub the hat's sweat stains with a soapy cloth or with your hands for a hand washing.
3. Rinse off the cap with cool water to remove all the soap.
4. Air dry the hat where it can get plenty of air flow.

1. Start by running cool water in the sink.
2. Place or adjust the stopper in the sink to fill it with cool water, a couple of inches deep.
3. Fill up the sink with a mixture of cool water and mild laundry or dish washing detergent.
4. Submerge your hat in the sink for 10 seconds.
5. Rinse off your cap with cool water, making sure all soap bubbles wash away.
6. Use a towel to absorb the excess water by rolling the hat slowly up and down the towel.
7. Dry it off as much as possible, and then wear your hat until it is completely dry so it keeps the correct form.

Bleach alternative cleaning solutions, like The Laundress, suggest using a toothbrush to apply their mixed spot stain remover. You mix your solution, then scrub the stained spots using a circular motion with a toothbrush.

So, if you have a collection of fitted hats with sweat stains like I do. Use a cold to neutral temperature clean water soak to release the dirty areas. Some suggest dish soap, if you need an alternative cleaning method.

After twenty minutes, I hang the hats in the shower and come back a few hours later for those hard to get spot stains along the sweatband. The extra care to release the grime will keep your headband and hat collection looking new.