Cleaning spots, stains and soiling from felt hats

[Joe Rotax]

My SB Stetson went for a flight today and blew along some muddy grass - cleaned up just fine with one of those sticky lint rollers. I'll have to get some proper hat brushes and cleaners sometime though.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I think someone posted a really clean up job on a stetson playboy that had what looked like a circle of motor oil on it, and they used k2r cleaner, which you can purchase at most ace hardware stores. k2r is a great product. The hat was a fairly white colored felt. I just purchased a can of it and plan on using it soon myself. Check what Robert did to the off white playboy he snagged from ebay a week or so ago.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

My SB Stetson went for a flight today and blew along some muddy grass - cleaned up just fine with one of those sticky lint rollers. I'll have to get some proper hat brushes and cleaners sometime though.

Regular hat brushes are nice and work fine. I have however, a good cheaper alternative. I have many different colors in hats. It is said you need a hat brush for light colored hats and one for dark colors. As you brush a hat you may notice some very slight color transfer from the hat to the brush. So as I noticed that, why do I want to use a brush on a black hat to brush a dark brown or green hat? I dont'! So....I purchased some cheap house paint brushes from the dollar store. I have one for each color hat, the brush takes a bit more time than a normal hat brush, but works just as well. I got three house paint brushes that are soft for a whopping dollar plus taxes. I have two normal hat brushes one for my real light colored hats and one for my black hats, and everything else has the el cheapo paint brushes, I tried them first on a brown hat, and as I observed it worked, I ran back to the store and purchased a few more packages of the same three house paint brushes for a buck each. They are soft and not hard on the hat felt at all.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

This first message is very useful information; the second is a bit beyond OSHA guidelines. Why I was searching was this stained Stetson that I took interest in until the seller said it did not look like rust to her. Then, i got to thinking, and wondered if it were blood, spilled on an upturned hat that had seeped through to the top of the brim. If someone here bought this, I'll be interested in your cleaning results.

I looked at the same hat, ( I think on eBay)? I got the same impression, it looked like blood or maybe ketchup? " Fries to go with that Hat, sir"?

 

[Joe Rotax]

Regular hat brushes are nice and work fine. I have however, a good cheaper alternative...

Thanks, I think I'll pick up a sash brush or something next time by the hardware store.

 

[zetwal]

Thanks, I think I'll pick up a sash brush or something next time by the hardware store.

The inexpensive Kiwi horsehair brushes that are sold in many convenience and drug stores are another excellent option.

 

[Joe Rotax]

The inexpensive Kiwi horsehair brushes that are sold in many convenience and drug stores are another excellent option.

I don't think I've seen those here.

 

[Mystic]

Josh; Thanks for the article. I have saved a copy as it answers some of my questions regarding the different stains that I have encountered on vintage hats. The section on vegetable and egg stains are exactly as my encounters have played out. I am curious as to the next installment of the American Hatter as it is said to contain a gas bath expose. If you locate that, please post up a copy. Correct technique and tactics are "correct" without regard to age.

Ready to tackle a greasy hat cleaning today. Eric -

Have you used any of the 'sponges' to clean stains? I saw a package of 2 sponges for $1.99 on a website and wondered if they really made a difference cleaning small stains.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

I remember as a boy, that my father used lighter fluid to clean spots from his felt hats. Anyone tried that?

Growing up I lived for some years in Alamogordo, NM, which is very close to the White Sands National Monument. When we would go to the "Sands" for a day, the men would bring along their felt hats and rub them with the sand to clean them.

 

[gtdean48]

I remember as a boy, that my father used lighter fluid to clean spots from his felt hats. Anyone tried that?
....

Roger that, actually removed felt marker writing off the inside of a hat I was considering flipping. Hatter had marked inside of felt body with size & lighter fluid removed it even after many years.

 

[KAB]

Big mistake!

I purchased an OR off Ebay a couple of years ago, 1950 era. It had three what looked to be rust spots, maybe a 16th of an inch diameter. I made the mistake of trying to clean them without knowing what I was doing. Now I have three orange smudges. Have I ruined my hat? Can it be cleaned? Would the Camp Fuel bath help? Thanks for any advice.

 

[gtdean48]

First, I'd try talc to see if that would lift it out. Get some talcum powder & coat the area liberally with it then work it in good with finger tips.
Let it sit for a day then brush off, repeat.
You can get some Zippo lighter fluid & coat a Qtip to blot a small area to see how that may work before doing the full naptha bath effort.

BTW, how did you initially try to clean it?
Welcome to the Lounge & hat cleaning experimentation workshop...

 

[buler]

Yes, what have you done so far? What did you use? Pics may help.

B

 

[KAB]

Thank you for the welcome. I have been lurking for quite awhile. You gentlemen have some great hats.

I am almost ashamed to tell anyone what I have done to this poor old hat. I took some Oxyclean stain remover spray and wet down the spots then gentlly brushed with a tooth brush. That removed the dark rust spots, or more likely diuted them and spread them around. I then, recently, wetted a Magic Eraser (a dense sponge) and brushed at the spots again. Both times I was careful to brush from the left to the right.

Here is the hat. You should be able to see a smudge on the brim at 6:00, one on the crown directly above the one on the brim, and the larger one on the crown to the left of the first.

 

[rlk]

Once it is bleached out lighter than the surrounding felt it is no longer a stain that can be removed. You would need to leave it alone or attempt to tint it to match the surrounding area which risks creating a darker ring around the spot which attracts more attention than the original.

 

[KAB]

Not what I wanted to hear. But, thanks for your input.

 

[TomS]

Well, on the brighter side... we've all done those kinds of things, and perhpas someone else will learn from it. Now, you'll have to wear that OR as your *work* hat, and buy another collectible one for special occassiosns... oh well

 

[JohnTheHat]

How do you know if a clothes brush is soft enough for a wool felt hat. I got one for a euro and it seems fine very soft in fact.I am in Ireland not much choice here

 

[Fredthecat]

Blood spot removal

How can I remove a blood drop spot from vintage Silverbelly Open Road?

Not a blood bath and just one drop...like from a thumb...on front of crown, rear of pinch.

Thanks for ideas,
Fredthecat

 

[mayserwegener]

Being a light color makes it very problematic. Hopefully the blood hasn't soaked deep into the fiber. I would first try dry brushing (use a softer brush with dense hair, you might have try a couple different types) with the nap and against the nap (back and forth, trying to get rid as much as you can this way). Once you apply water or a cleaning solution (peroxide, spit, lemon, naphtha, whatever ) you are heading into unknown territory (might remove blood but cause discoloring, blood stain to spread, ect). I am sure others will chime in. Also posting a photo would be helpful.