Wash a hat?

[TogE]

Hi.
Is there any way to wash a wool felt hat? I doubt it can survive a round in the washing machine like my underwear.

- Toge

 

[mannySpaghetti]

For the love of hats, don't put it in the washer! lol If it's really filthy, send it to a good hat cleaning service like OPTIMO. If it's just spotted here and there, you could try felt hat cleaner's like "Scout" as a much more frugal alternative. I remember "Matt Deckard" posting something about it. Ah yes, here's the LINK.

 

[Daoud]

There is someone on this forum, I can't remember who, but he is a regular- says he hand-washes his hats ( he was talking about his FUR felt hats!) in cold water with dishwashing detergent! I can't remember where I saw that post. I don't think I would do MY fur felt hats that way, but I don't see any reason at all why you couldn't hand-wash a wool felt hat in cool water with Woolite or a mild soap such as Ivory, just as you would wash a wool garment, and put it on a towel to dry at room temperature. I have had wool hats get completely saturated and dry with no ill effects but if you're concerned about shrinkage you might want to put it on a hat-jack/ stretcher while it dries. You can get a perfectly serviceable stretcher at Harbor Freight Tools for three bucks and change.

 

[Lefty]

Unless this is a really special hat, don't bother having it cleaned by a pro. The cost of shipping and the clean and block from Optimo will run around $50-60. For that, you could (1) buy another wool hat, (2) depending upon your size and what you're looking for, pick up a fur felt hat from ebay, or (3) put that money to the side as savings for a new fur felt hat.

 

[RBH]

A cleaning in white gas can do wonders... even for wool.

 

[jonbuilder]

I wash my wool hat

Toge
I got my single wool hat from my kids for Christmas 3 years ago to replace a wool hat that disappeared. In my option it’s a nice hat that I wore to work as a construction superintendent for 3 years. I left it on the dash of my truck, my dog slept on the hat more that once it just pops back into shape. I just started buying fur hat with in the past 6 months. I washed the hat recently by soaking the hat in cold water and laundry detergent. After rising, I reshaped the hat with a diamond bash with pinch and left the hat on a stretcher over night. I stretched the hat one size larger than my head size. With in a day of wearing the hat shrunk to a perfect fit. I have since pick up a 7X clear beaver OR for $61 and a charcoal gray new felt for $27. I wear these hats to work now that the weather is mild, I feel more dressed, but I am more careful with the fur hats. I also have a hard straw hat I brought in Mexico for heavy yard work.
Point is wash your wool in cold water and wear the hell out of it

 

[Akubra Man]

I washed a couple of used fur felt Akubras that I won on eBay. Both arrived filthy with dust. I would slap them and a cloud would form is how dusty they were. I just could not get them clean enough to feel comfortable to wear so I washed them with soap and water. Both shrunk a lot so that my 11 year old son owns them now...they are very clean too...leason learned. Be careful washing a fur felt with soap and water unless it is too big for you and want to shrink it. Cheers

 

[jonbuilder]

Be careful washing a fur felt with soap and water unless it is too big for you and want to shrink it. Cheers[/QUOTE]

You missed one step; putting the hat on a stretcher to dry.

 

[kiltie]

I'm not sure about this as sound advice, but I heard or read somewhere that talcum/baby powder has some benificial effects. If you're talking about recent sweat stains or other "body oil" type stuff, the powder kinda wicks it away. I tried it on a silverbelly Resistol with a sweat stained ribbon and general gunk on the underside of the brim from resting it on the table ( yeah, I do that, but so did the previous owner...). The lesser marks came out and the more severe lessened considerably. It took some vigorous brushing to get all the stuff off, but the end result was favorable.
Anyone else ever hear of this?

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Washing a felt hat?

I have had a few conversations with a woman who claims (I say claims only because I have not ever seen this done) that she has a method for "Washing" felt hats.

I am not talking about Felt Hat Cleaner, powder, from an aerosolized can. I am not talking about brushes or sponges. I am talking about "Washing" a hat. I asked her if she was using Naptha, Coleman Fuel or white gas and to each she said, no.
I inquired if she used a dry cleaning agent, again she said no.

She said that she is washing felt hats to clean them. Is anyone here knowledgeable about such methods?
I am very interested in learning more about this, if anyone has knowledge to share.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I think it all depends on the dirt. If it's superficial you can wash a hat with water and soap.

 

[moehawk]

I have washed fur felt hats that I stripped down to reblock. Works well, as a matter of fact. I use woolite mixed into warm water before immersing the hat. Don't put soap directly onto the felt. A soft brush can be gently used, always brush counterclockwise on the top side of hat, clockwise on underside of brim. Rinse well, roll in a towel to remove some of the excess water, and block while wet.
I have, in the past, tried washing hats with the sweatband still in. I attempted to keep it from getting soaked, hoping to not damage the leather, with mixed results. I had a better quality leather band take the washing without problems, but others were not so well off. In any case, the reblocking was easier with the sweat out. I wouldn't recommend it unless you are willing to replace the sweatband if it doesn't fare well.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Best to use naphtha tried and true. It has been a hatters tool for a very long time for good reason. Doesn't effect the felt stiffness like other cleaning agents and takes out all kinds of stains.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bond]

Depends on the hat and the issue really. Some of my hats go into the washing machine , I have a new one that doesn't have the tall agitator and works great for hats I want to really re work the felt on.
Others get a gas bath leaving everything on the hat intact and this works great .
And yet others may require only a damp rag to clean.

 

[zeus36]

I sold two vintage hats to a friend of mine, but his nutty girlfriend threw them both into the washing machine! He has since kicked her out, but asked me if there was anyway to have them fixed. The machine washing took out both liners, one of the hatbands, and wrinkled the one ribbon. I soaked them and set out to dry after putting them back into a basic shape. I don't have a hat block but have used items around the house to make a temporary block. One has a 1" split where the edge had been sewn.

Any advice?
Send them in for rework?
Tell him "Too bad"
Iron and steam them the best I can?
Hand them back and shrug my shoulders?

 

[Frunobulax]

As long as it hasn't shrunk beyond recovery, I would figure any felt body can be re-blocked and rebuilt. The question is, "Is it worth it?"

The original liners can be replaced. The "hatband" (sweatband?), can theoretically be replaced or put back in, depending on the method of construction and if the sweat remains in usable shape (leather or fabric?). Ribbons can be repaired or replaced. If you haven't the skilz to do this yourself, you're looking at having a pro do it, which can range from ~$100.00 to, well, quite a lot.

As with most questions along these lines, more info would be needed to give good advice. And photos.

 

[hatsRme]

I sold two vintage hats to a friend of mine, but his nutty girlfriend threw them both into the washing machine! He has since kicked her out, but asked me if there was anyway to have them fixed. The machine washing took out both liners, one of the hatbands, and wrinkled the one ribbon. I soaked them and set out to dry after putting them back into a basic shape. I don't have a hat block but have used items around the house to make a temporary block. One has a 1" split where the edge had been sewn.

Any advice?
Send them in for rework?
Tell him "Too bad"
Iron and steam them the best I can?
Hand them back and shrug my shoulders?

Your friend did the first, and most important step here; getting rid of the nutty perpetrator. She wouldn't have worked out in the long haul anyway.
It may be helpful to check around with some of the hatters we know. The situation may not be as bad as it seems. Best of luck to both of you!

 

[tropicalbob]

I've often wondered about this, but I've never had to deal with hats received used from Etsy or Ebay because my hat size doesn't seem to exist on those sites. But don't you guys worry about second-hand hats and possible little stowaways? Shirts, jackets, or trousers I buy from those sites or elsewhere go straight to the drycleaners, but what about fur felt hats?

 

[Frunobulax]

I've often wondered about this, but I've never had to deal with hats received used from Etsy or Ebay because my hat size doesn't seem to exist on those sites. But don't you guys worry about second-hand hats and possible little stowaways? Shirts, jackets, or trousers I buy from those sites or elsewhere go straight to the drycleaners, but what about fur felt hats?

Well, I've never had any problems. Really bad ones (and I actually buy those on purpose sometimes) get a naphtha bath and re-block. Not so bad ones get a good steaming and brushing. They invariably get Lexol on the sweatband. I guess, if the sweat looked too bad, a disinfectant baby wipe could be used. Or if the liner looked suspect, a quick shot of Lysol or something maybe. I've never gotten one where I was worried about critters.

(scratches head thoughtfully...)

 

[zeus36]

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