Wash a Baseball Cap by Hand

Whether you wear your baseball cap to keep the sun out of your eyes, bring your favorite team luck, or simply hide a bad hair day, chances are you will need to wash it at some point. While some newer baseball caps can be thrown in the washer machine, it's often best to play it safe by washing them by hand (you wouldn't want to ruin your favorite cap, right?). Keep reading to learn how to wash new, old, and wool caps by hand.

Steps

Washing Newer Baseball Caps

  1. Plug your sink and fill it with cool water until it is close to halfway full. While the water is running, pour a cap-full of detergent (without bleach) into the water. This will fill your sink with soapy suds.[1]
  2. Rub or spray a laundry pre-treatment onto the largest stains on your cap. These spots will probably be where the most sweat and dirt accumulated after months of baseball games or miles of hiking trails.
  3. Place your cap in the soapy water. Using a clean cloth dipped in the sudsy water, gently scrub away the stains. Do this until you think you've removed all of the dirt.[1]
    • Instead of a clean cloth, you can also use an old toothbrush. If you are particularly concerned with a logo or name getting damaged, scrub around them with a toothbrush. You are able to control where you clean more easily when you use a toothbrush than when you use a towel.
  4. Drain your sink. Wash your soapy hat under cool water until the water coming off of it is clear.[1]
  5. Dry the cap with a couple of hand towels. Pack the inside of the cap so as to shape it while it is drying.
    • If you have a plastic cap former, insert it in the cap while it dries.
  6. Set it on a bath towel in front of a floor fan. Then in a couple of hours, your favorite cap will be as good as new and ready to get dirty again.

Washing a New Era Baseball Cap without Damaging the Sticker

  1. Take a small piece of plastic wrap. Tape the plastic wrap over the sticker. Try to tape as little of the hat as possible so that you can wash most of the hat. Only do this if you are worried about ruining your sticker while you wash your cap.
  2. Dip a toothbrush into a cup of warm water. There should be no soap in the water. Carefully scrub any dirt or sweat stains with the toothbrush. Using a toothbrush allows you to pinpoint exactly where you scrub. This reduces the likelihood of color damage.
  3. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of detergent with seven or eight cups of water in a large bowl. Make sure that the detergent is bleach-free. Bleach will damage your cap. To remove heavier stains, dip your toothbrush in the detergent-water mixture and gently scrub the stain.
  4. Rinse off the detergent by dipping your toothbrush in the warm water. Make sure this is the water without the detergent. Gently rinse the spot that you scrubbed with detergent.
  5. Remove the plastic wrap from the sticker and allow your cap to air dry. If you are worried about it shrinking (ie. if you got your cap very wet) place it on your head while it dries. It will dry exactly to the shape of your head.

Washing Older Baseball Caps

  1. Perform a colorfastness test. Run a washcloth under some cool water and squirt a small drop of detergent on the cloth. Make sure to use a mild detergent. Also squirt a small amount of 'Spray and Wash' where you have put the detergent.[2]
  2. Rub the detergent mixture on a small, hidden part of your cap. The underside of the brim is generally a good place to do this. Doing this will determine whether or not your cap will change color when you wash it.[2]
  3. Rinse the hidden part of your cap off with a clean, wet washcloth. Let it air dry. If there is no color change, you will be able to clean the dirtiest parts of your cap with the detergent mixture without any color damage.[2]
    • If there is a change in color and you do not want your cap to lose its original color, you will have to wash your cap with water. The sweat stains will be more challenging to remove.
  4. Clean the rest of the cap with the detergent mixture and washcloth. Get in good and soapy. Pay particular attention to the headband, as that is where your older cap is likely to be stained the most.[3]
  5. Gently rinse the cap off with a washcloth dipped in cool water. Do this until there is no more soap on the cap.[3]
  6. Let your cap air dry. To retain its shape, place it on something head-shaped, like a balloon or coffee can, while it dries.

Washing Wool Baseball Caps

  1. Use cool water to wash wool baseball caps. Rinse your wool cap under the cool water. Use a washcloth and mild detergent to rub stains out of the cap. Make sure that the detergent is one that is meant for wool. The detergent bottle should specify if it is for wool or not on the front.[2]
  2. Make sure that you are gentle while washing your wool cap. If you scrub or rub too hard, or twist your cap, you could matte the wool. This will give your cap a felt-like texture.[2]
  3. Rinse your wool cap under cool water and roll it in a clean towel. Gently pat the towel on the hat so that any excess water is removed.[2]
  4. Dry your wool baseball cap on your head. While this may sound uncomfortable, doing so will ensure that your wool cap dries exactly in the shape of your head.[2]

Tips

  • You can use a coffee can or balloon to help shape your cap while it dries.

Warnings

  • Never put a cap in a dryer.
  • Be careful the detergent doesn't contain bleach or whitening agents.
  • When drying the cap, try to use a white towel with white or light colored caps to help prevent colors from bleeding.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://homeguides.sfgate.com/wash-baseball-cap-washing-machine-24510.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 http://www.sport-smart.com/how-to-wash-baseball-hats-and-caps.asp
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/lib/howto-wash-baseball-cap.htm

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