How to Clean a White Hat and Keep It Spotless

It's easy to see the appeal of white hats when they're new: they have that clean, crisp look that complements almost any outfit. But, no matter how well you try and take care of them, white hats accumulate dirt so quickly—arguably faster than the caps you don't make the effort to keep clean.

If your white hat is starting to look shabby, you've come to the right place. In this article, we're walking you through exactly how to clean a white hat, from pre-treatment right up to drying (yes, there is a correct drying procedure).

Identifying Hat Materials and Care Labels

We specialize in designing and manufacturing baseball caps, so you can trust us to share genuine advice on how to clean your white hats. But all the information you read online, even the stuff written by experts, is going to be pretty generic. That's why, when you're unsure about how to clean your white cap, a good place to start is with the hat's care label.

The care label (usually a white tag inside your hat) will tell you the fabric that's used in your hat's design and should offer some basic washing instructions. Most likely, your hat is made from cotton, polyester, wool, or a blend of these fabrics. If your hat has a cardboard visor (particularly likely if it's a vintage cap), you won't be able to soak the entire hat.

The material your hat is made from will determine the cleaning instructions on the label. Home cleaning is usually possible for most hats, as long as you follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Pre-Treatment for Stains

It's tempting to throw your cap in the washing machine and just hope for the best, but if there's a noticeable stain on the material, you'll want to commit to some form of pre-treatment to increase your chances of completely removing it.

How do you pre-treat stains? We recommend starting gently with a homemade cleaning solution: cool or cold water and a small amount of dish soap or baking soda. Avoid using a chemical stain remover to begin with, since this may damage your hat's fabric even if it removes the stains.

Use a soft-bristled brush to gently scrub the stains. This delicate cleaning method should work on sweat stains, but if you're dealing with stubborn stains, you may need to leave the solution on the stain for up to 15 minutes before you rinse it off.

Hand-Washing vs. Machine-Washing

Most white hats can either be hand-washed or machine washed, so the cleaning process you choose really just comes down to how much effort you can be bothered with.

If you're concerned about what a washing machine might do to the shape of your white hat, hand-washing is probably the best route to go down. You just need to submerge the hat in a bowl of warm water and mild detergent (keeping the brim out if it's made of cardboard), gently cleaning the surface with a soft brush or cloth.

Or, if hand-washing sounds like too much hassle, put your hat in the wash—but you'll want to put it in a mesh laundry bag to protect the hat's shape. You should only wash it in cool water on a gentle cycle, again to prevent it from losing its shape.

Drying and Shaping Your Hat

It might sound silly, but the way that you dry your white hat is just as important as how you wash it. The last thing you want is for your hat to get damaged in the dryer to the point of being unwearable, rendering your stain-removal efforts useless.

The only way to dry a white hat safely is to let it air dry. Leave it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, which could cause yellowing—not the desired result.

Preventative Measures to Keep Hats Clean

So, that's all you should know about how to clean a white hat, but how can you avoid having to repeat this process in the future?

There are a few preventative steps you can take, including:

• Keep your hats in a hat box so they don't get dirty while they're in storage.

• Sounds obvious, but make sure your hands are clean before you handle your caps.

• Buy a sweat liner to stick on the inside of your cap if you wear it a lot in warm weather.

• If you think there's a chance your hat could get dirty, keep it at home and wear a darker-colored hat instead!

So there you have it: our step-by-step guide on how to clean a white hat. If you're feeling brave enough to add a new white cap or two to your collection, you'll want to check out our range of high-quality white baseball caps at Notch Gear.