Care of caps, visors and washable hats
Do you have a favorite cap, hat or visor and you want to clean and maintain in good shape?

Most caps are nowadays made of cotton twill, polyester and other man made fiber blends. Unless your cap is very old; nowadays the brim is also made from plastic and therefore should not deform when washed.

Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Always hand wash or dry clean your cap. Machine washing is not recommended as it can cause color fades and in some cases weaken the stitching.

• Before applying any stain removers or detergents, you can do a colorfast test to make sure the colors will not run or fade. Dap a bit of the detergent on a white cloth and rub it on an inconspicuous spot on the cap. If there is color transfer to your cloth your cap may not be color fast or you need a milder detergent.

• Check for spots and stains. You can pre-clean your cap using an enzyme based laundry stain remover. With stains the rule is to act quickly and remove them as soon as possible; otherwise stains could set and be hard to remove.

• Soak the cap in water for 5 minutes to allow dirt to rise.

• Next add a mild detergent and soak in lukewarm or cold water for another 15 minutes. Never use bleach or strong dish washing liquid (some cleaning agents contain bleaching agents).

• When washing be gentle, using rinsing motions or a soft brush to attack stubborn stains or spots; avoid wringing, twisting or scrubbing vigorously.

• Air dry - do not leave your cap in direct sunlight.

• Putting the cap on occasionally while it is drying will help the cap maintain it’s shape.

• For wool caps, follow the washing instructions from the manufacturer. In general wool caps need to be washed in cold water (never hot water!)  with detergents specially made to clean wool.

• If washing is not possible then spot clean your cap.