Cleaning a Baseball Cap

If you have any baseball hats, then you know just how costly they can be. It is really surprising that these wonderful items can range in price from as little as $5.00 to well over $100.00 or so. As such, it only makes sense that you will want to learn the proper method of cleaning a baseball cap so that you can protect this potentially costly clothing accessory.

1. Special hats need special treatment. One of the first things that you need to keep in mind when you look into cleaning baseball caps is that not all baseball caps are made the same. Any baseball cap that is older specially made, or in some other way something that is specially made should be taken to a professional to clean. The reason for this is that you can accidentally damage your special hat without meaning to.
2. Get the right tool. If you are really interested in cleaning your own baseball caps, you will need to make sure that you get the right tool. This tool is usually referred to as a "cap washer" and can be found in most department stores, online, and even in some supermarkets. This tool is designed to help a hat keep the proper shape.
3. Wash it. Place the hat into the cap washer, and then place it into your dishwasher...that's right, the dishwasher. You want to use the dishwasher since a washing machine typically has too much agitation, and can end up breaking the cap washer and possibly damaging the hat. The dishwasher will allow you to wash the hat without damaging the hat, and use some soap that has been designed to remove the grease buildup from the hat.
4. Remove it from the dishwasher. Only allow the hat to go through a wash cycle since you don't want it to go through the drying cycle, which could potentially damage the cap washer, and the cap. A couple of common forms of damage that a baseball cap could experience in the excessive heat experienced from the drying cycle is shrinking or color fading.
5. Inspect and repeat. After you have removed the cap from the dishwasher inspect it to see if there are still any stains that show up. If there are, then you will need to wash it again, and then inspect it again. Continue to inspect after washing until the stain has disappeared.
6. Dry the hat carefully. Since you need to be careful when drying the hat, you should allow it to air dry. Do not remove the hat from the cap washer, and instead let it dry while still within it. This way you can allow the hat to maintain the proper shape. If the hat is white, or light colored, place it in direct sunlight so that the light and heat can help the hat dry. For hats that are colored place it somewhere out of direct sunlight so that it won't fade.
7. Alternate which hats you wear. One additional method that you should keep in mind for keeping your hats clean is to alternate which ones you wear. By not wearing the same hat all the time you will ensure that they don't get as dirty as they would if you wore them all the time.

As long as you follow these directions, you will be able to keep your baseball cap nice and clean. This means that you will be able to allow your baseball cap last longer than it would normally. After all, just like you keep your favorite shirt, pants, or other clothing items clean, your hat will need to be cleaned periodically as well.