How to Laundry Strip Hats & Remove Stains (Plus Bonus Cleaning Methods)

Follow this hat stripping recipe to restore the look of your caps

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Last Updated: February 17, 2023 References

Laundry Stripping Hats

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Spot-Cleaning Hats

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Alternative Cleaning Methods

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Warnings

You love wearing hats, but the dirt and sweat leaving marks over time…not so much. Even when stains are set deep in the fabric, it’s really easy to strip all the buildup with a few household ingredients. This viral TikTok laundry hack works perfectly for all types of caps, but there are a few cleaning tips you should know beforehand. Keep reading and we’ll cover what you need for laundry stripping a hat plus a few other cleaning techniques to try.

Things You Should Know

Mix ½ cup (100 g) of laundry detergent powder, ¼ cup (102 g) of borax, and ¼ cup (52 g) of washing soda in a tub with warm water.
Soak your hats for up to 2 hours to strip away the stains and buildup in the fabric.
Rinse your hat with warm water and set it on a towel to air-dry completely.
Spot-clean your hat with stain remover and a toothbrush if it has a cardboard bill.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Laundry Stripping Hats

1
Fill a sink or tub halfway with warm water. Use a container that’s big enough to hold all of the hats you’re stripping. Keep the water temperature just a touch hotter than lukewarm so dirt loosens up easier while your hats are soaking.^{[1]
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- Avoid using extremely hot water since it could make the colors on your hats bleed.
- If you’re cleaning a wool hat, use cold water to prevent the fabric from shrinking.
2
Mix laundry detergent powder, borax, and washing soda into the water. Pour ½ cup (100 g) of laundry detergent powder, ¼ cup (102 g) of borax, and ¼ cup (52 g) of washing soda into the water. Swish the water around until the detergent and cleaners completely dissolve and form suds.^{[2]
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- Borax helps break down stains and dirt so they’re easier to remove from your hats.
- Washing soda makes it easier for detergents to penetrate the fabric so the stains break apart faster.
- Stripping laundry with liquid detergent isn’t as effective, so it won’t clean your hats very well.
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3
Submerge your hats in the stripping solution for up to 2 hours. Within a few minutes, some of the dirt and buildup from the fabric will start lifting from your hats. Check on your hats every 30 minutes or so to see if the stains have lightened up. After 2 hours, take your hats out and drain the dirty water.^{[3]
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- Leaving your hats to soak for longer could start damaging the fabric.
- Clean hats that are a similar color at the same time. Just be careful mixing in dark or reddish colors since the dyes may bleed and stain the other hats you’re stripping.
- Avoid stripping hats that have cardboard brims since submerging them can damage their form.
4
Rinse your hats with warm water. Turn your faucet onto a warm setting and hold your hats underneath the running water. Continue rinsing your hats until the water runs clear and you don’t see any more suds.^{[4]
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Set your hats on a towel to air-dry. Start by patting your hats with the towel to remove as much of the excess water as you can. Then, put the towel in a cool, dry place and leave your hats on top. Adjust the hats so they maintain their form while they dries. Give your hats a few hours to fully dry off before wearing them again.^{[5]
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- Hang hats on a coffee can or large jar to help it retain its shape and speed up drying times.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Spot-Cleaning Hats

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Apply color-safe stain remover to the marks on your hat. Find any visible dirt or sweat stains on your hat. Coat the stain with your stain remover and let it soak in for a minute or two. That way, the dirt or residue in the fabric will loosen up and be easier to clean off.^{[6]
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- Avoid using any stain removers with bleach since they’ll discolor your hat.
- If you don’t have any commercial stain remover, try applying paste made from 4 tablespoons (55 g) of baking soda and ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of water and letting it sit for about an hour.
2
Scrub the hat with a toothbrush to break apart stains. Work the stain remover into your hat with a new toothbrush that you only use for cleaning. Gently rub the bristles in small circles over the stain to lift it from the fabric.^{[7]
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- Spot-cleaning works best for cleaning hats that have cardboard brims so you don’t have to submerge and potentially damage them.
3
Rinse off the cleaner with water and a clean toothbrush. Run the toothbrush under clean water to wet the bristles. Work the water into the area you just cleaned to remove the cleaner. Rewet the bristles and continue rinsing your hat out until you don’t see any more suds.^{[8]
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4
Leave your hat out to air-dry. Pat the spot you just cleaned with a towel to lift up as much of the water as possible. Then, set your hat on the towel or hang it over a large jar in a well-ventilated spot so it can dry off. Let your hat dry for a few hours or overnight before wearing it again.^{[9]
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- If you can still see the stain after cleaning your hat, try spot-cleaning again until it disappears.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Alternative Cleaning Methods

1
Use a hat brush to clean off surface dust and dirt. Hold your hat over the trash so the dirt and dust don’t go everywhere. Gently run the brush bristles across the fabric to sweep away any residue that built up on the surface. If you don’t see any more dust coming off of your hat, then you’re finished cleaning.^{[10]
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- Alternatively, use a lint roller in between cleanings to remove any dust or debris that built up since the last time you wore your hat.
2
Machine-wash your hat on the delicate cycle. Toss your hat into your laundry with like colors and use a warm water setting. Set the machine to “delicates” to help prevent your hat from getting damaged during the cycle. When your hat is finished in the washer, leave it out to air-dry.^{[11]
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- Avoid machine-washing your hat if your washer has a center agitator since it’s more likely to damage or misshape the brim.
- Avoid putting your hat in the dryer since the heat could shrink the fabric.
3
Put caps in the dishwasher for a quick and convenient cleaning. Set your hats in the top rack of your dishwasher so they’re further away from the heating element. Load your dishwasher with bleach-free dish detergent and set it to a normal wash cycle. Turn off the heat-dry setting on your dishwasher so you don’t risk shrinking your hat.^{[12]
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- Some experts recommend against using your dishwasher since they’re more likely to damage hats. If your hats are sentimental and you don’t want to risk ruining them, stick to hand-washing them.
- Put your hat in a washing cage to help it retain its shape better.

Warnings

Avoid using any products with chlorine bleach on your hats since it could make the colors fade or damage your hat.^{[13]
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