Hat Care 

 Here are some care tips for your hats. 

1. Never pick up your hat when your hands are not clean.

2.  Pick up your hat by placing  one hand on the back of the hat brim and the other on the front. Storing the hat on a hat stand, makes it a lot easier.

3. Never set a hat on it's brim, lay it down crown opening up, if the trim does not prevent this. Hats with  ostentatious feathers and elaborate decorations which stick up above the crown  should always be placed on a hat stand.

4. Never pick it up by the crown. This crushes the crown and can render it out of shape. 

5. Protect your hat from bad weather, when possible. 

6. Felt  hats can be cleaned  with a dry cleaning fluid on a soft cloth, Art gum eraser or Fullers earth.

    a. A few  brand names for cleaning fluids are "Renuzit and Energine". Some hardware stores carry these brands. Place the cleaning fluid on a soft cloth with a short nap and wipe the felt. 

    b. An art gum eraser can be purchased from Art Supply stores, office supply stores and crafts stores. . It is used by rubbing in a counter clock wise motion to the grain of the brim. Brush off the residue.

    c. Invest in a good brim brush - one with dark bristles for dark colored hats and one with light colored bristles for light colored hats. Brush your hat(s) on a regular basis to keep dirt from settling into the fibers. Light colored hats should be brushed more often. Keep your brushes clean after each use - you do not want to transfer fibers of one color hat to a hat of another color. 

   d. Cleaning sponges for felt hats are also sold on the open market. These are used in the same manner as the soft cloth soaked with cleaning fluids.

   e. Fuller's earth can be bought from a drugstore  or health store to clean a way oily stains that are not of a liquid nature. Use a plastic or rubber sponge to clean a way the residue.

    f. There is also Scout hat cleaner for dark and light  felt hats , which can be bought from many milliners.  This cleaner requires the use of either a dark or light bristled brim brush depending on the color of the hat.

 7. If your hat gets wet never use a hair dryer to dry it. Let it dry naturally and if you are fortunate to have a hat retainer use it to prevent shrinkage in the head band area.   Hat retainers can also be used when the hat will be stored for a long period of time. 

8. Liquid stains may require the services of a professional hat cleaner. Stay away from clothes cleaning establishments, many do not have the tools for cleaning  and re-blocking a hat.

9. Do not stack one hat on top of the other. This can  lead to the hat's shape being distorted and will definitely crush the trim. 

10. For long storage periods, the hat should be placed in a hat box(card board or cloth covered. Cloth covered hatboxes can be purchased at some discount stores for as little as $10.00 You can also use a hat stand for temporary storage.

11. Always store your hat in a dry, cool place.

12 Straw hats should be brushed on a regular basis with a soft brim brush or a whisk broom.  This will help  keep the hat  in a new state longer. A soft damp cloth can also be used to maintain your straw.

 At some point in time the hat will have to be re-blocked and a stiffener reapplied. By  following these hat care suggestions, you can prolong the life of the hat.