Hat Trouble!

[Eight Thumbs]

Please Help! I wear baseball style caps when I fish (also hike, garden, boat, etc.. In fact, I have a collection different caps from various tackle shops and tackle manufacturers. My problem concerns cleaning them. After 6 months or so they all get pretty dirty and sweat stained. My wife has thrown a couple in the washing machine and the results have been a disaster. Brims have detached, lining have come apart and worst of all, the sad remains have shrunk to pin-head size. These are not cheap hats; most run from $14-$24.

Is there a good way to wash baseball style hats without having them fall apart. Above all, how do you stop them from shrinking during and after the wash? In addition to having eight thumbs, I also have a baseket-ball sized head (7 3/4) and any shrinkage means that they sit on my head like a beanie. Thanks in advance for your help. 8T

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You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it's a real short camping season.

Wash a fishing hat? Unless they look really bad and smell even worse, they aren't a true fishing hat. I'm afraid that if I washed one, all the luck would go down the drain with the dirt..

Best way to clean a fisihing hat is to wear it winter steelheading. The rain gets most of the sludge off and the freezing temps make it easy to break off big junks of mud and such.

REE

[ZeissMan]

Hey Thumbs:
My brother swears by the dishwasher for cleaning his baseball (gimmie) hats.
Just put them on the top shelf and give it a go!
~ZM

[darrell]

8T ... wash a hat ? ! ?!?!?!? that's like washing your lucky charms

I had lots of ball caps .... had. Washed some - lost some. Found I had more caps than I had storage space ....... anyhow ...

Best bet to clean a dirty cap outside the washing machine - is by hand. You'll still get shrinkage ... best thing there, is once rinsed and rung dry - wear it for about 15-20 minutes to hold size. It'll still shrink a bit when its totally dry, but not near the amount of just leaving it from wet.

darrell,

[GrayGhost]

If you just got to wash the hats, there is a hat washing rack you can buy for the dish washer. I think you can get them at Cabelas, but to wash baseball style hat the dish washer is the best way to go.
Ghost

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time is like a river running though the world, if you dont take a moment to sit and watch it go by we loose so much. GrayGhost

[DBenner]

I had the same problem, always wore baseball style caps, same problem, comfortable yet not really serviceable. In later years the back of my neck started to burn REALLY easy with the ball caps style. I happened to be in a mall up in Quebec city and there they had a little shop in the midle of the aisle with brimmed hats all the way around made by Tilley. Well, let me tell you that was the best money I have ever spent on a hat, no burning and I wear it everywhere, fishing, car races, outside, hiking, etc.

Oh yeah, it washed beautifully and it has a fabulous warranty.

Dwight

[This message has been edited by DBenner (edited 12 September 2005).]

Eight
I tried the washing machine trick and it came out clean enough except for extreme shrinkage. Put it out in the sun to dry and a little later saw a squirrel wearing it up in the top of a tree.

I'm with Noahsboyz on this one...don't clean them at all...you might wind up a Jonah and there's nothing worse on a trout stream. Buy cheaper hats and when you find a lucky one wear it till it falls apart...then burn it and burry the remains under a full moon.

Plant a multiflora rose bush over the spot sothat everyone who passes by will curse it for falling apart...and you'll never be bothered by nightmares or dandruff etc.

Best advice I ever gave!

Ol' Bill
1932



[This message has been edited by snipe (edited 12 September 2005).]

[BenC]

Go to a wig store and purchase one of those heads that they use to store and brush the wigs on. I too have a very large head, big brain , and find it very dificult to find a hat that fits. The styro, heads are small but you can wrap an ace bandage around the forehead until it has the same diameter of your head. Once you remove the hat from the dishwasher(while it is still wet), place it on the wig head and let it dry complelty. It should now fit your noggin like a glove ...

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Best Regards




[This message has been edited by BenC (edited 12 September 2005).]

[teasels]

I have found that the easiest way to wash a ball cap is by hand. I use dish soap warm water and an old toothbrush. Scrub the living $%#@ out of it. rinse rinse and rinse somemore. I tried one of those hat racks it was ok but not great when it comes to drying hang it up with a piece of string thru the size adjuster in the back and NEVER I repeat NEVER!!!!!!!!!!! put the thing in the dryer.putting one in the dryer results in a size 4x large hat that will fit a newborn MAYBE(if it is a preme with a very small head)

[James Smith]

I'm with Dwight on this one. I switched to wearing a Tilley hat about four years ago because the edges of my ears started to turn "crispy" after a few outings in the hot Georgia sun every spring. I switched to a Tilley based on input from some very experienced anglers on this board and it has been the best hat I've ever owned. I hand wash it when it needs and place it on an empty gallon milk jug to dry. Little/no shrinkage and best of all no more crispy ears and sunburned neck. I've had too many friends suffer with skin cancer in later years from excessive exposure to the sun and the protection this will afford you will be the best money you'll spend on flyfishing. Just one man's opinion.

Jim Smith