How to Clean a Wool Hat

Wool hats are popular and stylish. Some designer versions can cost thousands of dollars, while more generic brands keep you looking dashing for much less. Wool hats can last for years, but only if they are cleaned correctly. If you mistreat a wool hat during the cleaning process, you will likely lose your headgear and never be able to use the wool hat again.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clean rags
• Wool fabric stain remover
• Lint roller

1. Dry your hat immediately when you come in out of rain or snow. Being wet is okay for a wool hat when it is keeping your head warm and dry, but once you come in, it is time to dry your hat as well as yourself. Blot moisture from the hat with a clean rag, and place the hat on a flat surface until it is completely dry. Do not hang your hat or your will permanently alter its shape.

2. Brush your hat every day. Use a lint roller to remove all dust, grime and lint that your hat accumulates over the course of daily wear. Allowing that dust to sit on your hat will make it stiff and dirty over time.

3. Remove stains with a cloth, not by washing. Dampen a clean rag with some wool fabric stain remover. Do not use regular stain remover; it must be specifically for wool. Brush the stain lightly with the rag until it lifts. Do not scrub. Once you have removed the stain, you can "rinse" with a dampened rag and then blot the previously stained area dry.

4. Take serious problems to a professional hat cleaner. If your hat has been soaked in mud, for example, then you cannot wash it without destroying the shape entirely. Only a professional hat cleaner will have the equipment to restore your wool hat.

Tips & Warnings

• Hanging wool hats, even when they are dry, will distort and disfigure them over time.