How to Wash a Baseball Cap Without a Washing Machine

Always read the washing instructions printed on the hat's label before cleaning.

Baseball caps give you the opportunity to express your individual taste and style. Unfortunately, the cap absorbs the sweat from your brow and oil from your hair, turning it into a dirty, smelly mess. While laundering the baseball hat in a washing machine is one option, washing machines can be a bit too rough on the hat, damaging it beyond repair. Instead, either hand-wash the cap or run it through a dishwasher.

Things You'll Need

• Clothespins
• Dishwashing detergent
• Pot
• Masking tape
• Cloths
• Gentle laundry detergent

Instructions

Dishwasher

1. Place the washable wool or cotton baseball cap on the top rack of the dishwasher. Secure the caps to the rack with several clothespins.

2. Add the same amount of dishwashing detergent as you normally would. Close the door and run a normal wash and rinse cycle.

3. Remove the baseball cap before the drying cycle begins. Place the cap over an upside-down pot to help keep the shape of the hat during the drying process. Let the baseball cap air dry for several hours.

Hand Washing

1. Fold a piece of masking tape with the adhesive side facing out. Remove lint by patting the baseball cap with the adhesive side of the tape.

2. Dampen a cloth with warm water and add 1 to 2 drops of laundry detergent. Gently rub stains and dirt off the headband and brim of the cap with the cloth. Continue rubbing until you have cleaned the hat.

3. Dampen a clean cloth with warm water and blot the detergent off the cap. Let the hat air dry for several hours.

References

• Good Housekeeping: How to Clean a Baseball Cap
• "Planet Green"; Wash Your Baseball Cap With the Dishes; Josh Peterson; January 2009
• "The Village Hat Shop"; Cleaning Your Baseball Cap; James Lilliefors; 2009