How to Wash a Hat Without Ruining It: Our Tested 2026 Guide

Your favorite hat is a mess.

It’s covered in sweat stains and salt lines. It looks bad, and it probably smells worse. But you haven’t washed it.

Why?

Because you don’t want to ruin it.

We’ve all seen what happens when you “just throw it in the wash.” The brim gets soft. The crown shrinks. The hat is basically garbage.

But you don’t have to choose between a dirty hat and a ruined one.

We spent the last week testing the best ways to wash hats without destroying them.

Today, we’re going to show you exactly how it’s done.

No “specialty” sprays. No expensive kits. Just a simple process to clean a hat that gets the dirt out and keeps the shape exactly where it should be.

Let’s get to work.

Check your hat first

Before you get the hat wet, you need to do a quick check.

If you skip this, you might ruin your hat before you even start cleaning it.

The first thing to check is the brim.

You need to know if it is made of plastic or cardboard.

Most modern hats use plastic. It is waterproof and holds its shape well. But if you have an older hat or a cheap one from a gift shop, the brim might be cardboard.

If you soak a cardboard brim, it is finished. It will turn into a mushy mess, and it will never look right again.

How to tell if your hat has a cardboard brim is easy.

Flick the brim with your finger. If it makes a sharp click sound, it is plastic. If it sounds like a dull thud, it is cardboard. If it is cardboard, do not put it in water.

Next, check the fabric.

Most cotton twill and polyester are usually fine. But if the tag says it’s an acrylic blend or wool, you have to be careful. Wool shrinks fast in warm water. If you’ve already cut the tag off and aren’t 100% sure what you’re dealing with, check out our guide to common hat materials so you don’t accidentally use the wrong cleaning method..

And if you have a straw hat, do not get it wet at all. Water makes the straw swell and ruins the shape.

Finally, you need to check the dye for colorfastness.

Take a wet, white microfiber cloth and rub it gently on a hidden spot on the inside of the hat. If the color comes off on the cloth, the dye is not set.

If that happens, do not soak the hat. If you do, the colors will bleed, and your favorite cap will be ruined.

Best Ways to Wash a Hat Without Damaging It

We spent the last week testing these methods on everything from vintage wool caps to modern snapbacks.

Here is exactly what we learned, including the small mistakes that can ruin a good hat.

Method 1: Spot Cleaning (The Quick Fix)

Most people think they need to soak a hat the moment they see a stain. They don’t. In fact, if your hat has a cardboard brim, a full soak is a death sentence.

Pro Tip: If your hat looks clean but has a lingering smell, don’t risk the water. This is especially true for vintage or cardboard brims. You’re much better off deodorizing the hat using dry methods instead.

When we spot clean, we use a very specific “dry-foam” approach. We mix a tiny bit of dish soap in a bowl of water and whisk it until it’s sudsy.

We only use the foam on the brush, not the water itself. This keeps the fabric from getting too saturated.

We found that using a soft-bristle toothbrush is better than using a microfiber cloth. The bristles get deep into the weave of the cotton without fraying the surface.

Be extra careful around the mesh panels (if it’s a trucker hat) or the top button, as you don’t want water trapped in the hardware.

Scrub in small, circular motions and immediately dab it with a dry paper towel. If you see the stain spreading, you’re using too much water. Stop and let it dry before trying again.

Method 2: How to Wash a Cap by Hand (The Safest Way)

This is the method we recommend for 90% of hats. It gives you the most control.

The mistake most people make is using too much detergent. A little goes a long way. We fill a sink with cool water, not warm, as warm water can cause the colors to bleed, and add just a teaspoon of mild detergent.

We let the hat soak for about 30 minutes. Around the 15-minute mark, we noticed the sweatband needed extra attention. This is where those salt and body oils from our skin build up.

We use a bit of soap directly on the toothbrush and scrub the inside of the sweatband while the hat is submerged.

This works for most caps, but white hats are trickier. If those yellow rings won’t budge, our guide for removing sweat stains from white hats has the specific steps you need to get them bright again.

If the stains are really stubborn, add a tiny bit of OxiClean to the mix instead of harsh bleach.

When you’re done, the water will probably look gross. That’s a good thing. But don’t just rinse the hat under a high-pressure faucet. It can mess with the stitching. Hold it under a gentle stream of cool water until the soap residue is completely gone.

Method 3: Machine Washing (For Modern/Sturdy Hats)

Most people think putting a hat in the washing machine is a death sentence for the brim.

And for a long time, we agreed.

But after testing it out on a few modern polyester and cotton hats, we found a process that actually works. You just have to be careful.

Here is exactly how we do it.

The “Safety First” Rule

First things first. You need to put the hat in something.

We use a plastic hat cage to protect the shape. If you don’t have one, a mesh laundry bag works too.

We once washed a hat without any protection, and the brim got caught in the rubber seal of the machine. It bent the brim and tore the stitching.

So, use a bag. It’s not worth the risk.

The Right Settings

When you’re at the machine, keep it simple:

• Water Level: Low or Medium
• Temperature: Cold Only

This is important. Do not use hot water. Heat softens the glue inside the brim. Once that glue gets soft, your hat loses its shape for good.

Choosing Your Soap

You only need about a teaspoon of liquid detergent.

Whatever you do, stay away from powder. It usually leaves a white residue on the fabric. Also, skip the bleach and the fabric softener. Those chemicals are way too harsh for the stitching.

The Cycle

Set your washer to “Delicate” or “Hand Wash.”

You want a low spin speed. If the machine spins too fast, the force will warp the brim.

Don’t Mix Fabrics

Never wash your hats with heavy items like jeans, towels, or hoodies.

When those clothes get wet, they get heavy. They’ll end up smashing the crown of the hat during the cycle.

If you want to throw other stuff in, stick to light t-shirts.

The Drying Process

Never put your hat in the dryer. The heat and the tumbling will ruin it.

Instead, take the hat out as soon as the cycle ends. Use your hands to reshape the crown while it’s still damp.

Then, just set it upside down on a towel or over a bowl. It should be dry in about 24 hours.

Method 4: The Dishwasher “Hack” (Proceed with Caution)

The internet loves this one, but we found some serious “hidden” dangers.

The dishwasher is great because the hat stays in one place. It doesn’t tumble.

However, most dishwasher pods contain bleach or harsh chemicals meant to scrub food off plates. These will ruin the color of your hat instantly. Use just one tablespoon of a very mild, liquid laundry detergent instead. Place it in the detergent compartment just like you would for dishes.

The real trick is using a “Hat Cage.” It’s a plastic frame that holds the hat’s shape so the water pressure doesn’t crush the crown. Without it, your hat might come out looking flat.

The biggest discovery we made? The “Heated Dry” setting. We tried it on a test hat, and the plastic brim warped so badly it was basically unwearable.

If you’re going to try this, you have to follow these rules to keep the hat safe:

• Snap it in a Hat Cage: Put your hat in the frame before it even goes near the machine. It’s the only way to keep that crown looking sharp.
• Top Rack ONLY: Never, ever put it on the bottom. The bottom rack is way too close to the heating element—it’ll literally start melting the plastic parts of your hat before the cycle is even done.
• Don’t wash with dirty dishes: It sounds obvious, but don’t try to save water by throwing in your dinner plates. Food grease and stuff like spaghetti sauce will soak right into the fabric, and good luck getting that smell (or the stains) out later.
• Cold Water & Delicate Cycle: Keep it simple. Use the lightest setting your machine has and make sure the water is cold.
• Kill the “Heated Dry”: This is the most important part. Manually turn off the heat-dry or power-dry button. You want the wash, not the bake.
• Get it out immediately: The second that timer hits zero, grab the hat. It should be soaking wet. If you let it sit in that hot, steamy air inside the machine, it’s going to shrink, and the plastic will start to bend.

Once it’s out, take it out of the cage, use your hands to reshape the top, and let it sit on a dry towel for 24 hours.

How to Dry Your Hat Without Losing Shape

This is the part where most people mess up. They do all the hard work of cleaning, then they leave the hat sit on a able to dry.

When a hat is wet, it’s heavy. If you just lay it down, the weight of the water pulls the crown flat. By the time it’s dry, the hat looks limp and cheap. We’ve ruined plenty of good caps by being lazy at this stage.

Last week, we tested a few different ways to keep the shape, and here is what actually works.

The most important thing is to give the crown something to hold onto. We don’t own a mannequin head, so we tried a few household items. A small soccer ball works okay, but we found that bunching up a dry towel is actually better.

We stuffed the towel inside the hat until the crown looked exactly like it does when we’re wearing it. This is key. If you don’t support the crown, the fabric will wrinkle as it dries.

For the brim, you have to be even more careful.

If you like your brim flat, put it on a flat surface and place a heavy book on just the brim. This keeps it from curling up at the edges.

One thing we learned the hard way: stay away from the sun.

We put one of our test hats on the porch to dry faster. After three hours, the black fabric started to look dull. The sun acts like bleach on wet fabric.

It’s much better to leave it inside on a counter with a fan blowing nearby to ensure plenty of air circulation.

And whatever you do, do not use a hair dryer to speed things up. We tried it on a cheap snapback, and the heat actually warped the plastic inside the brim. Once that plastic bends from heat, it’s permanent.

Just be patient. It usually takes a full 24 hours for the inner sweatband to dry completely. If you put it on while it’s still damp, the hat will stretch out, and the fit will be ruined. Wait until it’s bone dry.

5 Common Mistakes That Will Kill Your Hat

We’ve seen these mistakes ruin more hats than anything else. During our tests this week, we saw exactly how fast these “shortcuts” turn a good hat into garbage.

What to Avoid	What happens	Do this instead
Tossing it in the dryer	It’ll shrink so much it won’t fit a child.	Air dry only. No exceptions.
Using “Heavy Duty” soap	The chemicals will bleach your colors.	Stick to mild, clear dish soap.
Scrubbing like crazy	You’ll get those annoying fuzzy balls.	Use a soft toothbrush and be gentle.
Using hot water	The crown will warp and look “wonky.”	Always use cool water.
Hanging it up to dry	The weight of the water stretches it out.	Dry it flat on a clean towel.

If you avoid these five things, your hat will last for years. It is that simple.

How to Keep Your Hat Clean Longer

Let’s be honest. Washing a hat is a huge hassle.

It takes a lot of work, and you can’t even wear the hat for a full day while it dries. The real trick is to keep it clean so you don’t have to wash it as often.

We tested a few ways to keep hats fresh. Here’s what we found.

First, get a lint roller. We keep one right by our door now.

Most hats don’t actually have dirt on them. They just have dust and hair. If you leave that dust there, you eventually press it deep into the fabric just by touching it. Giving it a quick pass with a roller after you wear it keeps the hat looking brand new.

Next, watch the sweatband.

This is the part that gets gross first. The oil from your skin is actually what ruins the fabric and makes it turn yellow.

When we get home, we take a damp cloth and give the inside band a five-second wipe. It stops the sweat from drying and leaving those white salt lines. If you do this every day, you might only have to wash your hat once a year.

You can also use a protector spray.

We tried a water-repellent spray on a test hat before a long walk. The sweat didn’t even soak into the fabric. It just stayed on top, and we wiped it right off. It’s an easy way to keep the colors from fading.

One last thing: stop throwing your hat in a dark closet or a bag when it’s still damp.

That is how hats start to smell bad. If you just leave it out on a counter for an hour to air out before you put it away, it stays smelling fresh much longer.

Keeping a hat in top shape is all about these small, daily habits. For a full breakdown on protecting your collection, take a look at our essential hat care guide to make your favorite caps last for years.

Over to you…

Now you know exactly how to wash a hat without ruining the brim or shrinking the fabric.

Maybe you’ve been using the dryer, or maybe you just needed a simple way to deal with sweat stains.

If one of these tips helped, drop a quick comment below and let us know.

Common Hat Washing Questions