Cleaning Fur Felt Hats & Wool Hats
Learning how to clean felt hats and wool hats is an important aspect of keeping your most expensive hats in tip-top shape. You’ll need a soft bristle brush and, in more extreme cases, a steam cleaner and powdered cleaners.
• To clean a fur felt hat or wool hat, brush the top and bottom counter-clockwise with a soft bristle brush.
• Set your hat on its top or hang from a peg or hat hook to help it retain its shape.
• If your hat gets wet, shake off all excess water, let dry, then lightly brush clean.
• Use steam to shape and clean hat. For heavy stains, powdered cleaners may be used.

Cleaning Straw Hats
In addition to regular after-wear maintenance, you may deep-clean your straw hat using things you already have around the house, such as regular old window cleaner. If you prefer something tougher, invest in a bottle of Straw Hat Cleaner that will safely remove residue, dirt and grime from colorfast straw hats.
• Keep clean and fresh by brushing with a small whisk broom or sponge lightly with a damp cloth. Use window cleaner for heavier stains.
• Store hat on its top or hang from a peg or hat hook to help it retain its shape.
• Keep most straw hats from getting soaked with rain. If your hat gets wet, wipe off the excess water with a dry cloth. Then, with the brim turned up, place on a level, clean surface to dry.
• Steam your hat to reshape, if necessary.
• Do not use artificial heat.

Cleaning Suede/Leather Hats
Learning how to clean suede leather hats properly can help ensure that your more expensive suede hats go from shiny and new to vintage and valuable. You’ll need a slightly stuff bristle brush, an emery cloth or fine-grit sandpaper, a suede bar and common household cleaning products.
Brush your hat with a nylon or slightly stiff bristle brush to get out loose dirt and dust. Brushing periodically keeps the suede looking fresh.
• Buff any matted suede or caked on dirt with emery cloth or fine-grit sandpaper. It is important to choose a grit that matches the finish of your hat; 120-grit works well with most suede hats.
• For light colored leathers, a suede bar (sometimes called a suede eraser) works best on most stains. Move the suede bar in a circular pattern to “erase” the stain. You may need to work the material aggressively for set in stains. Then brush again with the suede brush.
• Oily stains from sweat cannot be removed completely. You may remove most of the oils and odors with a mixture of one part baby shampoo and 15 parts warm water. Use this mixture with your suede brush.
• When hat gets wet, shake off excess water and let dry. Then brush clean.
• Steam clean to get rid of water spots or reshape your hat.

Cleaning Leather Hats
Leather can be one of the more stubborn materials to clean, but when you invest in some specialty products and keep your leather hats away from high heat and moisture, they’ll stay fresh and new for the long haul.
• Leather hats should be periodically treated with leather dressing like mink oil, neatsfoot oil, Lexol/Brik4 or similar products. Be sure to avoid saddle soap, as that may dry your leather hat. (Oiled leather hats tend to require less attention.)
• Once conditioned, your hat is ready to wear in any season. Avoid getting your hat wet, then placing it near heat. Also avoid placing your hat in direct sunlight for extended periods, as such exposure may shrink the hat to a smaller size.

Cleaning Cloth Hats
Cloth hats are designed for easy maintenance, so you can use a brush and a bit of water to clean them in most cases.
• If your cloth hat is waxed or oiled cotton/canvas, simply hose off when dusty or dirty.
• If your cloth hat is made of untreated cloth, use a stiff bristle brush to clean. In the event you have heavier, set in stains, powdered cleaners may be used to clean.

Cleaning Canvas Hats
As one of the most rugged and low-maintenance hat materials, canvas hats are designed for easy, periodic cleaning.
• You can clean your canvas hats with a damp cloth. For heavier stains, you may use powdered cleaner.

Additional Hat-Cleaning & Maintenance Tips
• All hats: Remove dust and lint from your hat periodically to avoid deterioration and soiling. An easy way to remove lint and dust is to use a lint roller.
• Treat your hat with a waterproof spray to avoid moisture damage.
• Some hats may shrink when exposed to extreme heat, such as drying by an open fire, so avoid any exposure to high heat.
• Embrace your hat’s unique stretches and permanent marks as signs of authenticity and character — it’s what makes it your own!
• Store your hats in a hat box and cover your most valuable hats with a vinyl hat cover to avoid dust buildup, staining and odor accumulation.

Note: Be sure to check the label inside your hat for specific care and cleaning instructions. The cleaning suggestions above are for reference should your hat not provide these details. thewrighthatcompany.com is not responsible for damage resulting from cleaning.

Your brim is very impressionable! Storage is vitally important to maintaining the shape of your brim. Hats with brims turned down should always be stored upside down. Pressure is taken off the brim by placing the hat on its crown, thus maintaining its form.

Be kind to your crown! Excessive handling of your hat’s crown can lead to variations from its original structure or form. Get into the habit of picking up your hat, putting it on and taking it off with both your hands on the brim.

If your hat gets wet, simply place it on its crown in a dry place and allow it some time to dry itself. Your hat will dry by itself. Never attempt to force dry your hat using artificial heat. Hair dryers, radiators, and other sources of high heat will shrink your hat. Before the hat dries, take the time to smooth out any perfections. Numerous wetting and dryings can result in shrinkage. A hat stretcher is a good defense against this rare event.