The New Era is not a cheap hat. If you want to keep the tongue of your New Era cap hard, you can learn the precautions to ensure that your hat isn't handled carelessly in the first place, as well as some powerful methods for cleaning your hat while it still looks cool.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Daily Cleaning and Maintenance
Step 1. Decide on the level of cleanliness you want for your hat
Most people want to keep their New Era hat looking like it was freshly bought from the store. If you are one of those people, you need to use careful cleaning methods and proper storage to keep your hats safe. If you don't really care about the appearance of your hat, and are satisfied that it doesn't look dirty or drenched in sweat, you can overlook many details, and simply wash your hat as you would any other garment.
- If you want to keep your new hat looking like new as long as possible, don't soak it. Wait until the hat is completely dirty and starts to look like an old hat.
- If you don't want to bother keeping your hat looking like new, just dip it in the water. Better yet, just put it in the washing machine. Easy and right away.
Step 2. Carefully clean your hat after each wear
Every time you take off your New Era hat, it never hurts to clean it carefully to make sure no dust builds up, especially if your hat is white. You don't need to spend more than a minute or two.
If you don't have time to clean your hat every time you put it on, try to clean it at least once or twice a week. Dust can seep into the fibers of the hat, and over time will cause stains, as a result of which the hat requires a more thorough cleaning method
Step 3. Remove dust and lint using a lint roller
The best way to keep your hat looking new every day is to use a t-shirt cleaning roller to remove any dust and grime that appears after wearing it. You can buy these sorts of cleaning rollers for around a few tens of thousands at a clothing retailer.
- Some clothes cleaning rollers have a sticky sheet on the outside, which you can peel off once they get very dirty and full of lint. Others have thick bristles and operate in one direction only, not the other way around. The latter is the best clothes cleaning roller, as it lasts longer and doesn't leave a sticky residue on your hat.
- Some hat shops will even stock a hat brush, which is designed for this purpose. If they're really expensive, you still have the option of cleaning rollers, which basically do the same thing.
- Homemade clothes cleaning roller: Use the sticky part of the tape, then throw it away.
Step 4. Use wet wipes once a week
Ordinary wet wipes or hand wipes are great for treating minor stains on your New Era hat and preventing them from developing into worse stains. Use a wet tissue to wipe the inside as well as the outside of the hat thoroughly, once a week, or more if you wear the hat every day.
Focus especially on the tip of the cap where you often hold your hand, and where you sweat the most. Fingerprints will tend to form on the tongue of the hat where you hold the hat as you take it off, and sweat stains can penetrate the fabric and be extremely difficult to remove
Step 5. Store your hat properly
If you simply toss your New Era hat on top of a chest of drawers, or on the floor, it will collect more dirt than if you put it on your head. Plus, a hat rack is a nest of dust, especially if you place it right in front of the door. If you want to really protect your New Era hats, keep them in a box, and wrap the hats in tissue paper to prevent them from getting too dusty. As a result, the hat looks new and clean every time, no need to clean it.
Step 6. Wear a bandana or scarf under the hat
If you sweat while wearing a hat, you can prevent sweatbands from getting sweaty and needing to be cleaned by creating a barrier underneath with a scarf wrapped tightly around your head. Plus, the scarf will help keep your hair from falling apart, and keep the hair's natural oils from staining the hat, as well as blocking sweat from penetrating the hat, and if sweat gets on the hat at least on the surface.
Method 2 of 3: Deep Cleaning
Step 1. Wrap the plastic wrap to protect the sticker
If you want to keep your hat looking fresh from the store, you need to keep the sticker on your hat as clean as possible. Water will damage the sticker very quickly, causing it to peel and crack. If you're trying to clean the hat without damaging the sticker, plastic food wrap from the kitchen will help provide the desired result.
Cut the plastic food wrap just large enough to cover the sticker and a few inches around the sticker, then secure it with tape so it doesn't slide off. Make sure the tape seals the plastic completely
Step 2. Fill the sink with cold water and soap
It's important to use cold water for new hats, as cold water will prevent the dye from seeping out. However, you are free to use hot water for an old hat that has been washed before.
If you want to know if your hat will fade if you throw it in the washing machine or dishwasher, use the white cloth to treat minor stains. Wet a cloth with hot water and press it against the colored area of the hat. Is there any color stuck to the fabric? Otherwise, you are safe. Continue to wash the hat in cold water
Step 3. Gently scrub the stain with a soft-bristled toothbrush or clean cloth
Perhaps the most effective way to gently but firmly treat stains, be they sweat, oil, or whatever, is to use a new, soft-bristled toothbrush, lightly moistened with cold water and soap. Rub the brush in small circular motions, carefully removing the stain.
Step 4. Do it again with cold water only
After you wash the hat with soap, re-wet the toothbrush with clean water and scrub the hat again to try to remove further stains. If you prefer, you can also replace the brush with a wet tissue, or cloth to cover a larger area.
Step 5. Air dry the hat
It's important to get the hat look the way you want it and let it air dry for at least 24 hours before you put it on. If you wear a hat that is moderately wet, it will lose some of its shape, begin to look slack and worn, which is what you want to avoid. Place the hat with the tongue flat, and the top of the hat supported.
- Consider having a cap mold to help maintain the shape of the hat. Hat prints can usually be purchased at hat shops and clothing retailers, for only a few tens of thousands of dollars, and can help keep your hat in shape in the long run, especially when you dry it. If you have an adjustable hat, try to adjust it to the size you normally wear.
- While you can save time, drying the hat in the tumble dryer will deform and harden the hat faster than anything else. The heat will soften the structure of the hat, making it much more flexible. Let the hat dry on its own.
Step 6. Consider washing the hat in the dishwasher
One of the easiest and fastest ways to wash a baseball cap is to put it in the hat mold, then set the dishwasher setting to cold wash, and let the machine do half the wash cycle automatically. Remove the hat after half a wash cycle and let it dry on its own.
Make sure the dishwasher is very clean if you want to try it, and only use this method for old hats that won't fade
Method 3 of 3: Using Authorized Cleaning Supplies
Step 1. Consider purchasing an official New Era hat cleaning kit
The New Era kit is sold with all the basic supplies you'll need to keep your hat looking clean and new. These kits are usually sold for half the price of the hat, which can seem quite expensive, but include a cleaning spray, shaping spray, and cleaning brush, and a pump cap mold so you can use it to keep your hat in shape when you're not wearing it.
The value of the benefits of using the kit is still being debated. If you have a large collection of hats and want to keep everything looking like new, it might be worth it, but if you only have a few hats, you may want to just use the basic cleaning method described above
Step 2. Place the cap in the pump cap mold
The mold of the pump cap can be changed to accommodate the shape of the hat you are wearing. You can adjust the mold by placing the hat on it, and inflating it to the size you want for the hat to be stored. Inflate the supplied rubber pump to expand the mold. Once you get the right size, the print will work for all of your hats.
Step 3. Use a cleaning brush every time you put on a hat
Once you've removed the cap, place the cap in the pump mold and lightly spray it with cleaning spray, then comb the tongue and top of the hat with a cleaning brush to keep the hat looking good.
Step 4. Spray with shaping spray
After you clean the hat, spray the shaping spray while the hat is placed in the mold. 2-3 sprays are usually sufficient. The shaping spray will keep the hat forming hard and looking new for as long as possible.
