The Ultimate Spring Cleaning: Nine Steps to Clean and Store Your Favorite Fur Felt Hats

Who else is Marie Kondo-ing the heck out of their closet? It’s been a crazy few weeks, well – a month now! I’m finally able to focus back on doing my personal stuff, like spring-cleaning my closet! And I’m happy to announce that the hats are staying!

If you follow me on Instagram, I always say that felt hats are all year-round and can be worn in summer. I really meant every single word I said. I probably wear them more during cool breeze summer nights, not during hot sunny days. So I decided to clean up and store some of my heavier fur-felt hats as I know I would probably wear them less in the summer.

Anyway, protecting and caring for your hat is a must so I’ve put together a step by step to help you care for your hat and properly store it while not in use.

Step One:

First, make sure that you have all the supplies you need – a hat, a soft horsehair brush bristle, a lint roller (or a tape), a white cloth, a cleaning solution. To know which solution to use with your favorite hat, it’s very important to check the hat label – sometimes high quality/luxurious hats give certain cleaning instructions that you need to properly follow and they might recommend a cleaning product that you have never used before.

• Do research before you use a product (yes, even if the label says that this product is friendly for your favorite hat).
• Can this product be used for all hat colors, or only dark colored hats or only light colored hats? You have to be accurate for all these information if you wish not to permanently damaged your favorite hat.
• Test the cleaning solution with a small amount inside the hat interior/hidden area to make sure it’s not going to ruin your hat when you use it on the exterior.

Step Two:

Now that all the supplies are ready, it’s time to clean your hat. Start by brushing your fur felt hat or wool hat with a soft horsehair brush bristle (you should be doing this after each use to keep the hat as spotless as possible). Gently sweep away any dust or dirt in a counterclockwise motion, moving with the natural grain of the felt so that the fabric stays smooth.

Step Three:

To go deeper, a lint roller is a great tool to remove any stubborn surface fuzz that the brush didn’t get – simply roll it across the hat’s fabric to remove dust and debris. If you don’t have one, you could also just use a piece of tape and dab it across the hat. How easy is that?

Step Four:

After the big-picture clean, it’s time to go micro. Identify all the spots on your hat that might end up with some stains that need extra attention – like fingerprints, sweat stains, or makeup stain. For fresh stains, gently start with damping a white clean cloth in cool water and swipe away the stubborn dirt. Make sure that the cloth is moistened but not saturated with excess water. Be careful with the hat band (especially leather) and other decorative elements – do your best to work around them. Rub the cloth over the stain in circular, counterclockwise motion.

Step Five:

If your hat is already clean. Forget this step. Otherwise, for more stubborn stains – use a specific hat cleaner if your hat instructions say that. If this isn’t the case and you don’t know which hat cleaner to use, try “Twister Wool Felt Hat Cleaner Spray”. Thank you to Cha Cha from Cha Cha’s House of Ill Repute for her recommendation. Ensure to use the spray cleaners for the correct colored hat – only use “Made For Dark Colors” for dark hats and “Made For Light Colors” for white and light colored hats. Shake the spray before using. Hold the can 8″ away from the hat surface and spray area to be cleaned.

Step Six:

Turn your hat upside down and let it air dry (at least about 15 minutes) If the hat has a band, take the band out and let it dry separately. Do not use a hairdryer or heat of any kind to dry your hat. Heat can cause shrinkage and could permanently alter the shape and fit of your hat. It’s always BEST to air dry your hat and make sure it’s not exposed to the sun while it dries. Once the hat dries, brush away the area to see if the stain has been lifted. If necessary, repeat the process.

Step Seven:

{Optional} At this point, you might be inspired to prevent hat stains in the long term. Twister also offers “Felt Hat Rain/Stain Protector” that can be used on felt and beaver hats and keeps your hat water-repellent and stain-resistant. If you have a very fine hat that you wish to extend the life of – might as well do it now!

Do the same like the spot hat cleaner – always ensure to test the spray in a hidden area for colorfastness before using. Shake well. Cover work area with a cloth, spray fine mist over entire area of the hat by holding the can away from the hat about 8”-10”. Allow the hat to dry (turn the hat upside down on a clean surface).

Step Eight:

And, finally your felt hats are clean and ready to be stored. The proper storage is a key ingredient to keep your felt hats clean and fresh for your next usage. There are a few ways to store the hats, but if you have the space – storing your hat in a proper hat box is the BEST way to preserve and protect your hat (…from dust and color-fading). Ideally, a hat box should have an insert with a hole cut out of the crown (or you can stuff empty space of the hat box with papers) while the hat itself should be stored upside down. The crown should be suspended so that it doesn’t hit the bottom of the box. The box should be large enough that the brim doesn’t hit the sides. You don’t want the brim bent or touching the sides. The box should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place.

Another option is to store your hats on a shelf somewhere. You can line them up in a row along the shelf by flipping the hats upside down and storing them on theirs crowns, not theirs brims. Storing your hats on your brim for a long period of time will put pressure on the brim causing them to change from their original shapes. Also make sure that the shelf is deep enough so that the back brim of the hats do not squash against the wall.

The least recommended way to store your hats is by hanging it on a wall or hat rack – it’s okay to store your hats this way if it’s temporary. Make sure your hook is wide and smooth. A sharp hook may cause damage to your hat over time. Do you remember a law of gravity? When a hat is hung on a hook, gravity will pull it down over time and distort the shape.

Step Nine:

Extend the life of your felt hats with these simple tips.

• Never leave your hat in the exposed sun or in the car.
• If your hat gets wet, allow it to air dry. Never use heat to dry a hat.
• Always handle your hat by the brim, not the crown pinch to avoid distorting the shape. Hold the hat by the front and rear brim with two hands as you place the hat on your head.
• For more severe stains or distorted shape, taking your hat to a local hat repair shop to professionally clean and reshape it.

How do you care and store your hat at home? Let me know in comments below.