Caring for Your Hats & Scarves

If you are wearing headwear for the first time, you may wonder how to care for it and wash it. Headwear often requires special care to ensure that your hats stay looking great. Here are some quick and easy tips on how to care for your headwear! 

Hat & Scarf Care Instructions:

Always pay special attention to label directions, as some hat types and fabrics have specific care instructions. Don't assume you can toss your hat or scarf into your washing machine and achieve a good result. Take special care when washing or using headwear with embellishments. Rhinestones, sequins, feathers and buttons can snag fabric on the headwear itself or on other items of clothing.

Hand Washable Headwear:

For items labeled hand wash, we recommend washing them in a basin of cold water with a mild detergent. For best results, fill a sink or basin with cold water and add a small amount of liquid detergent. Swish the detergent into the water. Dip your turban or scarf into the water and gently move it around. Pull out of the water and rinse with cold tap water. To remove excess water, gently squeeze. Do not wring. To remove excess water, you can sandwich it in between a folded towel and gently press. To dry, shape it to lie flat on a towel and allow it to air dry.  This is the safest way to avoid stretching or shrinking and help your headwear keep it's shape.

Machine Washable Headwear:

Any item labeled "Machine Wash" can also be washed by hand as stated above. If in doubt, we always recommend hand washing as this is the most gentle option. When washing your hats or scarves in your washing machine, always use cold water. Select your machine's delicate cycle when washing your hats and scarves. To dry, shape your hats on a towel and allow them to air dry.  Putting headwear with elastic in the dryer can dry out the elastic, causing it to break. For those hats labeled as safe for machine drying, we recommend drying them on the lowest heat cycle and removing them when slightly damp to avoid shrinkage. Do not bleach your headwear.

Stretching

If your headwear "stretches out" after wearing, you can often return it to its original shape by gently washing it and then drying it in the dryer. Just like a pair of jeans, cotton will stretch but returns to its original shape when laundered in a dryer. Similarly, if a cotton hat is too small, you can remove it wet or damp from the wash and then block it out on a towel to stretch the cap while wet, letting it air dry in place to its larger shape.

Removing Wrinkles from Your Headwear:

Because of its small size, headwear can be difficult to iron. In addition, some materials will not respond well to ironing. For best results, we recommend using a hand steamer to quickly release wrinkles. Our hand steamer is ideal for removing those "hard to iron" spots, only $25.99 and will do a wonderful job. Steamers are also a great option for reshaping a rigid hat that has lost its form.

Removing Lint or Animal Hair

Use a lint roller to remove loose hair or particles from hats, scarves and turbans. Tape wrapped around your fingers or hand with the sticky side out works too! When selecting a lint roller, we recommend the tape kind. Those with more abrasive surfaces can damage some delicate fabrics such as silk.

Removing Stains from Your Hats & Scarves

Non Washable Items:

The safest way to remove stains is to take your hat or scarf to a dry cleaner.

Washable Items:

The golden rule with stains is that you must act quickly. Here are the recommended steps:

1.  Liquids should be blotted with a clean white cloth to soak up excess. Do not rub. Gently blot from the outside in to avoid spreading the stain. For thicker stains like dollops of ketchup or lotion, scoop off any excess.

2.  Dab with cool water.

3. If water does not remove the stain, it's time to move on to other remedies. Try applying liquid detergent directly to the stain. Allow it to soak in for 5 minutes and then rinse with cold water.

4. If liquid detergent is unsuccessful in removing the stain, you can move on to other options such as Spray and Wash or enzyme cleaners. It's best to start gentle and move up in strength as needed. Be sure to test any stain removal product in a hidden area (such as the inside seam) to ensure it does not cause further damage.

5. Always wash your headwear (as you normally would) after applying a remedy.

Brimmed Hats - Reshaping Your Hat

Bending the brim of hat that is not specifically labeled as “packable” or “crushable” can cause the brim to break or lose its intended shape. If you have mistakenly damaged the hat's shape, you can try using a hand steamer and gently reshaping the hat to return it to its intended form.

Hat & Scarf Storage Tips

1. Store brimmed or structured styles in a box in a cool, dry place if you will not be wearing the hat for an extended period of time. Hanging a hat on a hat rack is only recommended for short term storage, as it can dimple the hat or change it's shape.

2. Don't leave your headwear in direct sunlight for extended periods of time when not wearing. Doing so can cause fading, drying out, or loss of shape.

3. Scarves can be stored on specially made scarf hangers or folded over your hangers like you would hang a pair of pants.

4. Hats containing elastic, spandex, or lycra can lose their elasticity if they remain stretched out for extended periods of time. For this reason, we do not recommend storing them on a hat form.

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