How To Clean Baseball Caps

Inside: Dealing with a smelly hat? Check out how to clean baseball caps like a pro. It's easy to get a baseball cap clean again without losing its shape using baking soda to eliminate sweat smells.

We just got back from vacation a couple of weeks ago and I am dealing with a very smelly hat. My whole family has very pale skin and we are all prone to burning.

So whenever we are out in the sun much we wear lots of sunblock and hats. After a week of bike riding, tennis, and hanging out at the beach our hats all need a good wash.

Most hats are pretty easy to wash, however, baseball caps can be a little harder to wash. You want to make sure you get your baseball cap clean but you also want to make sure it keeps its shape.

If you have a favorite baseball cap that needs washing check out these tips on how to clean baseball caps.

How To Clean Baseball Caps

My husbands' baseball cap was smelly and dirty as you can see in the picture below. It had sweat stains around the brim of the cap that I wanted to clean off.

I've learned the best way to clean a hat is by hand. You don't lose the shape of the hat, but you can easily get rid of the sweaty smell and body oil stains.

Getting Started

To start you will need vinegar, dawn dish soap, baking soda, a toothbrush, a spray bottle, and some laundry detergent.

You don't have to use Dawn brand dish detergent, you can use whatever brand you normally use as long as it is a good grease fighter. As gross as it sounds our body oils are very greasy and dish soap works great to get rid of the body oils in our clothes and hats.

Soak The Baseball Cap To Remove Smells

Add 1/4 cup vinegar and 3 tablespoons dawn dish soap to the spray bottle and shake.

Then spray down the cap and bill of the cap with the dawn/vinegar mixture. I sprayed the cap down until it was dripping with the mix.

I recommend doing this in a sink so you don't get soap everywhere.

Then, take a soft-bristled toothbrush or laundry brush and gently scrub around the bill and inside of the ball cap.

You want to really get the mix in there so it can help get rid of odors and body oil.

Clean The Hat With Baking Soda

Next, sprinkle about 1/4 cup baking soda on the baseball cap and mix that in with the toothbrush. Once all the baking soda is mixed in, let the cap sit for about 5 minutes.

The dawn soap will get rid of body oils that are in the material and the vinegar and baking soda will help get rid of any funky smells the hat may have.

After the cap has set fill up a sink or large bowl with warm water and rinse the baseball cap off in the water. My water was completely gross!

Wash and Rinse The Baseball Cap

Once you have removed the baking soda/dish soap mix then you can wash the baseball cap.

Fill back up the sink with warm water and add a small amount of detergent to the water.

Once you have mixed in the detergent add the baseball cap to the water. Let the cap soak in the water for about 10 minutes.

Rinse the cap in warm water until the water is clear with no soap bubbles. This may take a while depending on how dirty your baseball cap was.

Then lay the hat out to dry on a clean towel. You will want to make sure the cap keeps its shape as it dries so you may want to put something under the cap. I used a large round Tupperware so it held its shape.

Repeat If Necessary

If your hat was really dirty or smelly then you may need to repeat the steps again to clean the baseball cap. The second time helps clean 100 percent of that funky smell from hats.

You can see below how much better the baseball cap looks after being washed.

Once the hat is completely dry you can wear it again. It should not only look better but smell a lot better too. Say goodbye to smelly hats with these simple tips on how to clean baseball caps.

Want some other great laundry tips? Check out how to get the sweat smell out of clothes.