Said It Here

How to wash an old sentimental baseball cap without ruining it

Soaking heavily soiled or moldy hats can permanently warp their shape and leave behind sticky sweatband rings or discoloration. This prevents people from safely restoring sentimental caps without ruining the fabric.

Overview
People affected5 accounts across 1 forum
Workarounds found15 items attempted
Community agreement15 total upvotes

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

15 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    Soaking in water and dish soap
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  2. 2
    Running it through the dishwasher
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  3. 3
    Scrubbing with a stiff bristle brush or toothbrush
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  4. 4
    Using laundry detergent, OxiClean, or vinegar soak
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  5. 5
    Washing in the regular washing machine
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  6. 6
    Washing hats in the dishwasher with regular dishwasher detergent
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  7. 7
    Throwing the hat into the washing machine with the rest of clothes
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  8. 8
    Using a hat cage in the washing machine
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  9. 9
    Spraying with stain remover, using a soft brush, washing in the sink with detergent, and using hydrogen peroxide for stubborn stains
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  10. 10
    Buy a replacement hat
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  11. 11
    Unstitch the logo and reattach it to a new hat at a hat store
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  12. 12
    Using makeup remover specifically on the stained part without getting the hard part wet, followed by regular soap and air drying.
    Did this help you?
  13. 13
    Using Oxi-Clean detergents in the wash
    Did this help you?
  14. 14
    Making a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to scrub into the stains and letting it sit for an hour
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  15. 15
    Doing a 6-hour Oxi-Clean soak
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Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/CleaningTips5 people · September 2026

“Dad passed away. This was his favorite hat. Please tell me how I can fix it up. Now it’s my favorite hat. It clearly has sun damage and mold(?) all over it.”source ↗

PinkerInk · r/CleaningTips · 9 upvotes

“Finally went to wear it again, and realized I had *never* washed it. I soaked it in a bucket with water and dish soap for a couple of days, and this white ring around the sweat band appeared.”source ↗

“Now the ring is extra sticky, and I’m thinking it’s mold”source ↗

“It’s a sentimental hat, so I’d like to clean and keep it if there’s a reasonable solution…but it’s also just a hat.”source ↗

R_FireJohnson · r/CleaningTips · 2 upvotes

“The care instructions say do not wash but I got makeup stains on it. Any idea?”source ↗

niccals12d3 · r/CleaningTips · 2 upvotes

“This hat hadn’t been worn in a while. How to go about cleaning this orange stain off? Thanks!”source ↗

Significant-Egg-6297 · r/CleaningTips · 1 upvotes

“Best way to whiten my favorite hats, I have several of these flex-fit hats that are sweat stained. Ive tried oxi-clean detergents in the wash but this is as good as they get.”source ↗

Familiar_Anybody_328 · r/CleaningTips · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised