How to clean a felt hat at home

Felt hats have always differed from ordinary headdresses in their original and bright appearance. However, like regular clothes, they get dirty. Of course, you can dry clean it. However, you can learn how to clean a felt hat yourself. This will save you money.

It should be understood that felt items cannot be washed. If there are stains, you should first determine: where could they come from? Only then can you select the appropriate detergent.

Cleaning felt hats at home begins with removing dust. Using a clothes brush or a vacuum cleaner with a small attachment, carefully remove dust from the surface of the hat.

A simple mixture also helps effectively. You need to take table salt, ammonia and vinegar. The ratios are easy to remember: 1:2:2. Use this mixture to wipe the dirtiest areas.

How to clean a felt hat? The methods described below are the most effective:

Method 1. In order to completely remove dust from a felt hat, you need to mix ammonia and vinegar (regular) in equal proportions. Add some table salt to the resulting mixture (the proportions are indicated above).

Method 2. If the hat has scuffs that sparkle, you will need sandpaper. If there is none, then a brush and salt can easily replace it. The problem area must be treated using any of the above-mentioned items.

Method 3. Many people use another easy method. To do this, you need to mix plain water and ammonia in a 1:1 ratio. Soak a small piece of coarse cloth in the solution and wipe the dirty area on the hat. Remember that you shouldn’t get your felt hat too wet. She may lose her shape.

Dust and sweat stains

It is necessary to remove dust from the hat even if more serious dirt must be removed later.

A brush purchased in a special department of a shoe store, as well as a vacuum cleaner if it has a special attachment with soft bristles, will help you cope with this matter.
A mixture of vinegar, ammonia and table salt will also help clean both dust and sweat stains. In this case, the liquids need to be mixed in equal quantities, and the salt must be taken so that the result is a thick paste. It needs to be rubbed onto areas that require thorough cleaning.
The shine of sweat and abrasions can be removed from the hat by using fine-grit sandpaper to rub these areas without applying too much pressure to the device. Also, a similar effect can be achieved with the help of salt and a brush, with which this abrasive will be washed into the fabric. To do this, you can use a clean, soft toothbrush. But again, don’t be overzealous.
You can try to wash the felt from sweat using a mild ammonia solution. It must be diluted with water in equal proportions. It is worth moistening a rag in the resulting solution, and it is advisable to use rough materials, and then start wiping the stains. At the same time, you should not press hard on the product, as the hat may lose its shape.

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How to bleach?

How to clean a felt hat if it is white? On light or white things, yellowness appears over time. The hat immediately loses its attractive appearance. In order to get rid of yellow spots forever, you need to prepare a mixture: hydrogen peroxide - 3 tbsp. l., ammonia - 1 tsp. Dip the brush into the resulting mixture and carefully clean the yellow areas.

It happens that the yellowness has spread over a large area of the hat. In this case, semolina will come to the rescue. You can also use regular bran. It is necessary to rub the grain from the outside, and from the back to knock it out well. Be sure that after this life-saving procedure, the hat will look like new.

How to Clean a Straw Hat

It's hard to find better sun protection in summer. But in order for the hat to remain clean and well-groomed, you need to know the rules for caring for it and storing it in order to maintain its original appearance. There is very noticeable dirt on it. Therefore, it must be cleaned both during wear and before storage.

Everyday Cleaning

You should clean it of dust every time after wearing it. You can clean a straw hat with a soft brush. If you wear it daily, dry brushing will not always bring the desired effect. Must be cleaned wet. First, remove any colored accessories, if any, so that their color does not stain the straw of the hat.

Prepare a solution from colorless liquid soap. Baby soap is considered the best. Dishwashing detergent is also used. Dip the brush into the solution and clean dirty areas. If there is a lot of dirt, then the brush needs to be rinsed to prevent the dirt from spreading. Then we take clean water and wash off the soap stains with a brush. Wipe and dry in fresh air. Do not dry in direct sunlight.

If it is made of dark straw, then first remove the dust with a dry brush and prepare a mixture of 5 ml of ammonia and 150 ml of water. Dip the brush into this mixture and clean it, rinsing it periodically. Wipe and dry. Apply vegetable oil to a soft cloth and wipe it. Polish with a cloth.

What to do if the straw hat has turned yellow

This can happen if the hat is stored in a box for a long time or is worn too often.

Juice from lemon can restore whiteness. Pour it into a spray bottle and spray your hat. It should not be wet, but slightly moistened. Dry. Iron the brim of the hat through white gauze.

If the result is unsatisfactory, you can take a piece of lemon and wipe the yellow stains with it. Do not rinse for 50-60 minutes. Use a brush dipped in water to wash off the juice. Dry and iron.

You can also use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia (ammonia) in equal proportions if the straw is light-colored. Wipe and leave for 30 minutes. Then rinse, dry, iron as mentioned above.

Before storing

It is important to know! Straw hats should not be washed. Clean with a solution containing soap. There is information above on how to do it

If you can't remove the stains yourself, take them to the dry cleaner.

It should be stored in a special cardboard hat box so that it does not bend or become creased.
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How to remove raindrops?

Rainy weather is not a felt hat's best friend. Typically, characteristic marks may remain on the product. How to clean a felt hat at home without losing its shape?

Method 1. Stuff the hat tightly and evenly with newspapers. Dry in a dry place, but not very close to a radiator or other heating device.

Method 2. The following method effectively helps with raindrops: you need to hold the hat over boiling water, then smooth the pile with a soft brush. You can also use a regular household steamer. However, bringing it too close to the hat is not recommended.

Method 3. Clean the hat with a medium-hard brush, after wetting it in cool, clean water.

This method will not only help get rid of raindrops, but also restore the original shine to the hat.

Fighting traces of fat

Traces of grease are the most dangerous and can damage a felt hat. How to clean a felt hat at home? A crust of dried rye bread will help. If you don’t have such a product on hand at home, you can cover the greasy stains with regular salt.

You will have to deal with an old stain that has become ingrained into the felt the old-fashioned way - with purified gasoline. You need to moisten a napkin or rag in it and gently wet the area of contamination. Attention: do not wet, but blot. Otherwise, the pile in this place will be compacted.

Another effective way to combat grease stains: refined gasoline and potato starch. The resulting paste must be applied to oily areas. Once completely dry, simply brush off with a brush. If there are still streaks, moisten the brush in water with added citric acid (juice).

Oily, greasy stains

Such stains can often be found even on a hat, and therefore you need to know how to properly wash a hat in order to get rid of them.

Black felt hats can be cleaned using a crust of rye bread. It is recommended to use stale bread. The remaining residue can be removed using a regular brush.
You can also use regular table salt, as it is a good absorbent, and therefore can absorb fat in a few hours. You only need to remove the marks later with a damp cloth.
Old stains may not easily disappear from the product, and therefore you will have to use aggressive agents, such as purified gasoline. You can remove dirt using a cotton pad or napkin soaked in the solution. In this case, you should use light blotting movements. You should not moisten this area too much, as the pile will not lie as before.
You can restore an attractive appearance using a mixture of potato starch and gasoline. You need to mix the ingredients in quantities that will help achieve the consistency of sour cream. The mixture must be applied to the stain and wait until it dries. Later you can simply remove it with a brush.

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Color matters

Felt products of dark colors must be cleaned using tobacco decoction: 1 tbsp. l. leaves per 1 liter of water. Moisten a rag in the resulting liquid and gently wipe the stains. The only drawback is that the smell of tobacco remains. You will have to air out the hat for several days.

Felt products in light shades must be cleaned with bran. They need to be rubbed into the fabric and shaken out on the other side by tapping.

Do not use products designed to remove stains from white felt on a colored product. The stain remover should match the color of the hat.

We store it correctly - we use it for a long time

Proper storage is the key to long-term wear. The ideal place to store felt products is a thick cardboard box. It is recommended to stuff the inside of the hat with paper and wrap it in fabric.

Basic rules for wearing felt hats:

You should not hang a felt hat on a hook for a long time. Otherwise, it will simply lose its shape.
Felt hats should not be worn in rain or snow.
Wipe with a brush in the direction of the pile, then stretch it onto a glass jar to dry.
If the hat has become shabby and lost its appearance, then steam will help restore youth. After that, be sure to stroke the pile with a brush.

If the above methods do not help, then chemical special products come to the rescue. Stain removers are presented in a large assortment. Read the terms of use first and be sure to follow them. Remember that you can immediately assess a person based on the condition of the headdress. Therefore, take care of your hats. The main thing is to know how to clean a felt hat at home.