Washing wool hats: by hand and in the washing machine, how to dry

Wool hats should be washed according to the manufacturer's recommendations on the label. In order not to spoil knitted items, to protect them from deformation, it is important to choose the right detergent, prepare the water, determine the washing mode and organize drying.

Wool is a natural material that is sensitive to external conditions (humidity, temperature, physical impact)

Features of washing a wool hat

Knitted hats should be washed when dirty or 1-2 times a year. It is important to remember that natural wool and acrylic may react differently to the detergent and washing method you choose. Artificial threads can withstand higher temperatures and machine processing. For natural wool hats, hand washing is preferable, as there is a high risk of shrinkage, pilling or puffs.

Regardless of the chosen washing method, it is important to follow certain rules:

The water temperature should not exceed 35–40 degrees.
Strong friction, twisting, and stretching should not be allowed.
When rinsing, use fabric softener or vinegar to soften the threads and restore shape.
When machine washing, it is worth installing an additional rinse. It is better to turn off spinning and drying.

Fur product

Hats made of natural fur require special care. It is strictly forbidden to wash fur hats in a washing machine, by hand, or, in principle, immerse them in water. Such actions will cause the edge to crumble and the product to lose its shape.

There are special cleaning methods for fur hats.

For hats made of natural fur, it is enough to periodically wipe them with a damp cloth, brushing away dust from the pile. Afterwards the edge can be dried with a hairdryer. The lining of the hat will have to be removed and washed separately.

Your fur hat may need more maintenance. Then the instructions are:

inspect the item, if there are holes in it, mend them;
Sprinkle the fur with any sorbent - it will collect any existing contaminants. Starch, semolina, and wheat bran can be used as a “cleaner.” You need to rub the grains into the pile, dispersing them over the entire surface of the hat;
clean the sorbent with a brush; you can use a vacuum cleaner for these purposes (but with extreme caution);
Comb the fur with a wide-tooth comb and shake the product.

After such dry cleaning, your fur hat will look like new. The lining is attached back to the headdress after it is completely dry.

How to wash a wool hat

It is better to wash woolen items with mild detergents (gels or capsules). They should not contain aggressive or bleaching components, as well as alkali.

Household chemicals must be marked “For wool and silk”, “For delicate fabrics” or “For cashmere”

Any formulations marked “For delicate items” are suitable for caring for knitted hats:

gel "Laska";
Perwoll liquid powder;
Frosch wool balm;
BioMio for delicate fabrics;
Dreft gel;
"Villus";
Nordland for wool and silk.

Knitted items create a lot of foam, it is important to strictly follow the dosage indicated on the label to prevent damage to the washing machine

When purchasing, it is important to pay attention to the following factors:

composition and purpose: must be marked “For wool, silk or delicate materials”;
state of aggregation: liquid powders and gels are better at removing dirt and rinsing out of fabric fibers;
expiration date: expired products may damage delicate material;
additional components: gels containing conditioner are more convenient to use.

Important! To wash a wool hat, do not use regular shampoo or dishwashing detergent. The compositions form too thick foam, which does not come out well from the fabric fibers.

How to properly dry a knitted hat

Proper washing technology is of great importance in caring for knitted and woolen items, but it is equally important to know how to dry them correctly.

First, you must understand that wet knitted and woolen items cannot be twisted. They are lightly wrung out by hand and then wrapped in a terry towel. Terry absorbs all moisture well, so after a while the hat can be laid out to dry.

It is best to choose a voluminous object (a jar or a ball) that matches the size of your head and put a washed hat on it. You can simply lay the item on a clean cotton cloth. From time to time you should turn the hat over and make sure there are no folds or creases.

Will a wool hat shrink after washing?

A hat made of wool or cashmere should be washed in warm water. Under the influence of high temperature, natural threads curl, thicken, and “fall off.” As a result, the size of the cap can be significantly reduced.

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To prevent this from happening, you must:

rinse the knitted item in warm water (you can add vinegar), avoiding temperature changes;
dry in a horizontal position, periodically stretching the woolen item with your hands;
use conditioner or rinse balm (the compositions make the fibers more elastic, restore lightness, and “fluff” the threads).

Cotton products

Hats are not only made of wool, but also lighter ones, made of thick cotton fabric. In cool times in spring and autumn, they keep you warm, but do not burden your head with excess volume. However, cotton can change its shape and stretch especially quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to return a product made from such material to its original shape as soon as possible. You can reduce your headgear in the following ways:

Place a clean cotton hat in boiling water and leave there for 5 minutes. This way you can reduce the product by one size. To make a hat 1.5-2 sizes smaller, keep it in boiling water for 10 minutes. It is better to resort to such processing if the product is painted with high-quality pigment, otherwise the item may fade.
Lightly wring out the headdress and place it on a horizontal surface covered with mohair, cotton cloth or a regular bag. If you have an electric dryer, then use it. This will make the hat shrink even more. Drying in direct sunlight is also recommended.
If you are afraid that the color of the item will fade after exposure to boiling water, then wash the hat in the washing machine. Set the temperature 20 degrees higher than indicated on the product label. The upper limit is 60 degrees. Increase the normal number of revolutions by 200 units.

Important! If you want the hat to dry faster, do not stretch it over a three-liter jar, as our mothers and grandmothers did. This way you will achieve the opposite effect - the product will stretch even more than it was. Hats should only be dried in a horizontal position.

How to wash a wool hat

Not only the cleanliness of knitted items, but also their appearance depends on the method and mode of washing. Processing should be delicate, without temperature changes, twisting or stretching.

The recommended washing method, permissible water heating, the possibility of spinning and drying are indicated by the manufacturer on the label

Important! Significant stains must be removed before the main wash. To do this, you can use regular laundry soap or a safe stain remover.

How to wash a wool hat by hand

It is better to wash knitted hats made from natural wool by hand. For this:

You need to fill a basin with warm (30–35 degrees) water.
Thoroughly dilute the selected detergent.
Soak the item for 10–30 minutes, depending on the degree of contamination.
Wash carefully, paying special attention to the inner edge.
Rinse, changing the water several times. During the last rinse, add 3-4 tbsp. l. vinegar or fabric softener.
Gently blot off excess moisture. You can place the hat on a terry towel, roll it up, and squeeze it lightly.
Dry.

When washing a knitted item, do not rub it too hard - this will lead to the formation of pills.

How to wash a wool hat in the washing machine

The wool and acrylic hat can be washed in a washing machine. For this:

The item must be placed in a special mesh bag for washing.
Set the delicate mode: “Wool”, “Silk” or “Hand Wash”.
Pour detergent into the special compartment of the washing machine or directly into the drum.
Limit water heating to 30–40 degrees.
Remove the soak and pre-wash mode.
Disable spin.
Activate extra rinse.
Start the cycle.
Wring out with a terry towel and lay on a flat surface to dry.

If your washing machine does not have an additional rinse function, after the main cycle you should run a short mode without powder

Handwash

If you are unsure of the yarn composition of your hat and do not know how to wash a knitted hat, use the hand washing method.

It is better not to soak a product made of natural wool, but if it is very dirty, you can soak it for an hour in a 30-degree soap solution with the addition of ammonia. To do this, you only need 2 tablespoons of ammonia per 5 liters of water. After this, the hat is rinsed well in water at the same temperature and washed by hand.

White hats are especially susceptible to staining, but bleach should not be used on woolen items. Since washing occurs at low temperatures, bleaching a hat made of white wool yarn will be problematic. Therefore, we recommend soaking the item for a couple of hours in a 35 degree soap solution, which is prepared from 5 liters of water, a small amount of shavings of 72% laundry or liquid soap, 3 tablespoons of salt and 10 ml of hydrogen peroxide.

IMPORTANT! If you use washing powder, it must be well dissolved in water in advance. Do not pour powder detergent directly onto the product itself.

A detergent composition for wool hats can be prepared from shavings of natural white baby soap, laundry soap, liquid gel, hair shampoo or pet shampoo. It wouldn’t hurt to add 1 teaspoon of glycerin there.

You should wash a knitted item very carefully, lightly pressing it with your hands. At the same time, you cannot pull the hat out of the water and lower it into the basin again. Wrong movements can cause the knitting to stretch.

When rinsing fluffy hats, it is advisable to add wool conditioner or any hair rinse to the water.

How to dry a wool hat after washing

After washing, you need to let the water drain freely. Using automatic spin is prohibited.

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You can remove excess water using a towel:

The hat needs to be laid out on the fabric.
Roll it up.
Blot thoroughly. If there is a lot of moisture left, change the towel to a dry one and wring it out again.

Knitted items should not be twisted

You need to dry wool on a flat surface away from the sun and heating devices. You should not use a hairdryer or iron to speed up the process.

Knitted items should not be dried on clotheslines or rungs, fastened with clothespins or using any kind of clips.

Important! Do not dry a wool hat on a can. The headdress may stretch and lose its original shape.

Washing a hat with a fur pompom

If there are fur pompoms on the headdress, you need to find out what kind of fur they are made of, natural or artificial. The faux fur pom pom hat is hand washable. After the product has dried, the fur is combed with a brush.

An item with a natural fur pompom must be washed very carefully, that is, so that no water gets on the fur. For this purpose, it is sometimes easier to rip off the fur part, and after drying the headdress, sew it on again. If you have a model of a hat with a fur pom-pom glued on, or if there is a small pom-pom on the item, you need to wrap it well in polyethylene in advance and tie it tightly with white thread. Next, the headdress can be washed, trying to keep only the knitted base of the hat in the soapy solution.

The fur part is cleaned separately using a brush and a cold jet of a hairdryer.

If white fur needs to be refreshed, superficially wiping the pile with a cotton pad with hydrogen peroxide will help make it white.

Useful tips

When washing wool hats, it is important to consider some nuances:

heavily soiled items need to be pre-washed and soaked;
Before cleaning, the hat must be turned inside out, all removable decorative elements, brooches, pins must be removed, and buttons unfastened;
a pompom made from woolen threads can be left in place, but it will be difficult to dry it; it is better to tear off the “fluffy” elements and clean them separately;
before washing, colored material should be checked for color fastness - to do this, apply a little detergent to an inconspicuous area, leave for 10–15 minutes, evaluate the result;
Wool products with rhinestones or beads are best processed by hand.

If it is impossible to remove fur elements, machine processing is unacceptable; the knitted item should be washed only in places where it is dirty, without getting the decorative trim wet

If the headdress decreases in size, it can be restored in one of the following ways:

Without waiting for it to dry, gently stretch the fabric with your hands;
soak the product in a special product to impart elasticity;
steam the item with an iron;
put a wet hat on a jar, balloon or ball.

Comment! A balloon will help maintain its shape or stretch a shrunken item.

To keep your hat clean longer, it is better to store it inside out in a protective case.

When storing knitted items for summer, dry them well in the fresh air and put a lavender-scented sachet inside (to protect against moths).

Steps

Hand washing of headwear

Fill a small plastic bowl with cold water.

Warm and hot water can cause the hat to fade or shrink (it all depends on the specific material). You only need to pour enough water to immerse your things in it. If you are only going to wash a couple of hats, you can even use a large plastic bowl instead of a basin.

Add liquid detergent to the water.

Stir a teaspoon of detergent or soap into the water until completely dissolved. The type of detergent you use will depend on the material your hat is made from and what you are cleaning.

Do a spot test.

If this is your first time washing a hat using this method, you should first wet only a small area of the item with the prepared soap solution before immersing it completely. Keep the area in the solution for about a couple of minutes.

Test the color fastness on the wet area. You may notice that the paint has started to fade and stain the water. If the water does not stain, try blotting the hat on some light-colored item.
When you blot your hat, it is better to take a light-colored item that you don’t mind at all, or one that can be easily bleached.
For testing, choose a section of the hat that will not be visible when worn. Even if it fades, it will not spoil your appearance.
If during the test you do not notice any signs that the item is shedding, you can move on to the next step.

Wet your head completely.
If after two minutes no traces of fading paints appear on the tested area of the headdress, then you can completely immerse the headdress in the soap solution. For a simple wash with light stains, you should soak the hat for about 30 minutes. If dirt has adhered to your hat, or if it has particularly stubborn stains, you may need to soak it for several hours.
Rinse your hat.
Remove the hat from the soapy solution. Rinse it under a strong stream of water from the tap to remove the detergent. The water should be cold so that the headdress does not begin to shed and shrink. Continue rinsing until the hat is no longer sticky to the touch and there is no visible soap in the water running off it.
Squeeze out excess water.
Take the headdress with your palms and gently squeeze it. Place the hat on a clean towel and continue to blot the water until it stops dripping from the headdress. Do not twist the hat while doing push-ups, as this may cause it to lose its shape and begin to pill.
Let the hat dry.
Place the hat where there is good air circulation. It should be laid flat on the towel without deforming its normal shape. You can place a fan nearby, but do not use a hot hair dryer to dry your hair. The heating may cause the hat to shrink. Do not place the hat in direct sun as it may fade.
Let things soak.
Do not start the wash immediately. Leave the items to soak for about an hour. Heavily soiled items can even be left to soak overnight. Don't worry if your knitted items float on the surface at first. Eventually, they will absorb enough water and submerge themselves.
Run the "rinse and drain" cycle.
In a normal washing process this is usually the final step of the wash. The washing machine will very carefully rinse your clothes and drain the water without spinning. The centrifugal force of rotation of the drum during draining will remove only excess water from things. If at the end of the wash the items are still too wet, you can run the water drain cycle separately again.
Let the caps dry.
Place a clean, dry towel on a flat surface. Place your knitted hats on the towel. It is best to do this in a well-ventilated area, such as where a fan is installed. Allow the hats to dry on their own. It will only take a few hours.

Washing hats

Depending on the type of fabric, hats can be washed in a washing machine or by hand; some items can only be dry cleaned. It is important to follow the labels and follow the recommendations. Despite this, there are general recommendations for caring for hats depending on the material they are made of.

Wool products

You should wash your wool hat by hand. Woolen products are very delicate, they are afraid of hot water and inaccurate spinning, pills can form and the shape can be deformed.

For washing, certain detergents for wool are used or small shavings are made from laundry soap, which should be dissolved in prepared warm water.

First of all, the wool hat should be turned inside out. Then it is soaked in prepared water with detergent and tested for color fastness. To do this, leave the headdress in the water for half an hour.

The next step is to rinse in cold water and spin. Gently wring out the winter hat, it is wrinkled and turned, after which it is wrapped in a soft towel to remove any remaining moisture in the fabrics.

A mohair hat is cleaned in the same way as a wool product. Dry them by spreading them out on a flat surface at room temperature. Fresh air will have a beneficial effect on the results of washing; you also need to protect the product from sunlight.

It is better to clean angora wool hats using chemical methods. This fluff is able to climb out of a thread. You can try washing by hand, but the water should be cold, the detergents should be very delicate, and the movements should be careful.

Knitted products

It is known that a knitted hat can also suffer from deformation and change in size. Improper care will cause the product to stretch or shrink. To wash this hat you need:

Carry out hand washing,
Do not soak
Keep the water temperature up to 30 C0,
Use delicate products or regular shampoos,
When removing heavy dirt, you need to use special products.

If these conditions are met, the cap will retain its shape and retain all its properties. For stubborn stains, it is better to use alcohol or ammonia, previously diluted with water 1:1.

Now let's look at how to wash a hat. By and large, this is not washing, but rinsing the headdress in cool water with the addition of laundry detergent. The product is dipped into water, slightly compressed, and this is done for at least three minutes. Do not twist or rub the hat.

Then start rinsing; you will need to change the water at least four times. The procedure is the same: the product is immersed in water and compressed; when the water becomes dirty, it changes. The process is repeated until the water becomes clear.

To dry the hat, you can fill it with towels or put it on a jar; you need to dry it in the fresh air, away from sunlight and heating devices. Washing a wool pom pom hat is no different.

Knitted hats are often machine washed at temperatures up to 40 C0. This can be done with an acrylic product. However, you should not use bleach. You shouldn’t just load the hat into the machine; you should put a full drum of things with similar requirements, so it won’t stretch and will retain its shape. For washing you need delicate products, preferably with lanolin.

Merino hats should be machine washed using a special laundry bag. The water should be cool, no more than 35 C0.

But cashmere hats require separate washing and special attention. The material is very delicate, so you should try to clean the hat like this:

Rinse with a stream of cold water,
Rub baking soda over the surface and brush off
Steam with an iron and then remove dirt with a damp cloth.

You can use a cashmere detergent, but only for manual use; the manual mode can also be set in the washing machine.

Fur hats

The main rule is that a fur hat cannot be washed. More precisely, the fur does not wash off, and the lining fabric is quite suitable for washing.

This headdress should be cleaned as follows:

Tear off the lining, which is washed in the usual way by hand in warm water with detergent,
The fur should be inspected for damage and holes; if any are found, it should be sewn up or covered with a plaster from the inside out,
The best means for cleaning fur are potato starch mixed with purified gasoline. The ingredients are diluted to a porridge state, applied to the fur, after 20 minutes shaken off and combed out,
The procedure ends with airing in the fresh air, thanks to which the unpleasant odor will disappear and the fur will regain its attractiveness.

Don't forget about the lining, which should be sewn back to its original location. If the fabric is completely frayed, it is better to sew on a new one.

With a fur pompom, the hat is easy to wash. It is enough to tear off the pompom and wash the product according to the fabric. After drying, attach the pompom back, and you can clean it like fur.

To understand whether the fur needs cleaning or not, just take a hat, a hairdryer and blow cold air on it. If the fur behaves easily under the air flow and quickly returns to its original position, then you should not resort to washing yet. And if the fur hardly flies away from the hair dryer, then it’s time.

A rabbit hat can be cleaned of stains using semolina, as well as talcum powder or starch. You need to choose one of these products and sprinkle it on your fur. Lightly rub in the product with a soft brush and then shake out. Heavy stains will require several cleanings.

You can add shine to a fur hat using vinegar or lemon juice, which should be diluted in equal parts of water. The fur is moistened with the solution (not too much), excess moisture is removed with a dry cloth, and after drying, you need to comb the product. In this way you can improve a mink hat, raccoon or silver fox fur.

It is better to wipe the fur product as the pile grows. For dark products, the same method is used, but with sawdust, sand and rye bran. Do not use waste from coniferous trees; the resin contained in them will glue the fibers together.

Animal shampoo diluted in water is also used for cleaning. It is applied to a sponge and carefully onto the product. The earflap hat should be machine washed, since the fur is artificial and does not require special care. The machine uses delicate detergents and the same mode.

Drying is done in a three-liter jar, and with the help of paper you can give the headdress the desired shape. The army cap should be washed after all badges have been removed.

Semolina

Thanks to its abrasive properties, semolina is ideal for regularly maintaining a decent appearance of a mink. Small grains collect dust and dirt from the pile and absorb odors.

To clean mink fur with semolina you need:

Lay out the clothes on a horizontal surface.

Distribute the cereal over the pile, rub in gently, paying special attention to the most contaminated areas - sleeves, neckline, area around pockets.

After half an hour, shake the clothes and comb them thoroughly with a brush with sparse metal teeth.

Ventilate the fur product.

Major cleaning

Gently peel back the lining. To sew it back correctly, mark with colored threads the places where it was sewn. Wash the lining separately in soapy water, rinse and iron. If it is completely worn out, it is better to sew a fresh one, and make a pattern using the old lining.
Turn the fur inside out and carefully inspect the underside. If there are cracks or holes on it, carefully mend them with a narrow needle and thread. Cover these areas with adhesive tape. These patches will last for several more seasons!
Finally it was time to clean the fur. Place the product on a three-liter jar with the fur facing up. Dilute starch with gasoline so that you get a paste. Lightly rub this mixture into the fur. Gasoline evaporates extremely quickly, so it’s better to make several small portions of the mixture. After you have treated the entire surface, wait 10-15 minutes. Clean off any remaining residue with a brush. Repeat the function until unstained starch comes out of the product.
At the end of cleaning, carefully shake off the remaining sorbent from the cap and hang it in the fresh air in the shade. Comb the dried headdress with a brush and sew on the lining.

If the shine disappears, wipe the fur with a cloth soaked in glycerin or vinegar.

Subtleties of processing a mink hat at home

There are many means by which you can achieve, if not the original appearance of fur, then a very well-groomed version of it. There are only three ways to clean fur: dry, wet and local stain removal. When using any method of processing a fur surface, be extremely careful and attentive, handle it with care and precision.

The results of fur refreshment will not give the desired effect if the product is not properly prepared for the procedure. There are basic rules without which you cannot start cleaning:

the product must be dust free;
the pile must be combed out with a brush;
fittings and overhead decorative elements are temporarily removed;
the cap is placed on the blank/jar/pan.
That's it, now you can start the procedure itself. What to clean, which is guaranteed to help - we will consider further.

Is it possible to wash a mink hat?

Having discovered contamination on a fur product, owners, like doctors, should be guided by the principle of “do no harm.”
If you are interested in the question, is it possible to wash a mink hat in the traditional sense, then the answer is negative. This cannot be done! You should use dry or wet wash. Fur is piquant, so there are a number of contraindications that owners of natural mink devices must follow. The advice is also relevant for those who want to revive old products, because almost all craftsmen want to give a second life to an out-of-fashion mink product and strive to bring the fur to proper condition.

It is worth listening to advice on how to wash mink from an old hat, so that in the future you can use the skin for knitting an unusual device. In order not to spoil their own device made of natural fur (mink, bunny, arctic fox or silver fox), owners need to know about contraindications.

The abundance of water is detrimental to fur products, because the skin is subjected to preparatory treatment with special reagents that protect the shape of the product.

Also, any skin stretches, and water can wash away the protective layer and saturate the base, which will lead to deformation of the product. The skin becomes rough, brittle, brittle, and bursts.

The close proximity of heating devices is contraindicated, the heat of which leads to excessive drying of the base, and then to the loss of lint.
Forcible use of a hairdryer to speed up drying of the product is not advisable.
It is prohibited to treat the base with hot steam, because the skin has a protein composition, and you can cook the flesh on an unpainted skin at a temperature of 55 - 70 degrees.
For clarity, you can imagine what happens to a chicken egg when exposed to high temperatures.
You should avoid direct sunlight, which dries out the product and can affect its color.

By protecting the hat and beret made from natural fur from excess water and heat, the owners will retain the aesthetic appeal of the chic accessory.

Popular textiles

Hats made from different variations of faux fur are quite popular and in demand among all ages, as they are inexpensive, quite comfortable, and warm. Externally, they are often as spectacular as those made from natural fur. This material cannot withstand high temperatures, it becomes deformed, and the shine and smoothness of the pile disappears.

If a hat made of this type of textile does not contain elements made of natural fur, it can be washed in a machine, observing the following conditions:

wash in lukewarm water;
use special liquid detergents for wool;
spin mode - no more than 800 rpm;
dry in the shade, away from heating;
After drying, it should be combed well.

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Cleaning a snow-white mink hat correctly

Elegant items made of light fur are a chic addition to a fashionista’s wardrobe, but it is impossible to hide dirt on them.

The city man succeeded, dust, touching with hands - everything leaves an imprint on the product. Owners of such items should know how to wash a snow-white mink beret. Advice from experienced housewives should be taken into account:

Talcum powder is sprinkled on the surface of a hat or beret, gently rubbing it into the pile. After 3 hours, you can remove grains of talc by shaking the item well, then comb it with a blunt-toothed brush.
Bran or heated starch are also great for removing dirt on snow-white fur. They absorb dirt and are later easily removed from the surface of the skin.
But how to wash a snow-white mink hat, which over time has acquired a treacherous yellowness?

Hydrogen peroxide will come to the rescue, which is diluted with water and treated with a cotton pad. You can use a spray bottle to spray your hat or beret.