How To Clean Baseball Caps

Baseball caps have become a valuable addition to every wardrobe in recent years as a popular accessory to casual dress for both men and women, Due to the cost of some baseball caps (many costing upwards of $35) extra care needs to be taken when cleaning baseball caps so that they do not become ruined during the cleaning processes applied to them. Most modern baseball caps are made of polyester, some with plastic inserted into the bills that can be shrunk or even melted if exposed to harsh cleaning measures. The standard practice of simply placing a baseball cap in a washing machine followed by a trip to the clothes dryer is a certain death sentence for the cap, but there are a few tricks that can make certain your baseball cap lives a full life.

The first and most important step for cleaning baseball caps is to purchase a "cap cage" or a hard plastic protective device that the baseball cap is placed into to ensure it retains it's shape during cleaning. These are relatively inexpensive (usually under $10) and worth every penny for anyone that owns more than a single baseball cap.

Once a device to keep the baseball cap in it's original shape has been obtained there are a number of ways the cap can be washed. For a baseball cap that is minimally soiled hand washing in a product like Woolite works very well. A baseball cap that is moderately soiled can be hand washed using a stronger commercial laundry detergent, but a very dirty baseball cap will usually only come clean if run through a cycle in the clothes washer while attached to a baseball cap protector. If a baseball cap needs to be washed in the washing machine it is a smart move to check the hat every five minutes or so by opening the washer lid to ensure it has not become tangled in the agitating mechanism.

When the baseball cap has been washed thoroughly the last step is to utilize the proper drying process to ensure the cap does not shrink. Drying in the clothes dryer while possible is really not the best way to go - air drying naturally works great if the hat is not needed for immediate wear. While the baseball cap is still in to protective cage simply hang it where air is allowed to circulate around it and in about 24 hours or so the cap will be clean, in perfect condition and ready to wear.