Hat care and storage

The time has come: You have finally decided on a brand new hat. Everyone knows the feeling of putting a new hat on for the first time and not wanting to take it off. It’s super comfortable, stylish and provides pleasant protection from the sun, rain or cold.

But there comes a time in every hat wearer’s life when their hat becomes dirty, maybe something breaks or the hat is not worn for a longer period of time. To make your hat an even more long-lasting and loyal companion, we’ve compiled the most important care tips for you in this blog post.

Waterproofing – dirt doesn’t stand a chance

Materials such as high quality beaver fur have naturally very good dirt and water-repellent properties. However, not all hats are this well-protected from the get-go. Cotton, for example, is very absorbent and can even shrink after drying. But don’t worry, there’s an easy solution for this and many other materials: a waterproofing spray!

All types of leather and textiles can be coated with an invisible film. This film isn’t a blockbuster – it is made of silicone resins and special active ingredients that make water, dirt and grease simply pearl off the hat. It’s also worth waterproofing hats made of repellent materials such as fur felt – the reasons for this can be found in the list below.

all of its properties are marvellously preserved. Good waterproofing sprays pose no danger to your health. The sprays are made largely from harmless paraffins derived from oil. Candles, petroleum and creams such as petroleum jelly also contain larger or smaller amounts of paraffin. Synthetic resins and silicones are also used in waterproofing sprays due to their water-repellent (hydrophobic) properties and relatively environmentally-friendly composition.

Which waterproofing spray should I use?

Due to the wide range of possible applications, we generally recommend using a universal waterproofing spray. It is suitable for all kinds of headgear – whether it’s made of felt, leather or other types of textile. A particularly helpful tip: These types of sprays can also be used to treat all functional fabrics such as GORE-TEX® in order to freshen up their waterproofing a bit. Frequent washing can cause these materials to lose some of their functional properties.

Far more important than the choice of waterproofing spray, however, is the application method:

1. The hat must be clean. If it’s new, this isn’t an issue. If you have worn it for longer and have noticed that it’s a bit dirty, it must be cleaned properly – tips on cleaning can be found below.

2. Apply the spray outdoors if possible. If this isn’t possible, you should definitely have the window open and ensure good ventilation.

3. Shake the can well, hold it upright and spray onto the hat from a distance of 20 to 30 cm. The main thing to remember is to apply the spray evenly – and do not use too much. In this case the idea of “more is better” does not apply. It is better to repeat the process more often.

4. When you have done all the steps above, you should ensure that the treated hat is left to dry for a couple of minutes and that the waterproofing process is repeated regularly to keep the hat well-protected. Otherwise, weather protection wears out quickly, especially when the hat is worn a lot.

Cleaning – in all its glory every day

Another important component of hat care is cleaning. A simple method is the use of textile brushes. Regular brushing is a must, especially with felt hats. Let’s start with the basics. A dark brush should be used for dark hats and a light brush for light hats – so far, so good. Dry cleaning is also always preferable to wet cleaning. As soon as the hat becomes damp, there is the risk that the dirt will only be spread around.

To clean a hat with a brush, proceed as follows: First, start brushing the hat and move around the hat until all the dirty areas have been cleaned. In the case of fur felt or other felts with longer fibres, you must make sure that you brush following the fur structure.

Superficial dirt that is stubbornly ground in can also be carefully removed from fur felt hats using a fine-grained sandpaper. Deeper stains should be dabbed off with a cloth and a little detergent. Finally, some hats can be easily cleaned by hand or even washed in the washing machine. Before doing this, however, please pay attention to the care symbols on the hat’s label! Only certain fabric hats can be cleaned this way. You can also find precise care instructions for various materials in our detailed material guide.

Pro tip: Clean the sweatband

The inner band of a hat, also known as the sweatband, should also be cleaned from time to time. It is very easy to clean using just a couple of household remedies:

Storage – always stay in shape

“What’s happened here? It didn’t look like this a couple of weeks ago!” Even if your hat has been professionally cleaned and waterproofed, it can lose its shape over time if it is stored incorrectly. To make sure you can present your hats in all their glory at all times, we’ve compiled the most important hat storage tips.

When you are visiting someone or are on the go, you usually have no resources at your disposal. In addition, hat etiquette dictates that you remove your hat in closed spaces – so what should you do? The vast majority of hat styles, e.g. cowboy hats and pork pie hats, should be stored upside down on their crowns, so that their brims do not become misshapen. With other styles, e.g. cloches, things become trickier. A coat hook can be the solution. But then comes the next hurdle: Large hats often do not fit on wall brackets or in wardrobes.

When you’re at home, we recommend using a special hat hook, a hat support or hat stretcher to keep your hat in shape. Hat stands not only retain the hat’s shape, they also help you to keep an overview of things: All of your hats are visible at all times, so you can choose the right one to go with your outfit.

A final option would be a hatbox, which is also particularly suitable for travelling. There is space for large hats and maybe even a matching scarf. But how does one use a hatbox?

DIY hatbox

If you don’t have a hatbox, that’s not a problem at all. You can find different solutions when you’re travelling. The following brief instructions for making a homemade hatbox show how easy it can be:

1. Line a suitcase with some clothing.

2. Stuff the inside of the hat with other items of clothing (lightweight items such as T-shirts and socks).

3. Place the rest of the clothing into the suitcase around the hat.

4. The hat is protected when the suitcase is closed, so you can take it on your next trip.

While we’re on the topic of DIY, here’s another little tip: If you no longer need your hatbox, it can also make a wonderful decorative item for storing other things or as a pot for flowers. Hat storage can be so lovely!