Caring For Cowboy Hats

How To Care For Your New Cowboy Hat

Storage

Store your hat upside down on its crown to help keep its shape. High heat can cause the sweat band on a cowboy hat to shrink. As the sweat band shrinks, this causes the hat itself to shrink, too. As such, a cowboy hat left exposed to high heat for extended periods may no longer fit. To avoid this, never leave your hat in a car or the trunk during warm weather or near other high heat sources. The best place to store your hat is in a hat box or hat can. If you wear your hat frequently you can store your hat on a hat rack.

Handling

Avoid handling your cowboy hat by the crown. If your hands are dirty or oily they will leave spots on the fabric. Always pick up your hat or put it on or take it off by the brim. Adjust your hat by holding the front and back of the brim.

Water

Straw and Wool Cowboy Hats may get wet without any problems. Just be sure NOT to dry them near a heat source. Instead, just let them dry naturally - preferrably hanging on a hat rack.  Felt cowboy hats, however, are not designed to be used in wet weather. If a felt cowboy hat does get wet, flip the sweatband outward and set the hat upside down on its crown to allow it to dry naturally. If you plan on using your hat in rainy weather, consider getting a wool hat instead and/or getting a rain cover for your cowboy hat.

Cleaning

Cleaning Straw Hats: Use a clean damp cloth or a hat sponge to remove surface dirt. Gently rub counter-clockwise towards the back of the hat. To keep the sweatband dry of perspiration and hairdressings, occasionally turn down the sweatband to dry. With the leather sweatband turned out, perspiration and hair oil will evaporate instead of soaking into the cowboy hat.

Cleaning Felt Hats: 

Use a brim brush to clean the brim of the hat and a crown brush to clean the crowns of the cowboy hat by lifting nap and surface dirt. Use a dark colored hat brush for dark hats and a light colored brush for light hats. Gently move the brush counterclockwise towards the back of the hat. After brushing your hat, use masking tape to remove any remaining lint on your hat. Gently pat your hat with the tape.

To keep the sweat band dry of perspiration and hairdressings, occasionally turn down the sweatband to dry. With the leather sweatband turned out, perspiration and hair oil will evaporate instead of soaking into the hat Hat covers, sponges and brushes are sold on our website.