Hat Care

Handling a Hat

Try not to handle a hat by the crown; always try to pick up a hat by both sides of the edge of the brim with clean, dry hands. Once on the head put into position by adjusting from the crown rather than from the brim. If you pull at the brim, you may force it out of its natural shape and cause the straw to snap within the brim. Do not get your hat wet – if it does get wet, let it dry naturally; do not force dry it.

Storing a Hat

Hat boxes are a great way to keep a hat free of dust and away from the bleaching effect of the sun’s rays. Either set the hat on its crown, filled with alkaline tissue paper… or use enough tissue so that the weight of the hat is not on the brim. Store bows by stuffing tissue in the bows and place in hat box with lid. Prop feathers up with tissue paper gently supporting them. Veiling need to have tissue to support them in proper shape while storing. Other decorative embellishments may need to be covered in tissue to keep them from staining the hat.
Do not leave your hat in the car or in the sun as the humidity may cause it to lose shape, shrink or distort. Hats of any material may be sensitive to prolonged exposure to direct sunlight causing colours to fade.

Cleaning a Hat

Brush your felt and straw hats regularly with a soft bristle brush, going with the nap of the felt. Use sticky tape to remove lint and dust from fur and felt hats. Do not dry clean or wet clean your hat.

If you get makeup on the inside of your hat where the Petersham ribbon sits, you can use a makeup wipe to gently remove the makeup – don’t overly wet the Petersham whilst removing makeup, and avoid wiping any of the other material on your hat.