How to Clean Your New Era Fitted or Snapback Hat

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The ultimate guide on keeping your caps fresh and pristine

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: November 28, 2024 Fact Checked

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Spot Cleaning & Storage

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Deeper Cleaning

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Using a Cleaning Kit

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

New Era is the brand when it comes to flashy baseball caps, fitted, and snapbacks, so if you’re going to invest in one it’s important to keep it clean. If you want to keep your New Era brim looking crisp, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll start by covering the fastest (and safest) ways to spot clean your hat. Then, we’ll break down how to deep clean your hat or use a cleaning kit, although just FYI, you’re best off avoiding soaking your hat in water if you can.

Things You Should Know

Spot clean your hat using a soft brush or clean cloth. Use a wet wipe or damp cloth to soften up and remove liquid stains.
Use a lint roller to pull up stray hairs, pet fur, or dust.
Rinse a filthy hat in cold, soapy water. Just know, soaking a New Era hat may permanently reshape or damage it.
Purchase a cleaning kit designed for baseball caps if you have a lot of hats to clean.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Spot Cleaning & Storage

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1
Use a lint roller to pick up dust, pet hair, or dirt. The best way to breathe fresh life into your hat is to run a lint roller over it. Peel off a fresh sheet of the lint roller and drag it back and forth over the fabric. Use a fresh sheet on the roller whenever the current sheet stops being sticky, and keep cleaning your hat until it looks fresh. ^{[1]
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- Some lint rollers have sticky sheets on the outside, which you can peel off after they get too nasty and hairy. Others will have thick bristles that go one way, but not the other.
- Some hat places will even furnish hat brushes, specifically for this purpose. If they're really expensive, opt for the lint roller, which is basically the same thing.
- Want an easy DIY lint roller? Peel off some packing tape and press it against the fabric. Peel it up to remove any dirt or hair and then repeat as needed.
2
Clean off any liquids or stains with wet wipes as needed. Plain wet naps or wet hand wipes are excellent for the little spot treatments that won’t come up by hand. Use one wet wipe to thoroughly wipe out the inside and go over the outside of your hat at least once a week, or more if you wear a cap every day. ^{[2]
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- This is your best option if you want to clean the end of the brim on the side of your hand that you use most often.
- Is the inside of your hat kind of gnarly from dried sweat? Rub that interior lining down with a few wet wipes.
- Never use cleaning products that contain bleach. It’ll acid wash your hat and completely ruin the fabric.
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3
Spot clean your hat with a soft brush after each use. Every time you take your fitted or snapback off, take a quick look to see if you need to clean off any dirt or scuff marks. Either pick up any random hairs or dust using your fingers, or gently wipe away any scuff marks with a soft-bristle brush . It shouldn’t take more than a minute or two to do this, and these quick cleanings will make a huge difference over time! ^{[3]
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- It’s especially important to spot clean white caps. They tend to get very dirty very fast if you don’t spot clean them.
- If you don’t spot clean your hat, dust can work its way into the fibers of the cap and stain it over time, which will make your hate much more difficult to clean.
4
Wear a bandana or a durag under your hat to protect it. If you sweat in your cap, keep the band from getting sweat-stained and yucky by throwing on a durag or bandana under the hat. You can even try one of those thin skull caps if you’d prefer. Sure, it might be a little bit of a 90s move so far as the fashion goes, but it’ll soak up any of the sweat that would otherwise end up in your cap. ^{[4]
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- The problem with sweat and New Era caps is that the oil and salt tend to change the color of the inside of your hat (and make it a little stinky when you take it off).
5
Store your hat in a box or drawer to keep them dust-free. If you're just tossing your New Era on the dresser or on the floor, it's going to passively pick up dirt. Hat racks are fine to use but they do happen to be dust traps, especially if you've got one right by the front door. If you want to be really protective of your New Eras, keep them in a box or drawer. ^{[5]
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- If you don’t have the drawer space or you have a large hat collection, you can stack the hats on top of one another and put tissue paper or a plastic sheet on the top one.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Deeper Cleaning

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Tape plastic wrap over the sticker if you want to protect it. If you want to keep your hat looking like it’s just from the store, keep that sticker looking as clean as possible. Water will ruin it very quickly, making it peel and flake off. If you're trying to clean the hat up without messing up the sticker, a bit of cling wrap from the kitchen will do the trick.
- Cut a piece of plastic wrap big enough to cover the sticker by a few centimeters on each side, then tape it in place. Make sure the tape seals the plastic thoroughly.
- Warning: New Era explicitly suggests never submerging hats in water, so do this at your own risk. Plenty of people have done this, so it’s likely okay, but you may potentially weaken or warp the brim by soaking your hat. ^{[6]
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2
Fill a clean sink or big bowl with cold, soapy water. It's especially important to use cold water on the hat if it’s got any bright colors, though you can feel free to use hotter water on older hats that have been washed already. Use a mild, unscented soap and mix the water until it’s soapy and bubbly. ^{[7]
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- Just so you know, the less water you can use, the better. The brims are usually made of cardboard, and excessive water can warp them.
Dip the hat in the soapy water. Then, use a brand new, soft-bristled toothbrush or clean cloth to scrub away any stains or dirt. Wet the cap repeatedly as needed. Move the brush in tight circles to scrub away the stains gently. ^{[8]
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After you clean the cap with soap, re-wet the toothbrush with plain water and gently go over it again to try to keep working any stain residue out. Once you’ve got all of the soap suds and dirt out, drain the sink or empty your bowl. ^{[9]
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5
Air dry the cap in a well-ventilated area. It's very important to set up the cap like you want it to look by putting it on a round object (like a bowling ball) and let it air dry for about 24 hours before wearing it. If the cap is wet, it can lose its shape, and start to look saggy and old. Set the clean cap up with the brim flat, and the top of the hat supported by something round and leave it alone. ^{[10]
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- Consider getting a cap mold to help hold the shape of the hat. These are commonly available at hat stores and other clothing retailers.
- While it might seem quicker, putting the hat into a clothes dryer will destroy it. Don’t do it!
6
Consider washing the cap in the dishwasher as a last resort. One of the easiest and quickest ways of washing any baseball cap is to put it in the top rack of the dishwasher, set your dishwasher to the cold setting, and run it through about a half cycle by itself. Remove the hat about halfway through the cycle and let it air dry. ^{[11]
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- Make sure your dishwasher is extremely clean if you try to do this, and know that you’re going to warp your hat if you do this.
- Warning: New Era explicitly says not to do this, and you’ll almost certainly warp the brim of your hat. Still, if your hat is beat up, this may bee better than leaving your hat dirty. ^{[12]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using a Cleaning Kit

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Get a hat cleaning kit that contains a pump-mold. These kits are sold with all the basic supplies you'll need to keep your hat looking clean and new. The kits typically retail for about the price of the hat, but they include cleaning spray, shaping spray, a cleaning brush, and a pump-mold that you can use to maintain the shape of the hat when you're not wearing it.
- The value of these kits is pretty debatable. If you have a big collection of hats you want to keep looking new, it might be worth it, but if you've just got a few, it's probably fine to just use the basic cleaning methods described above.
- New Era used to sell an official cleaning kit, but they stopped making it a while ago. Luckily, there are plenty of alternatives still in production, though.
The pump-mold can be altered to shape the size of the hat you're wearing. You can set the mold by placing your hat on top of it, and inflating it to the size you want to keep the hat. Squeeze the pressure-ball to inflate the pump. Once you get it to the right size, it'll work on all your hats. ^{[13]
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After you remove the hat, place the hat on the pump-mold and spritz it with a gentle mist of the cleaning spray. Then, gently comb the brim and cap of the hat with the cleaning brush to keep it looking nice. ^{[14]
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After you clean the hat, apply shaping spray while the hat sits on the pump. Use 2-3 spritzes of the shaping spray and wait for the cat to completely air dry. This will allow the hat to stay firmly molded and looking fresh for as long as possible.

Community Q&A

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Question

Where do I get the cap mold that I can place it on while cleaning?

Community Answer

Your local Lids store should sell them. You can usually find a Lids store at the mall.

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What kind of soap should be used?

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Use laundry detergent. Make sure it has no bleach, otherwise it will stain your hat.

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Is the hard part plastic or cardboard?

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It depends on what hat you got. Some are plastic and others are made out of cardboard.

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Tips

Old New Era caps are made out of wool, while the newer caps are a polyester blend. As such, any cleaning product for clothing made out of wool or polyester should work just fine on your hat. ^{[15]
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Warnings

If you have one of the limited-edition leather, suede, or silk caps, never get them wet. Just spot clean them with a dry brush or cloth. ^{[16]
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How to Clean Your New Era Fitted or Snapback Hat

Things You Should Know

Steps

Spot Cleaning & Storage

Deeper Cleaning

Using a Cleaning Kit

Community Q&A

Video

Tips

Warnings

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References

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