How to Clean Golf Hats

Golf hats are a staple accessory and should be taken care of, just like any other gear used to play the sport. But after a round of golf, hats can often get sweaty, muddy, or stained.

Instead of chucking your hat in the washing machine and getting a misshapen brim on the other side, there’s a better way. 

To know how best to clean your golf hat, carefully follow these easy and stress-free steps.  

How Do You Wash a Golf Hat Without Ruining It?

To avoid damaging your hat, like most materials, it’s always better to handwash it.

1. Fill your sink with tepid water, not hot water.
2. Add a tablespoon, or a third of a cup, of laundry detergent. This amount doesn’t have to be exact, so if you need to estimate, you can. (If you don’t have laundry detergent, dish soap is a suitable replacement, although much less effective.)
3. Before placing your hat into the water, spot-clean it as necessary. With a cloth or toothbrush, dab and gently scrub detergent onto any apparent stains.  
4. Submerge your hat under the water and leave it. 
5. Halfway through the soaking process, ensure you check on your hat. Where the stain or dirt marks are, if they are still showing, repeat the spot-cleaning process as outlined in step 4. If your hat isn’t too dirty, give it 30 minutes before you return to check it. If it's dirtier, then leave it for a couple of hours before finally returning to it.
6. When you’ve finished soaking your hat, rinse it with cool water to remove any soap.
7. Let any remaining water drip off. Be careful not to wring the hat so that it retains its shape. 
8. Gently dab your hat with a towel if it still feels too wet, but be careful with its shape. 
9. Hang your hat to air dry, but not in direct sunlight. Otherwise, it might shrink and lose shape. Place it over a small container to keep its shape as it dries. 
10. Bear in mind that the drying process can take up to 24 hours. To speed the process up, you can apply low levels of heat to it, i.e., a hair dryer on low heat or air dry outside on a warm day. 

How Do You Get Sweat Stains Out of a Golf Hat?

There are a couple of options that can rid you of sweat stains. First, try the hand-washing method above. When spot-cleaning your hat, rather than using dish soap or detergent, follow this method:

1. Take four tablespoons of baking soda, and spoon them into a bowl. 
2. Slowly add warm water to the baking soda until you've made a paste. 
3. Take a clean utensil and dab the solution onto the dirty mark or stain.
4. Use a clean cloth or toothbrush to scrub the paste into the stain. 
5.  Continue the hand-washing process. 

Likewise, you can use hydrogen peroxide to remove the stains, but you should handle this cautiously as the peroxide is dangerous. 

1. Drip a couple of drops of the bleach onto the stains.
2. With a clean toothbrush, gently scrub the bleach into the stain.
3. Soak the hat in tepid water for ten minutes.
4. Then rinse it with cool or tepid water.
5. Then continue the handwashing steps 8 - 11. 

How Do You Wash a Golf Hat in the Dishwasher?

If hand-washing doesn’t work, using your dishwasher can prove an excellent method to remove sweat stains from your golf hat. 

1. Check that your hat fabric is jersey mesh, polyester fabric, or cotton. If it’s not, don’t put it in the washer.
2. Make sure your dishwasher is empty before placing it on the top rack to keep it away from the hottest part of the machine.
3. Place a non-bleach dishwashing detergent in the machine.
4. Put your dishwasher on a cold water cycle and make sure any heated dry option is off. 
5. When the cycle finishes, reshape your hat and leave it to air dry.  

Can You Put a Golf Hat in the Washing Machine? 

Yes. However, it’s not always a good idea. 

It might sound appealing because it’s less effort than hand-washing. However, you must check what material your hat is first. It should be okay if it’s cotton, washable polyester, or twill and if it’s colorfast. Other materials won’t hold up well and could quickly lose their shape when subjected to the heat and agitation of the washing machine. You should always check the label for the manufacturer’s guidance.

Remember, if it goes in the washing machine, it’s likely to get crumpled and may lose its shape, especially if you wash it with other items, so try to wash it in a lightweight load where possible. If you choose this method, ensure you wash the hat on a gentle, cool cycle and place it in a delicates bag. 

Before using this method, it’s important to consider whether the washing machine is necessary due to the environmental impact. By using a lighter load to wash your hat, you will likely be adding to your carbon footprint. In contrast, hand-washing for one item is far more environmentally friendly.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Washing Golf Hats Ruin Them?

No, not if you follow the steps outlined above. 

However, the safest method that avoids the most risks is hand-washing. Always consult the manufacturer’s guidelines to be extra safe. And whatever method you use, always reshape your hat before air drying.  

Time for a New Golf Hat? Shop Stitch Golf

Sometimes, despite following these steps, some stains are too hard to move. Stitch has a great range of hats and visors to suit every golfer. So why not start your search for your next hat today?