Caring for Straw Hats

Straw hats are must-haves for spring and summer. Keep your favorite straw hats supple and looking their best with our Straw Hat Care Tips!

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Handling

• Always handle your hat by its brim rather than its crown.
• This is especially important for straw hats in order to avoid cracking their crown!
• Avoid touching or handling your hat with dirty or oily fingers.
• Avoid resting your hat on a flat surface. This may warp your hat's brim. 
• If this cannot be avoided, rest the hat upside down on its crown. 

Storage

• The most important thing to keep in mind when storing straw hats is to avoid drying out the straw which can lead to cracking. 
• With this in mind, avoid storing straw hats in direct sunlight or heat. 

• Short-term Storage
• Place your straw hat on a hat stand, hat block/form for best results. 
• Next best is to hang straw hats on a hat tree or hook.
• Again, avoid storing in or near direct sunlight, heat, or humidity. 
• Long-term Storage
• Store your straw hat in a dedicated hat box with cradle or hat block to protect it from light and dust. 
• A regular box with lid will work just as well - simply make a hat cradle out of tissue paper and place your hat into it, crown first (i.e. upside down). 
• Keep your hat box away from direct sunlight, heat, or humidity. 

• If after some time in storage your straw hat feels or looks a bit dry, gentle steam will help rehydrate the straw. Handle with extra care and use one of the following:
• Apply steam from a dedicated steamer or tea kettle to your straw hat for about 1-2 minutes. See "Steaming" section below for more details.
• Hang your hat on a towel hook or similar in your bathroom while you take a hot shower.

Cleaning

• Use a dedicated, soft-bristled hat brush to regularly brush your straw hat.
• Alternatively, gently dust with a soft cloth (microfiber works best).
• Clean light stains by gently wiping with a soft cloth dipped in warm soapy water (mild detergent works best).
• Make sure to wring out the cloth before wiping - you do not want to soak your straw hat!
• Let dry completely before wearing. 
• Alternatively, dedicated straw hat cleaners may also be used. Follow manufacturer instructions. 

Steaming/Reshaping

• Light steam may be useful in smoothing out any kinks or dents in your straw hat's shape. The following video may be applied to steaming straw hats as well. 
• Limp straw hats may be brought back to life using a bit of steam to reshape it and a straw-safe hat stiffener to help it keeps its shape.
• Follow hat stiffener manufacturer's instructions. 
• Steam is also a great way to rehydrate dried-out (not already cracked) straw hats - if and when needed. 
• Apply steam from a dedicated steamer or tea kettle to your straw hat for about 1-2 minutes. Let dry completely before wearing. 
• Hang your hat on a towel hook or similar in your bathroom while you take a hot shower. Let dry completely before wearing. 

Stretching

It is not recommended to stretch a straw hat more than 2 hat sizes. That is, from a size 7 (56cm) to a size 7 1/4 (58cm). Attempting to stretch a hat more than this may result in warping of its shape and/or damage - this is especially true for straw hats. 

• For best results we recommend using a dedicated hat stretcher for straw hats.
• Steam your hat using a dedicated steamer or kitchen kettle to soften the hat.
• Follow hat stretcher manufacturer instructions.

By G. Realpe
Copywriter, Village Hat Shop