Cleaning my hat... a slightly odd question.

[Prydonian]

Hello, all!

I find my fedora in need of cleaning in a very specific way, and I have no idea how to go about it. I ask you to bear with me, because, frankly, it's a little indelicate.

I keep my beloved Akubra Fed IV on my hatstand near the front door. I also live in the suburbs. About four months ago, I had been out walking and stepped into one of those small, brown piles that neighborhood dogs deposit in suburban yards. After several minutes of hopping around and scraping my shoes I stepped back into my house, whereupon my flailing hand knocked my hat onto the tile precisely where my shoe had, only moments before, been.

Now, it's not the worst thing in the world. There's nothing, er, visble, nor is there a smell. But I still can't bring myself to think of my hat as anything but in need of cleaning...

So, how would you recommend going about it? I hesitate to use steam for obvious reasons, but I imagine other quick-cleaning products like alcohol or a Lysol wipe would damage the fibers. As it stands, I'm still thinking a nearly-dry Lysol wipe might be my best bet, but I reeeeeeeally don't want to do it. All advice would be gratefully received!

Thanks very much!

 

[gtdean48]

I wear all of my hats except the really dressy ones out to my barn. They all probably get fecal matter on them one way or another.
A good brushing will clean your hat well enough unless you are a serious germophobe.
Do no use alcohol but get some Zippo lighter fluid on a white rag & blot the area. Do a search on threads here about Naptha baths.

You should always have a hat on when feces hits the fan!

Oh yea, welcome to the Lounge....

 

[ManofKent]

Lighter fluid works well for cleaning , but I'd do the whole hat to avoid any chance of localised marks - a standard 100ml can will soak a whole hat happily, and you shouldn't need to reshape.

 

[jhe888]

Brush it. If there are no visible marks, I wouldn't risk using any cleaning fluid. If you have germ problems, you need help we can't give you here.

 

[G MAN]

I agree with jhe888, Just a good brushing would be fine.

 

[Brian Niebuhr]

If this happened to me, I'd just wear a different hat for a day. Any harmful bacteria would be dead by then. Probably after just a couple of hours if there isn't any residue for it to live on.

 

[John Galt]

Check out the thread on Naptha (camp fuel) baths. This can be done on a 5 gallon bucket pretty easily. Beware, the stuff is pretty caustic, and will eat a plastic liner if you leave it in the bath too long.

(Edit - Sorry - didn't mean to repeat - had only scanned prior responses & didn't see Naptha mentioned the first time)

"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[Brian Niebuhr]

I've used camp fuel on things before (not hats). It seems to leave a slight oil residue behind. This could cause the hat to pick up dirt. You know how a lawnmower accumulates dirt around the gas tank where spilled gas has dried. I'm just saying that I wouldn't use such extremes in this case. The only harm to the hat seems to be germs.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Sir, check the threads that speak to cleaning hats out. Coleman White Gas works like a charm. No residue and no smell remain after soaking. I have done vintage, beaver and rabbit hats with excellent results.

Example of vintage Stetson Stratoliner being cleaned -

Finished clean hat

Best, Eric -

 

[Tomasso]

That's patina! Just leave it be.

 

[ADHD librarian]

An Akubra can cope with that sort of thing. In my younger days, it was not unheard of for 'friends' to place a warm cowpat in your Akubra and jam it firmly on your head. I used shampoo on the hair and sunlight on the hat. I suspect this is all you need.

 

[J.B.]

...In my younger days, it was not unheard of for 'friends' to place a warm cowpat in your Akubra and jam it firmly on your head...

:scared:

 

[TomS]

Just brush it, and leave it in the sun for a few hours!

 

[TheDane]

I've used camp fuel on things before (not hats). It seems to leave a slight oil residue behind. This could cause the hat to pick up dirt. You know how a lawnmower accumulates dirt around the gas tank where spilled gas has dried. I'm just saying that I wouldn't use such extremes in this case. The only harm to the hat seems to be germs.

Fair enough - but for generations hatters have used naphta for cleaning hats, and some still do. The gas for your car or lawnmower is something quite different. It's far from as refined as naphta. I may be wrong, but I believe hatters know a thing or two about hats - and the cleaning of them

 

[Brian Niebuhr]

I am not saying that it doesn't clean hats. I'm saying that it isn't perfect. There doesn't seem to be a perfect way to clean a hat. If the hat isn't really dirty then why use such a harsh chemical? I'd save that stuff for a more heavily soiled hat. That way the pros would far outway any possible cons. No sense in killing a spider with a shotgun when a whip of a hat would work just fine. Hehe.

 

[DeaconKC]

Would a quick spray with Lysol work?

 

[TheDane]

I am not saying that it doesn't clean hats. I'm saying that it isn't perfect. There doesn't seem to be a perfect way to clean a hat. If the hat isn't really dirty then why use such a harsh chemical? I'd save that stuff for a more heavily soiled hat. That way the pros would far outway any possible cons. No sense in killing a spider with a shotgun when a whip of a hat would work just fine. Hehe.

Sorry, my bad! I didn't read the question well enough. If there are no visible soiling I wouldn't worry at all

I have three grown children and five grands. I would have been mummified in thick layers of disinfection napkins if I had worried about things like that.

I wonder if the dog ever licked your face or hand - and what you did afterward. Thinking about where that tounge has been is a lot more sickening. Take it easy ... it's just a little used food

 

[Zombie_61]

...You should always have a hat on when feces hits the fan!

Words to live by.

 

[Prydonian]

Hello, gents! I'm really sorry to have posted this thread and disappeared... for some reason, I wasn't getting notifications that there had been any replies, so for quite a while I just didn't think anyone had answered. The two pages come as something of a shock!

Thanks for the welcome, gtdean48! I've actually been lurking about for a few years, but I've never needed to post before.

And thanks for the replies, everyone! I confess, I am a bit of a germphobe. When it comes to living in Florida, it's always safest to assume that every outdoor-living animal has some kind of fiendish, tissue-destroying parasite. Still, from the replies the consensus seems to be that a full Naptha bath is excessive for something like this, and a brushing and sunlight may be all that's required. I think I can live with that. That is, if everyone's sure dabbing it ever-so-lightly with a Lysol-impregnated cloth is a bad idea. Are we, er, sure of that?

Actually, it's long past time I acquired a decent brush. I know it's wildly off-topic and is probably the most basic of information, but I'd welcome input on brush acquisition. Preferred brand, perhaps?

Thanks again, all, for your replies! I greatly appreciate it.

 

[gtdean48]

Go to the aisle in your local Kroger or Publix where they have shoe polish & laces.
You'll find a very good shoe brush for about $7 or so, works like a charm.
You can buy brim & crown brushes from hat supply websites but these are handy & less expensive.

Kiwi, made of horsehair = http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/kiwi-shine-brush-for-leather/ID=prod1111239-product