Cleaning satin lining

[Bogie1943]

Hi ya fellas, I recently picked up a couple more vintage hats (Pics coming soon). I have cleaned hat liners before but these new lids got me thinking. I bet that a few of you have some different methodes than me on cleaning these essential hat accessories. I have a good strong feeling Matt Deckard will have a few.:cool2:

 

[Matt Deckard]

Problem is most of my vintage hats were dead stock when I recieved them and had little to no lining problems.

If you have taken the liner out, I suggest water.

MK's wife had a stain stick device that worked great on taking grease out of a tie and that might work as well on a liner that has the Brylcream smell and look.

hand cleaning with water and then letting it dry in the open air is all I can suggest unless you live by Optimo.

 

[Fedora]

I just soak the liner in Woolite and warm water. Fedora

 

[Pilgrim]

I have an old Stetson (Ebay what-the-heck acquisition) that I'm getting ready to dunk in naptha for a cleaning. The liner is badly yellowed, soiled and pretty nasty, and although I'm probably going to have to discard it, I'd like to at least make a try at cleaning it. It's nice to keep originals if I can.

Any advice on how to clean a liner? I can dunk it in the naptha, I can wash it with Woolite, or...............?

 

[Magus]

However its made you can hand wash it with woolite.

Using naphtha, if it dosn't have the plastic disk in the top the liner shouldn't be harmed. Later today I am running a test with the plastic disk linner to see what happens to it...so I couldn't say for sure if the naphtha will harm it....yet.

M

 

[Magus]

Small update

I set a liner to soak tonight and will check it tomarrow. Look for a post with pics of the results sometime tomarrow afternoon.

M

 

[J.B.]

I set a liner to soak tonight and will check it tomarrow. Look for a post with pics of the results sometime tomarrow afternoon.

M

Thanks and Good Luck, Magus!

 

[Pilgrim]

WOW! Seeing the follow-up from Magus, I know the answer. I'm really surprised and impressed to see how well that liner cleaned up. I gotta dunk that hat this weekend.

 

[deadpickle]

Dont ask me how but, I got chocolate on my satin liner the other night. There are just a few spots and they seem very light but I'm not sure how to clean them. Any ideas?

 

[KY Gentleman]

How did you get chocolate on your satin liner?

 

[tortswon]

Answer

KY Gentleman, it must be his sundae hat.

 

[deadpickle]

I was at friends wedding. Lets just say that it involves chocolate mints and martini's. You can fill the rest in
So any ideas on cleaning the satin liner?

 

[Lefty]

I tried once.
Once.
Then I sent my hat back to Art to put in a new liner.

 

[Stoney]

Try scraping off any dried chocolate then handwashing in cold water with a little bit of Woolite. You may have to work the fabric a bit but it should all come out.

 

[bolthead]

How did you get chocolate on your satin liner?

He said, don't ask him how........:eusa_doh:


Try one of those "Shout" sticks.

 

[tonyb]

It probably goes without saying, but just in case ...

Remove the liner before trying any of the above suggestions. The liners in most vintage lids are tack-stitched in. Most modern ones (with the exception of customs) are glued in.

Some of the liner's body is likely to be lost in the wash. So without something to restore its stiffness, it'll droop. And it'll almost surely be wrinkled. So an iron, and perhaps starch, would be in order. This seemingly simple step requires a bit more care than a person might think. You wouldn't be the first to scorch or melt that liner material.

 

[gtdean48]

Any tips on cleaning a lining that is in less than pristine shape? Woolite on the gentle cycle, etc.?

 

[RBH]

I leave the lining in the hat and dunk the whole thing in naptha.

 

[tonyb]

It all kinda depends on what sort of liner it is, gtdean. You know, what fabric it's made of and whether the maker's logo and whatnot is printed or embroidered. It's unlikely that naphtha would do it any harm (I've never known it to, but ...). Should you remove it (is it stitched into the crown?) and try a water solution, go the safest route first, which I suppose would be soaking it in a bowl (or sink, or ...) filled with cold water and a mild cleaning agent. Don't wring, don't rub.

I fear that a washing machine would leave you with a few shreds of what had been your hat's liner. Old liners may be kinda delicate because, well, they're old. And new ones may be kinda delicate because so many of them are just plain cheap.

 

[gtdean48]

Thanks Rusty & Tony. Just get a bucket on naptha, rubber gloves & dunk it?
Will try the cool water & mild soap first, naptha route next...