Fedoras and the sun - An observation

[TomS]

Hi Folks:

Recently, I purchased a hat that was structurally sound, but dirty, musty, and stained. I decided to give it a really good brushing with a soft bristle hat brush, and let it sit outside in the sun. Much to my amazement after 6 or 8 hours in full sun the hat looked MUCH better; Shockingly better in fact. I repeated the process the next day, and the hat looked even better. By the third or fourth day of brushing and sunning the hat looked extremely good. In an attempt to see if the result was just luck, I decided to try the process on another hat. I was stunned to see the same kind of results.

I recall my grandmother using a clothes line to get difficult stains out of white dress shirts, but I hadn't thought about it for years. Has anyone else ever tried this trick? Did you have the same results? If not, it might be worth a try!

Best,
Tom

 

[Feraud]

Was it the sun or the brushing that improved the hat? I'm tempted to think it was the latter..

 

[m0nk]

Well, they say if you have something with almost any type of mold or mildew on it, the sun will kill it. I think you have the right idea as I've done this with numerous things throughout the years. Most of the things that "grow" on clothing often need dark, moist environments, and direct sunlight with a lack of humidity will kill them. I was actually considering doing the same exact thing to a recently acquired vintage hat that has some staining in the liner... I can't tell if it's mildew or just stains...

 

[randooch]

I've had success eliminating moldy odors from hats that way.

 

[TomS]

I'm going to have to get some "before and after" pics next time. I'm really convinced the sun muted the spots, and generally brightened the hat.

 

[Wolfwood]

Will have to try that the next time we have a sunny summer. This one was a washout.