How do you store your hats?

[havershaw]

Just curious. I keep most of mine on one of my two vintage hatracks in my house - I have a few styrofoam wig heads which I keep a couple of hats on - but I'm out of room now. Do any of you guys actually keep your hats in those vintage boxes? I have a bunch, but for some reason, I never actually keep my hats in them.

Does anyone have problems with storing your hats on hatracks? (Beside the fact that they can get a little dusty, here in the dustiest state in the Union.)

 

[Andykev]

HATBOXES

All the Optimo hats both felt and straw are in their sturdy oval hat boxes. I have the black ones, a "salmon" color, a brown with white edging, an off white, and the non glossy dull black ones.

All the other vintage hats are in actual vintage hatboxes, the kind with the photos on the side, christmas scenes, city skylines, a stratoliner Stetson which is very oval....

All the hats are in the boxes with either paper, foam, or padded rims, with the plastic hat protector, and a tissue paper cover. Lids are on tight. I also put one moth ball in the box (or the moth packets).

You can't be too safe.


I don't put the moth balls in the straws however.

 

[Chamorro]

Doesn't the mothball smell bother you?

I guess I'm lucky, I've lived in Southern California for 15 years and have never even seen a moth. Come to think of it, I hardly see any bugs at all. I guess that's one of the benefits of living in a semi-arid wasteland.

My hats all hang from wooden pegs on the wall. I've run out of pegs and soon will run out of wall in my office/study room.

 

[havershaw]

Yeah, I've never seen a moth either, and we have cats, so that keeps us bug-free.

I personally like seeing all of the hats on the rack. Helps remind me what I've got, and helps me to rotate daily. Back when I did store a couple in boxes...well, out of sight, out of mind, and they didn't get worn a whole lot. Once I put them where I could see them all the time, they got added to the rotation a lot more frequently.

There is a lot of beauty in a hat rack at capacity.

 

[Chamorro]

Exactly. All mine get regular rotation, although I DO have my favorites. Only the straws haven't been seeing the light of day right now and that's because it's cold.

 

[BD Jones]

I keep the hat of the day either on my hat rest or coat rack when not wearing it. The rest are in hat boxes with a cedar block (you know, the kind that you can hang in the closet) in the bottom. The cedar does the same thing the moth balls do, but with a better smell.

 

[Sergei]

Ah yes....Tineola bisselliella

Tineola bisselliella is the common "clothes moth". Not to be confused with moths that are attracted to light. These guys like it dark, like our closets. Yes, Chamorro you are lucky. About 3 years ago I found one of my double breasted wool suit jacket trashed from the bottom hem. I took it to my dry cleaner who had the "reweaving" service. They charged $100 but it was worth it for a $500 plus suit.

Here a good link to the Tineola bisselliella:

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th8a.htm

& this one from UC-Davis:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7435.html

Both these sites advise the careful use of the naptha balls and crystals since they are so toxic. Both however, do advise using a "lavender oil" soaked satchel. Hmmm..... My wife is into "essential oils".

Art, have you heard of using lavender oils for substitutes. We have it around our house, and the fragrance is much better than naptha.

-Sergei

 

[Chamorro]

Interesting. So, logically speaking, if they are attracted to dark places, then hats on a peg out in the light are safe?

Like I said, never had a moth problem but now I thinks I'll throw a couple of balls in de closets.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Art, have you heard of using lavender oils for substitutes. We have it around our house, and the fragrance is much better than naptha.

Yes Sergei, but i have never tested it. Where does one get Lavender oil anyway?

 

[Matt Deckard]

I have a couple big stacks of vintage boxes in the corner of the living room of my new apartment. The boxes are full of hats and there are hats on top of hats on top of hat boxes.

I have about 7 in my closet, and 3 on the coat rack.

You will see a flood of 7 1/8 hiting Ebay in the near future as I attempt to thin the heard. 7 1/4 seams to fit me better over the last couple years.

I have not had a moth problem, though I have always had some cedar around.

 

[Sergei]

Originally posted by Art Fawcett
Art, have you heard of using lavender oils for substitutes. We have it around our house, and the fragrance is much better than naptha.

Yes Sergei, but i have never tested it. Where does one get Lavender oil anyway?

Actually Art, since you live in SF there are plenty of shops that sell alternate medicine or organic foods. Those types of shops sell aroma therapy "essential oils".

I just found this receipe on the internet:
============================
Deter Moths and Silverfish
To rid your wardrobe of nasty clothes eaters,
combine the following mixture of:

2 drops Lavender Oil
2 drops Eucalyptus Oil
2 drops Cedarwood Oil

Sprinkle mixture onto cotton wool balls and place carefully inside cupboards. Let dry before replacing clothes and ensure that the balls do not touch any of your items.

Also, I found on my readings that you can use dried lavender flowers. And stash a few bundles in dresser drawers. It seems you can put the dried flowers in a satchel or sachet.

These websites have the dried Lavender flowers:
http://store.yahoo.com/nga-gardenshop/lavender.html
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/frenlavflow7.html
http://www.houseyardgarden.com/p49-4959-grown-usa-dried-lavender-flowers-125-stems.html

I think either way using the essential oil version of lavender or the dried flower approach will work.

After writing this I had a profound feeling I was starting to sound like my Martha Stewart..... Cough, coughh... Ahem..."and a shot of tequilla after doing each sachet of dried lavender flowers....before I break your necks and take a giant..."

As you were.... Sergei

 

[Art Fawcett]

Thanks Martha..I mean Sergei. I'll put it to the test & see what happens

 

[Nathan Flowers]

Re: HATBOXES

Originally posted by Andykev
All the Optimo hats both felt and straw are in their sturdy oval hat boxes. I have the black ones, a "salmon" color, a brown with white edging, an off white, and the non glossy dull black ones.

Wow, I didn't know that Optimo had boxes in a color other than black.

My 3 Optimos are in the black oval boxes. My federations usually sit on my hall tree.

 

[Fedora]

I keep mine stored in hat boxes, some vintage, several of the Optimo boxes that Graham sold me a couple of years ago. Then I have two hat trees. I use the one downstairs for the hat I am currently wearing, plus a rain hat resides there along with a hat used for work around the farm. The hat tree upstairs keeps an overflow of 3 hats that I don't have boxes for. I usuallly keep those covered. I also have some moth balls scattered out in my hat closet. I don't put them in with the hats cause I don't want to smell this odor all day. A little bit goes a long way. Fedora

 

[Imahomer]

Well, for a guy who has very few hats (at the moment), I liked this topic. It gives me some pointers. Thanks guys!

 

[havershaw]

Matt Deckard:
You should give some of us a shot at some of your hats beofre they hit eBay...I personally can handle the 7-1/8 hats and from what I've seen of your stash, well, some of those hats would love to live here in Arizona. I can tell.

 

[Matt Deckard]

When I get online from home you will be seeing alot more of me and my hats.

I will give you guys first crack when I start letting thinning the crowd. Just need to get a home computer in the next few weeks so I can post.

 

[Pen Collector]

Hats are stored in...

I store all of my hats in Hat Boxes. 3 soon to be 4 OPTIMO hats in the box they came in. The rest in Hat Boxes I have bought.

Everyday, depending on what I wear, I take that particular hat out of it's box. All hats when not in use I store in it's box.

During the day if I am in the house for a short period of time I set it down on it's crown on top of the dresser. However, soon I will be buying a Hat Stand to hang the hat during those brief times I go to the house during lunch, etc.

At work I have a coat/hat stand.

 

[Matt Deckard]

--Andykev

All the Optimo hats both felt and straw are in their sturdy oval hat boxes. I have the black ones, a "salmon" color, a brown with white edging, an off white, and the non glossy dull black ones.

show us these other Optimo hat boxes.

 

[bolthead]

How Do You Store All Your Hats?

I'm curious. I realize I'm new here and only have a couple right now, and I want to make sure for future reference, how you store all your hats?

I know you all have plenty, all shapes & styles.... but where do you keep them when your not wearing them all? Do you have boxes for all of them? Are they on racks, if not?

How about seasonal hats as well, how do you store them & keep them nice from year to year?