Malodorous Hat

[silhouette53]

Just received a hat today which I bought off of 'the bay' Its a vintage Mallory Eagle which is in virtually unworn condition but has obviously been stored for years and has quite a 'musty' smell to it :eusa_doh: - possibly in a smoking environment. Apart from this, it is in super condition and fits great ( my first ever hat ! - yes, I'll get some pics soon ) What advice can anyone offer to freshen it up some ?
Thanks in anticipation guys

Colin

 

[czack]

Natural Cure

Just letting it air out in the open could work wonders.

 

[jamespowers]

Air it out in a safe area where the dog, cat or other critters won't be wearing it in five minutes. You might not think the dog likes hats but I caught mine with my work hat in her mouth not long ago. Good thing it was the work hat.
I have heard of a ton of remedies from baking soda to cedar shavings. I suppose they all work to some extend but sun works the best. Don't sit it int he sun for days so it fades, just sit it there for twenty minutes or so. Get the whole hat exposed to it. Underside and all. Then you can put it out of the sun to air out a little more.
Take the hat in if the air becomes cool---that means don't leave it out overnight.
That should just about do it for the hat.

Regards,

J

 

[Mike in Seattle]

There was something similiar to this on marthastewart.com at one time - it's probably still there. I believe one of the solutions was put the hat (on the site, I believe it was some other piece of clothing or linens) in a box with some activated charcoal - you can get it at a pet store in the fish section. Close up the box and leave it for a couple weeks.

Coffee grounds (fresh from the can, dry, unused) is also supposedly good at covering up / pulling smells out of things as well.

And maybe Mother Nature's the easiest solution - putting it outside in the sunlight on a warm dry day to give it a good airing.

And as always, we've got a couple hat experts on Fedora Lounge - Duane from fedorastore.com and Art and others. I'm sure if they don't wade in on the topic shortly, a PM would definitely get you some great solutions.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I'm not a hat expert, but I collect antiquarian books. When I first started collecting I asked a book seller how I should get rid of the moldy smell in a book. His advice? "Throw it out. Mold is alive and can contaminate your other books." It can also hurt you- mold is a health hazard. A good ebay seller will mention any odors in the auction listing, and if it was an oversight on their part, perhaps they can take it back. I know you like the hat otherwise, but it's something to consider.

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Sunshine and fresh air

Fresh air and sunlight will usually do it for a lot of materials, but the activated charcoal does also work. I used in in an old refrigerator we got for sodas and beer in the basement. It worked great.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Yikes, I'm gonna die!!! All these old musty contaminated hats get aired out and cleaned in my house!!! Oh well, I will die a happy man.

Well, you do kinda smell. I wasn't going to say anything, but now that you brought it up...

 

[photobyalan]

Wash it in naphtha. A gallon of the stuff at the hardware store will cost about $13. Do the following outdoors: Put the hat in a bowl or other suitable container just large enough to hold it and pour the naphtha into the hat so it can run through and collect in the bowl. Run plenty of naphtha through the brim as well. Don't be shy about really getting the hat soaked. You can swish it around gently in the naphtha. Let it drain and set it outdoors in a protected spot to dry overnight. You will have a bowl of filthy naphtha and a clean hat that does not smell. Dispose of the used naphtha as you would any other solvent.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Or soak it in the naptha overnight. Some folks do this too.

 

[Uncle Vern]

I used to buy and sell vintage saxes. A lot of the old cases are pretty stinky with mold and bacteria. For mildly stinky horns (and felt hats) I've had very good luck with a local bookseller's remedy of placing the hat in a box full of crumpled newspaper and leaving it closed up for a week. For seriously stinky cases and hat,s, I've had great luck with simply spraying them down with Lysol and leaving them out in the sun for a while. Works great. here's a Lysol info piece I found on the web.
"Lysol consists of three main active ingredients, Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether (which is an alcohol), Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl ammonium chloride and Dialkyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride (both of which are Quarternary Ammonium compounds). The two different types of antimicrobial agents both have similar though different mechanisms of action responsible for killing bacterial cells. The alcohol works by changing the structure of proteins in the microorganism and is enhanced by the presence of water. The Quaternary Ammonium compounds function by affecting proteins in the cell membrane and releasing nitrogen and phosphorous from the cells. These mechanisms of action allow the disinfectant to be effective against a wide range of bacteria including both gram negative and gram positive bacteria."

 

[thefedorastore]

...Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether (which is an alcohol), Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl ammonium chloride and Dialkyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride (both of which are Quarternary Ammonium compounds). The two different types of antimicrobial agents both have similar though different mechanisms of action responsible for killing bacterial cells. The alcohol works by changing the structure of proteins in the microorganism and is enhanced by the presence of water. The Quaternary Ammonium compounds functio."

Whew, then I am safe! I don't smell bad, just like Lysol.

 

[Uncle Vern]

You won't smell like it for long if you let the sun get to it.

 

[skwerl-hat]

i just got an old fedora which mildly stank and a suit coat which permeated my house and other clothes with the smell of old hobos. i like this coat and it fit perfectly so my solution was to set it outside in the shade for two days this worked like a charm now its just fine

 

[Magus]

I agree with Photo...Naptha will kill any 'baddies" in the hat. Short of that I have found that a bag of aromatic cedar or a retainer of the same will take orders out. Baking soda or a few charcol brickets tied inside an old sock will help as well. Both are known odor absorbants and don't impart any smell themselves.

M

 

[jake_fink]

I'm sure this has been covered, but when using naphtha do the liner, sweatband and ribbon have to be removed? If not, is there any risk of colour running off, say, the ribbon and onto the hat?

 

[Magus]

Naptha threads abound ....but the breakdown is. Some folks remove the liner and wash those in Woolite. Others leave it in and have no ill effect. It dosn't hurt the leather...and if any stiffening happens you could Lexol it....but simply wearing it a few times will impart the oils from your skin and hair to it and soften it up nicely with no chance of over Lexol-ing and staining your hat.

 

[silhouette53]

THANKS !!

Well this certainly elicited a good few responses ! and all of them very interesting - Thankyou ! I'm going along with the fresh air and sunlight approach initially and I feel that will do the trick - its already improved and I've only worn it a couple of times.

Thanks to you all for your help

Colin