Please Help This Newbie

[Guinness]

I am supposed to receive my first fedora, which is a used hat, tomorrow. My question is about disinfecing the interior. Is it okay to spay the liner with a disinfectant, like Lysol, to insure it is "critter" free. Thank you for any help or advice you can give me concering this.

 

[Caity Lynn]

As a newbie to hats myself, I can't say on the effects of spraying the hat, (although I wouldn't think it would be to good on the hat)all I can do is offer personal experience.If you want to make sure it's critter free put the hat in an Air tight bag for a while, and in the freezer. Both will kill off any unwanted visitors. I've done this with stuffed animals as a kid and it worked great.

 

[nola89]

I personally wouldn't. You're hat will smell like a flowery mess. I don't really have any cited reasons why I say no, my gut just says that.


I could be very very wrong however. Keep it in the box if you are worried.

 

[carouselvic]

excellent

 

[Lefty]

In terms of cleaning for germs, I've never done anything more than wipe the sweat with a damp paper towel. If you're a germaphobe or there's some issue with the hat, send/take it to a hat shop for professional cleaning.

I'm guessing that you're new to vintage in general. Don't worry, with most old hats, the bigger issue is just a musty smell that comes from the hat being in the attic/basement/closet for 50 years, or the dreaded moth damage. I don't think anyone here has reported a case of fleas, lice, or werewolfism from a hat.

 

[rmrdaddy]

fftopic:
I was a lycanthrope before I started acquiring vintage hats, so I can't place the blame on hats. Much to my chagrin...

 

[Lefty]

Yet another beaver coincidence.

 

[carter]

You can get a lotta hats outa that one!

And...it's the looooong beaver fur.

 

[Dr Doran]

fftopic:
I was a lycanthrope before I started acquiring vintage hats, so I can't place the blame on hats. Much to my chagrin...

Damn, I thought I was the only one ...

 

[rmrdaddy]

Damn, I thought I was the only one ...

Nope. I had a heckuva time this past weekend too! Did you see how close the moon was??? Sheesh, just what I needed...:eusa_doh:

 

[Anachronism]

my mom always warned me that lysol isn't meant for clothes and could affect the fabric and the dyes. This came after an incident in 7th grade when I couldn't find the febreeze)

that being said, try using something with clothing detergent? I wouldn't put it in the wash though.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Sealed bag - in the freezer for several days to kill any beasties or eggs left behind. Lysol would kill germs, but not bugs. It may also affect the color and leave it with the aforementioned scent problem. So bag in the freezer's the best bet.

 

[Esme]

I used to be the headlice inspector at the alternative high school I worked at, as secretary to the principal. I have ad ex-sister-in-law who is a major crackhead, so other members of the family were always taking her kids, who frequently had lice, so I know well what they look like, which earned me that great honor. They send you to the health department for a training.
Here are the facts -
There are three types of lice that live on humans - pubic lice, body lice and head lice. Pubic lice wouldn't be an issue on a hat (hopefully) body lice are bigger than head lice and hard to miss, they cannot withstand heat, so laundering or tossing in a hot dryer for a few minutes will take care of them. Even though called body lice, they live on clothing, not on the body. They hide in the clothing seams. Of equal concern with used clothing is scabies, they are a mite and can also be killed by laundering or dry cleaning.
Head lice, are the third type.
All three types of lice can only live for 24 hours off the human body.
All can be destroyed by heat, so anything that can be laundered or dry cleaned will be disinfected.
Steam cleaning should disinfect a hat. The health dept also says that toys and articles of clothing that cannot withstand heat can be disinfected by freezing (I know others here have said this) for at least a week to make sure all eggs are dead. For a hat, I would go with a good cleaning and blocking unless it is not worth the cost, in which case I would freeze it.
Tea tree oil will not only kill lice and scabies, it keeps them at bay.
HTH.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

ESME thanks for the PSA:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

 

[Esme]

Yeah, I know. I am full of useless facts like that.

 

[funneman]

I would caution you about wiping down the sweatband with any type of
cleaner as most will wipe away the gold writing and destroy a lot of great
information about your hat. Try a little saddle soap on a moist cloth for that.

I would think a good steaming would be enough to calm any fears you
have about germs. But again, be careful with steam around the sweatband
as it can shrink and curl it.

If you are really worried about germs I would suggest giving your new hats a
Naptha bath.

Check the search function on this forum for plenty of detailed information about that.
When done outside, it's very easy to perform.

Finally, welcome to the Fedora Lounge. You're going to find this a wonderful place to spend your spare time.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

I would, personally, first put the hat into the freezer (-18° Celcius min.) for about two - three weeks or more, then put it in the microwave oven (at full power, estimated 600-750 watts on the rolling road) for a minimum of 60 seconds and, just to get rid of any possible traces of shellac infection, beat the hell out of it with a baseball bat.

As a disclaimer, I need to add that, after that, it will, however, need a proper bash. But that's a detail, and, sadly, part of life.

In case that would not be convincing, it may be a better option to buy a new hat; the market is infested with them, not necessarily free of chemical infection.

I so strongly suggest you don't eat Roquefort cheese: there's a 300% import duty (in the USA), moreover it's full of bacteria. Drink Coca Cola instead, and buy a gun.

Paul

 

[kiltie]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

fftopic:
The post above has got to be one of the best things I've ever read on this forum: totally useless turn for the bizarro, but just clearly written by someone who's smart. I know I'm not helping. It's just funny.

 

[cookie]

fftopic:
The post above has got to be one of the best things I've ever read on this forum: totally useless turn for the bizarro, but just clearly written by someone who's smart. I know I'm not helping. It's just funny.

QED

 

[scotrace]

One quick note: a few years ago a fellow posted about his new vintage jacket that seemed to have given him a grand contagious skin infection. It's worth being careful with clothing of unknown origin.


Later: Found it. It was actually ringworm.