How to Hand Wash a Cap and Keep Its Shape

Treat your cap like it matters. It does. Washed the right way, a cap stays fresh for years, and your Shapers Image shaper helps it keep its shape while it dries.

Before you wash

1. Read the care tag. Continue only if the tag says the cap is washable. The manufacturer's instructions always come first.
2. Check the cap. Do not wash collectible, vintage, autographed or limited-edition caps. If the visor is made of cardboard or paper, do not dip the cap in water; spot clean it instead. Do not soak caps made of leather, wool, felt, suede or straw, or caps with glued-on patches or decorations. When in doubt, spot clean instead.
3. Test for color bleeding. Dab a hidden spot, such as inside the sweatband, with a damp white cloth. If color transfers, do not soak the cap.

How to wash it

1. Fill a clean bucket with lukewarm water and add a small amount of mild detergent (no bleach).
2. Submerge the cap and let it soak for 8 to 12 hours.
3. After at least 8 hours, gently rub or scrub the stained areas and the sweatband with a soft brush or cloth. Do not scrub hard.
4. Empty the bucket, refill it with clean lukewarm water and put the cap back in for a few more hours.
5. Gently rinse the cap with lukewarm water until the soap is gone. Press the water out with a towel. Never wring or twist the cap.

Safety: keep buckets of water out of reach of children and pets.

After the wash: shape it and dry it

1. While the cap is still damp, slide your Shapers Image shaper or insert into the cap, behind the sweatband and against the inner front panels. A dome shaper goes inside the whole crown.
2. Smooth the panels from the center seam outward so the crown stands the way it did on day one.
3. Let the cap air dry with the shaper in, away from direct sun and heat. The shaper supports the crown panels and helps the cap keep its original shape.

Never use a washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, hair dryer or radiator. Heat and tumbling are what make a caved-in crown permanent.

Cap came out of the wash caved in?

It is usually fixable. If the stiff lining in the front panels went soft and folded, repeat the steps above while the cap is still damp: shaper in, panels smoothed, air dry overnight, no heat. Which shaper?

• Fitted or snapback: CapPro Crown Insert
• Dad cap or low profile: CapPro Low Profile
• Trucker or mesh: MeshPro
• Whole crown collapsed: Web Shaper or the CapForm Pro Dome Combo
• Flat cap, military cap, sun hat: find your shaper in two taps

Cleaning your shaper

Wipe it with mild soap, rinse and air dry. The foam is waterproof, so it is ready for the next round as soon as it is dry. Keep it away from dryer heat.

Storing and traveling

Leave the shaper in. On the shelf it keeps crowns from caving in; in a suitcase it keeps your cap from getting crushed. Want full dome support? See our dome shapers or find your shaper in two taps.

Care disclaimer

These instructions are general guidance only. They do not replace the cap manufacturer's care instructions, which always take priority. Shapers Image does not manufacture caps or hats, and results depend on the cap's fabric, dyes, construction, age and condition.

Washing and soaking carry a risk of shrinking, fading, color bleeding, warping, loss of stiffness or other damage. If you choose to follow these instructions, you do so at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Shapers Image, LLC is not responsible for damage to any cap, hat or other item, or for any loss, resulting from washing, soaking, drying or handling it, whether or not a Shapers Image shaper is used. A Shapers Image shaper does not replace reading and following your cap's care tag.

Nothing on this page limits any right you have under applicable law or under our 30-day satisfaction guarantee for Shapers Image products. By following these instructions, you confirm that you have read and understood this disclaimer.

Find my shaper Shop all shapers

Ships in 1–2 business days · 30-day satisfaction guarantee · Free US shipping over $35 · Proudly Made in the USA