Among all of our accessory items, hats are one of the most prevalently used ones and it tends to get dirty like any other pieces of clothing or accessory items.
So hats are needed to be washed and dried as well, therefore, you might want to know if you can put hats in the dryer like other clothing/accessory items to dry or not.
So, let’s quickly find out the rationales regarding this issue.
Can You Put Hats In The Dryer?
Hats should never be put in the dryer. Because the tumbling motion and harsh atmosphere inside the dryer will shrink the fabrics of hats and cause them to lose their original shape as well as can ruin the lid of hats. Sometimes the high heat of a dryer can end up burning and damaging the hats too.
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Like any other clothing items or accessory items, hats can not be put in the dryer to dry after washing. Because hats tend to get ruined if they are put in the dryer machine.
A dryer machine dries clothes by using high heat and tumbling motion. So when hats are put in a dryer machine, the machine as usual will use hot temperature and its tumbling motion to dry the hats.
But such a hot temperature and tumbling motion of the dryer cause the fabrics/materials of hats to shrink completely causing the hats to lose their actual silhouette as well, especially if the hat is made of cotton.
Sometimes, the harsh atmosphere inside the dryer causes damage to the lid of a hat, even if the hat is put on the most delicate cycle of a dryer.
Besides, the high heat of a dryer machine occasionally can scorch and ruin the hats permanently too if the temperature is not set on the right mode.
Even some hats are prone to get burnt in the dryer if the temperature is high and the hat is not monitored repeatedly after a few minutes of interval.
So overall all of these rationales put a conclusion that no matter what hats shouldn’t be going into a dryer after washing.
Does The Dryer Ruin Hats?
Undoubtedly, a dryer ruins hats because the cycles inside the dryer are too harsh for hats to withstand, thence, the texture of hats’ materials face off shrinkage. Not only shrinkage but also the hats become deformed and sometimes they are ruined completely.
Even the most delicate cycle of a dryer isn’t suitable for hats as the hats will get damaged eventually.
Also, the high heat of the dryer isn’t suitable for the fabrics of hats because almost all types of hats’ fabrics are most likely to get burnt at such a hot temperature inside the dryer.
What Happens If You Put A Hat In The Dryer?
You might already know that dryers are not a suitable option to dry hats but do you know what exactly can happen to hats if you put them in dryers?
So this section has included brief explanations of all the potential damages that a dryer can cause to hats if hats are put in dryers.
Shrinkage:
The shrinkage of your hat is an unavoidable condition that will surely happen to your hat if you put it inside a dryer to dry.
As it’s known that dryers function by tumbling and both generating and distributing high heat inside the drum that dry the clothes.
So when you will be putting your hat inside a dryer, the hat will go through the same drying procedure but it will not be able to withstand the process like other accessory pieces.
As a result, high heat and harsh tumbling cycles will badly shrink the material of your hat, especially if it’s a cotton hat and wasn’t washed after purchasing.
Deformed Shape:
The next probable condition that can happen to your hat is the deformed shape of your favorite hat.
When your hats will go in a dryer the wash/dry basket of a dryer will agitate back and forth and will rub the hats against the basket’s wall. Impellers that are low-shaped discs will spin and rub the hats against one another.
As a result, the shape of your hats will permanently get deformed. The deformation of hats’ shape can happen to any kind of hat.
Burn:
You have read the right, a dryer can burn your hats as well.
Dryers usually generate and distribute high heat to dry clothes but not all kinds of fabric can withstand such high heat. And the fabric of hats falls into that category which means hats will get burned if you put them in a dryer at a high temperature.
Even if sometimes your hat is not burnt, high heat can end up fraying your hat which is equal to a permanently damaged hat.
How Do You Hang A Hat To Dry?
Hanging a hat perfectly is the most vital step that has to be strictly maintained while drying. And the hanging process starts with towel drying the hat first. Then to conserve the shape of the hat, you can put the hat onto a coffee can or a balloon.
If none of these are available on hand, you can simply roll a towel, give it a ball shape, and place the hat onto the ball-shaped towel. Then let the towel air dry fully.
How Do You Dry A Hat Fast?
Well, there is no natural way of drying a hat faster, however, here are the steps of drying a hat without ruining it.
Remove Excess Moisture:
First, remove all excess moisture by dabbing the hat using a dry and clean towel after rinsing it.
Air Dry Placing Onto A Round Object:
Next, put the hat on a round object such as a ball, a balloon, a coffee can, or a rolled ball-shaped towel so that the shape of the hat is maintained. Then place the hat in a cool and dry place that is away from harsh direct sunshine so that discoloration doesn’t happen.
Blow Dry:
This step is not really recommended unless you are in a hurry. You can blow-dry your hat as it will fastly dry your hat. But remember to keep the setting on cool air to low-heat while blow-drying the hat.
Do You Let Hats Air Dry?
You should always let your hats air dry rather than putting hats in a dryer. Letting your hats air dry will keep the texture and shape unchanged for a long time, no matter how you use it.
So always try to dry your hats naturally by placing them in a dry and cool place and away from harsh sunlight to avoid discoloration.
Can You Dry A Hat With A Hairdryer?
Well, you can dry a hat with a hairdryer when you are in a rush as a hairdryer will speed up the hat drying procedure. But remember that you can not use the high-heat setting of a hairdryer to dry your hats as it may shrink and deform the shape of your hats.
So whenever you want to use a hairdryer to dry your hats, set the hairdryer’s setting in cool air to low heat and then dry your hats.
How Often Should You Wash A Hat?
There is no definite timetable or routine that would let you know exactly how often you should wash a hat. Because when you will wash your hats entirely depends on your usage.
However, if you wish to prevent any kind of bad odor from coming from your hats, you should wash the hats 2-3 times each season. Also, if any hat got any kind of stain, you should wash it as soon as possible for avoiding further permanent staining.
Besides, if you wear a hat always, you must wash it once every week to avoid bad odor and dirty look.
How Do You Wash Hats Without Ruining Them?
Here are the steps of washing a hat most nicely without ruining it.
Step 1:
First, fill a bucket with lukewarm water and mix 1 tablespoon of mild detergent.
Step 2:
Then do spot cleaning (if there are any spots) or soak the hat in the water-detergent mixture for a couple of hours.
Step 3:
Take out the hat from the bucket and rinse the suds off the hat with lukewarm water. Rinse until all suds are gone.
Step 4:
After that pat, the hat with a clean towel so that all excess moisture goes away.
Step 5:
Lastly, air dry the hat placing it on top of a coffee can, balloon, or balled towel.
Final Thoughts
Hats can not be placed in a dryer because the agitation and high heat generated and distributed by a dryer will shrink the hats and hats will lose their real structure. Also, in some cases, hats can get burnt too due to the high heat if the fabrics of the hats can’t withstand too hot a temperature.