Cleaning a wool felt hat?

[gem]

Beyond just brushing surface dust off, is there a way to clean a wool felt hat?  It's light grey/whitish, and about 20 years old, so there's a little dust, maybe some sweat and makeup on the brim, etc.

Thanks!

[CatAshtrophy]

For a hat I have, making a tape roll and picking up dust works well with my felt hat. That wouldn't help with the makeup or sweat though.

[Zaubon]

Use masking tape. Just pat it lightly. That will take care of the dust, with wool felt that's about the best you can do. I wear a prokpie on a dialy basis, and have gotten in the habit of buying a new one every 4-6 months because in Texas heat they just don't last any longer than that. (It can't be from being strapped to the back of the bike, or field cooking, or any of the other silly things that wear them out....grin)

[Kate XXXXXX]

If it's unwearable as it is, you can't loose by experimenting.  See if you can find a theatrical dry cleaners that will do hats.  Otherwise, try washing it is a wool washing preparation (explore Dharma trading for something like that).  When you have gently squeezed out the excess water in a towel or two, line the crown with a towel and then stuff it hard with newspaper, reshaping it to the original shape as much as possible.  When it's dry, you need to steam press the brim, using a pressing cloth, and reshaping as you go.  If you have access to a hat block in the right size, this helps enormously.

[Taffy Saltwater]

Work some corn starch into it w/a baby brush; let set for about half an hour & brush out the powder, which will pick up oils & dirt.  Or, if you have one, take it to a cowboy hat place, & see if they can clean it.  They have steamers, forms, etc., to do a professional job.

[Toki Bloodaxe]

I had a problem once with a nice cowboy hat of mine that got oil stains on it. I went to a western wear store up in Cheyenne and bought a kit for cleaning felt hats. In the kit were a stiff brush, a spray can of some magic white powder and another spray can of protectant. I think the kit cost about nine dollars. Well, the oil stains- motor oil and oil from the road- eventually came out of my  light buff-colored hat, with repeated cleanings, that is. But, I had to work at it. If your stains are something less than oil, I bet that they will eventually come out for you. Good luck at it.