One often under-appreciates hats as an accessory, which is absurd, considering that they serve many purposes. These purposes include protecting your head from the cold air during winter months, keeping the sun out of your eyes, and adding a fashionable touch to your outfit. You may even own a few favorite designer hats or some you wear for special occasions and events.Â
If you already own a hat collection, you may have figured out how you want to store them. However, not everyone knows where to begin when it comes to storing, maintaining, and preserving their hats.
Consciously caring for your hats can even extend their shelf life and even help to reduce environmental impact. The importance of housing your cranial fashion statements cannot be understated. To begin your hat care journey properly, we have put together a few tips on how best to store your hats.
Things To Consider When Storing Your Hats
It's pertinent that you follow these tips when considering storing your hats.
What Stays and What Goes
You'll want to comb through your entire collection and decide which hats to keep and which no longer serve a purpose. Why put a lot of time and effort into storing them if you don't even need some of them?
Set aside the hats you use most and will use in the future. These are your primary hats. Next, focus on hats that you'll "maybe" use. These hats can be ones for special occasions or upcoming events. Decide your reasons for holding onto them before placing them in the "maybe" pile. What purpose do they serve? Are there noticeable damages or discoloration? Is it worth investing the time to clean them?
Style is an important factor when deciding which hats belong in your collection and which are no longer worth the effort. Any that no longer fit your style or their functionality can be tossed or donated. Those hats which cannot go to a donation center may as well be thrown away or recycled.
Choose a Cool, Dry Location
Ensure to store your hats in a cool and dry area. Extreme temperatures can destroy your hats, causing them to deteriorate even as they sit on a shelf. Direct sunlight can have the same effect, fading fabric over time. Avoid highly humid areas as the moisture can attract mildew and mold.
Rent a climate-controlled storage unit if you plan to go that route for your hats. The design of these units maintains a consistent temperature and humidity range, preventing extreme weather from entering and destroying the contents.
Most hat owners will likely opt to keep their hat collection nearby. Their home is the most obvious place to store them. If you prefer this option, avoid storing them near windows or air vents to keep them from suffering damage.
Remove Dirt Before Storage
They may not appear dirty, but your hats have likely accumulated some grime, sweat, and dirt through extended use. Because of this, it's best to clean all hats you plan to keep before storing them.
How you clean them will be determined by what types of hats you own. Baseball caps require a quick toss into the washing machine. More delicate hats, such as straw hats, fedora hats, and leather hats, will require a different approach. You can gently dab away the stains using a lint-free cloth dipped into a mild soap solution.Â
There are plenty of tips online for hats you need help with cleaning. Please do your research before attempting to clean them so as to avoid unwanted damage. Once your hats are clean, allow them to air dry completely before storing them. You don't want to attract mildew and mold.
Storing Hats At Home
For the most accessibility to your hats, storing them at home is the best option. Doing so ensures that you always have your hats on hand. You'll have plenty of options to put them on display in your bedroom or keep them organized inside your closet.Â
Here are a few at-home ideas for hat storage:
Pegs, Hooks, and Clips
Show off your exquisite collection of designer hats by placing hooks, pegs, or clips on your wall. It's an outstanding storage solution to organize your headwear and keep it in excellent condition.
Do yourself a favor and get creative with the setup. You can make your entire hat collection a part of your home decor. Pins and clips will make it easier to see all of your hats at once and allow you to select the one you want for the day. You could even turn an entire wall into a hat wall with unique arrangements such as size, color, or purpose.
Designate A DrawerÂ
You could go the opposite route and place your hats in a deep drawer. All of your hats can be lined up, making it easy to select which one you want to wear that day. This will remove them from display but also assist in protection from dirt, dust, and direct sunlight. For extensive hat collections, stacking may also be an option.
Use Up Shelf Space or Try Nesting
Line your headwear along a shelf in your closet or bedroom. Depending on the size of the collection, this may require stacking your hats on top of one another. Which leads to another option, nesting.
To avoid your designer hats from becoming bent or misshapen, you can stack them appropriately and carefully atop one another. Doing it this way can conserve much-needed space and help maintain the hat's original shape and form. Just understand that not all hats are stackable, and attempting to do so can cause unwanted damage.
Hat Racks and Mannequin Heads
A hat rack is a perfectly acceptable way to store and display your hats. They are also quite convenient when placed next to the door on your way out.
Hat racks are also practical and versatile. They can be mounted on walls, placed behind a door, or kept in a corner to accentuate the room. The aesthetics will vary in shape, size, and constructed materials.
There is always a mannequin head for an even more vintage approach to your hat collection. These options are classic and ideal for bedroom wardrobes and atop dressers.
The caveat is that they take up considerable space and are more suited for a smaller collection of hats, such as those frequently worn.
Hat BoxesÂ
A hat box is the most popular method for hat storage. Hat boxes make perfect storage vessels that are also highly mobile. They work great when you need to put your designer hats in a storage unit and want to maintain their shape and color.
Hat boxes are easily tucked away from view and will mitigate dust, dirt, and grime from building on your hats. This option is most suitable for seasonal hats that are only worn during certain times of the year. They come in various styles and designs that are all meant to prevent the container from crumpling.
Reason For Proper Hat Storage
A hat collection can be fragile, making storing your hats properly a fantastic idea. They're meant to conform to the shape of your head but can quickly lose that shape if not correctly cared for.Â
A serious hat collection generally includes hats made of various materials, such as leather, felt, cotton, and wool. When improperly cared for, they can become susceptible to outside factors like mold and mildew. The same can be said about contact with direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. All of which can lead to discoloration or fabric fading. Because of this, you should follow our tips and store your hats in the right conditions.
