Can You Put a Baseball Cap in the Washing Machine?

The honest answer is: it depends. Some caps are built to survive a gentle machine cycle. Others aren't built to survive water at all.

Start with the care label

Always check the manufacturer's instructions first. It should tell you whether machine washing, hand washing or spot cleaning is recommended for that specific cap.

What tends to be machine-washable

• Modern cotton twill and polyester baseball caps
• Many structured trucker caps with washable panels
• Caps without cardboard brim inserts

What usually isn't

• Wool caps
• Leather or suede trims
• Vintage caps with cardboard-brim construction
• Caps with glued embellishments or unstable dyes

If it is machine-washable

Use a structured shape protector to support the crown and brim, place the cage inside a mesh wash bag, and run a gentle, cool cycle. Air-dry in shape afterward.

If it isn't

Hand-clean conservatively, spot-treating stains rather than submerging the whole cap.