How to Shrink a Wool Hat

Co-authored by Susan Stocker

Last Updated: March 29, 2022 References

Wool hats are a timeless and popular fashion accessory. If your hat is a bit big, it is a quick and easy process to make it smaller. If you have a beanie, use the washing machine and dryer to shrink the fibres of the wool.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Susan Stocker
Professional Cleaner

Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.} If you have a woollen brimmed hat, use hat fillers to make the inside of the hat smaller or use the spraying and heating method to shrink the wool. Each of these techniques will shrink your hat about 1 size.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Shrinking a Knitted Beanie

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1
Place it in the washing machine and set it to a short-cycle warm wash. Put your beanie in the washing machine and then set the machine to the medium or warm heat cycle.^{[2]
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Susan Stocker
Professional Cleaner

Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.} Adjust the machine to the shortest wash cycle to protect the fibres of the wool.^{[3]
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- This method achieves the best results on beanies that are 100% wool.
- Wash the beanie by itself to stop other garments from agitating the delicate fibres of the hat and causing it to get too fluffy.
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Add a capful of wool laundry detergent to the washing machine. The detergent helps to moisturise the yarn and slightly agitates the fibres. This encourages the wool to shrink down to a smaller size. Start the washing machine once you have added the detergent.^{[4]
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- Unless your hat is white, avoid using bleaching or brightening laundry detergent, as this can damage the colours in your hat.
- Avoid using regular laundry detergent as this can dry out the fibres in the hat.
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3
Put your beanie in the dryer on the lowest heat. This encourages the hat to keep shrinking and will also dry it.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Susan Stocker
Professional Cleaner

Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.} Leave the beanie in the dryer for about 30 minutes or until it is completely dry. Avoid putting the hat on a high-heat drying cycle, as this can cause it to shrink too much.^{[6]
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- If you don’t have a dryer, consider going to a laundry centre, as air-drying your hat can cause it to return to its original size.
4
Re-wash your hat on a hot cycle if it is still too large. Put your hat on to see if it is a good fit. If it is still too big, re-wash it on a hot cycle and then dry it in the dryer again.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Susan Stocker
Professional Cleaner

Expert Interview. 8 November 2019.} This will cause it to shrink approximately another size.^{[8]
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- Keep repeating this washing and drying process until you are happy that your hat fits you comfortably. Continue to dry the hat on a cool heat.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Hat Fillers for Woolen Brimmed Hats

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Pull back the inside band of your hat. Turn your hat over and look inside the cavity of the hat for a band that is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Hold the band where the back of your head would sit and then pull it back toward yourself. Pull the band back about 1 centimetre (0.39 in) to allow room for the hat filler.^{[9]
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- Most woollen hats will have an inside band; however, if your hat doesn’t have one, simply skip this step.
- This method works for hats such as fedoras, newsboy caps, tweed hats, and floppy hats.
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Place a hat filler under the band. A hat filler is a small foam cushion that helps to reduce the size of your hat. These come in different sizes according to how much they will reduce the size of your hat. For example, a 1 centimetre (0.39 in) hat filler will reduce the size of your hat by 1 centimetre (0.39 in). Remove the sticky back from the hat filler and then place it inside the band off your hat.^{[10]
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- If your hat doesn’t have a band, simply stick the hat filler to the inside rim of the hat.
- Hat fillers can be purchased inexpensively from home stores, hat stores, and online.
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Try the hat on for size. Push the band back over the hat filler to cover it and then put the hat on as usual. The hat is a good fit if you are able to fit 1 finger snugly between the hat and your head and if it fits comfortably on your head without feeling tight.^{[11]
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- If the hat feels loose or wobbly, this indicates that it is still too big.
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Place another hat filler in the front band of the hat, if necessary. If your hat still feels too loose, pull back the front inside band of your hat and stick in a hat filler. Once again, fold back the band so that it covers the hat filler.^{[12]
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- Use a hat filler that is the same size as the one that you used in the back of the hat.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Spraying and Heating Woolen Brimmed Hats

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1
Dampen your entire hat with water. Fill a spray bottle with cold tap water and then lightly mist both the inside and outside of your woollen hat with water. Continue to spray the hat until the entire hat feels damp to touch.^{[13]
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- Try to spray the hat evenly, as this helps the hat to maintain its shape when it dries.
- This method works for woollen brimmed hats, such as fedoras, newsboy caps, tweed hats, and floppy hats.
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Place the hat in a warm environment to dry for 1 hour. Heat helps the fibres in your hat to tighten and shrink, which gives your hat a firmer fit. Place your hat somewhere warm, such as in front of your heat pump, or on top of your hot water cylinder. Expose your hat to heat for about 1 hour to cause it to shrink approximately 1 centimetre (0.39 in).^{[14]
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- If you live in a sunny area, park your car in a sunny spot, close all the windows and place your hat on the dashboard. This will achieve similar results to putting your hat in the dryer.^{[15]
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Leave the hat in a warm area for a further 30 minutes if it is still too big. Put your hat on to check if it fits. If it still feels loose or wobbly, leave it in the warmth a little longer. The continued exposure to the heat will encourage the hat to shrink an extra 0.5 centimetres (0.20 in).^{[16]
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- Continue to repeat this spraying and drying process to shrink your hat further.

Expert Q&A

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What will shrink wool fast?

Susan Stocker
Professional Cleaner
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Professional Cleaner

Expert Answer

Wool is one of the easiest fabrics to shrink, but it is highly unpredictable. Wash wool items in hot water and then dry them. The type of wool depends on how much the item will shrink, however, so there is no surefire way to guess how much a wool item will shrink.

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