Work today was a little more palatable, and I was in a good mood as I got ready for my workout, a 45 minute Zone 2 run.  I decided to go run at the park again and as I headed out the door, I grabbed my favorite trucker hat.

As I was driving to the park, I was aware of really funky smell.  It was my hat.  I run in it a lot and I sweat in it a lot.  It normally smells a little bit, but tonight it was really smelly.

When it gets like this, I end up washing it in some way, to try and remove the smell.  I typically let it soak in soapy water for a while, and then rinse it with clean water several times, before hanging it up to dry.  While this helps a lot, it doesn’t completely eliminate the smell however, and a few days later, I am back where I started.

I have always been reluctant to try more aggressive cleaning techniques, because I am afraid of damaging the hat in some way.  I think it is time to try something however.  In searching the internet for ideas, I came across a number of people who swear by washing the hat, in the top rack of a dishwasher.

I think I am going to try this dishwasher trick.  I really hope it doesn’t destroy my hat.  I can live with the smell if I have to, but I love this hat and don’t want to damage it.  I’ll update you with news on how it goes… fingers crossed!