how do you clean mildew/fungus marks?

[astaire]

You see them quite often on vintage hats. My grandfather's hat from '52 has them. You see them most on the linings and sometimes on the felt itself.

I guess it's because hats have been in an enclosed space for years where the combination of age, temperature and humidity causes the right environment for fungus (?) to grow.

Can Naptha take care of this? Or have i missed past threads which discussed this issue? I know the linings can be changed without a problem, but what if it's on the felt?

Any input is most welcome.

Thanks All,
astaire

 

[tonyb]

I once stored my hats in a large steel filing cabinet, a horizontal type with wide doors that hinge at the top and slide into the cabinet. The less frequently used hats found their way to the bottom shelf, where some developed mildew. I brushed 'em thoroughly and dunked 'em in naptha. That took care of the problem, and the mildew hasn't returned. But that mildew was of recent "vintage." I don't know how a hat that has been mildewy for years would respond to a naptha bath, but there would seem to be little to lose by trying it.
Needless to say, I no longer store my hats in that steel cabinet. In this cool, damp climate, just about anything left on or near the floor for any length of time will develop mildew. My rarely used old Red Wing hiking boots (I've had those shoes for 30-plus years) had quite the crop growing on 'em after a couple of years on the floor of the closet in the "spare" (read: neglected and often unheated) room.