Is Fuller's Earth difficult to remove?

[Damned Dan]

I wanted to find out from other members if Fuller's Earth can be removed from a fur felt hat if done professionally. Has anyone had it done? If so, what were the results? Is it exspensive?

[GCR]

I've never actually used the stuff myself, but I have heard of some folks having problems getting ALL of the fullers earth out of their hats after a heavy dusting. I would imagine a professional hatter could get the hat completely cleaned and remove all the fullers earth, but I have no idea what it would cost. Keep in mind, full service hatters and hatshops are rare these days, so I would bet you'd be looking at a price of $50 for a cleaning. Personally, I wouldn't bother with fullers earth on a hat unless you wanted to make it look really "SOC" and intended to keep it that way.

[New Yorker Jones]

This is what it says about it on Todd's web site:

Fuller's earth will wipe off of most smooth leathers, and it will wash out of clothes that can be laundered. It won't come off of your hat without professional cleaning, so don't put it there unless you want it dirty forever.