Dollar-store craft glue turned a floppy sun hat firmer than new in just a few hours

A simple dollar-store craft supply drew high marks from Redditors on the r/Frugal community after one sun hat owner used it to rescue a droopy brim rather than replace the hat yet again.

For shoppers trying to stretch every purchase a little further, it's the kind of low-cost fix that can turn a $1.25 bottle of glue into another summer of wear.

What happened?

Rather than keep replacing a wide-brimmed sun hat every year, a fair-skinned user said they tried their daughter's cheaper suggestion after the brim became "saggy and floppy" and started blocking their vision. The secret ingredient was dollar-store papier mâché glue.

The OP said they lined a pizza pan with parchment paper, brushed glue onto both sides of the brim, weighed it flat with soup cans, and let it sit for a few hours. They said the brim dried even firmer than it had been when the hat was new.

Why does it matter?

Once the brim lost its shape, the hat stopped being useful enough to keep and became something to replace every summer.

This time, though, the repair cost $1.25 for glue, and the poster said half the bottle was still left for another touch-up. That means one cheap purchase could handle more than one fix.

Repairs such as that can keep wearable items in use longer, which also keeps waste from heading to landfills that release potent polluting gases such as methane.

It saves money too and reduces demand for more products that require resources to be produced and shipped.

What can I do?

For anyone who wants to try it, the method was straightforward. All you have to do is place the hat on a flat surface, coat the brim, shape it, and let it dry.

There are other products that can last longer, according to the community.

"I bought a sun hat with a wired brim nine years ago. It's still going strong. I can constantly shape the wire just how I need it for the specific scenario," one user offered.

There were lower-effort alternatives, as commenters shared other inexpensive options for anyone who would rather skip the glue. 

"I do believe they make hat stiffener, if you don't want the hassle of a craft project," someone said.

Another person simply suggested starch spray, while a fourth user advised adding weed whacker trimmer line around the brim. The OP appreciated all the feedback and chimed back in.

"A lot of great ideas," they wrote. "Thank you all. I have several hats stashed away and I'm going to experiment."

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