Is this the end of dry cleaning as we know it? Spray-on coating that REPELS water, mud and oils from your favorite clothes
- NeverWet, $20, is a waterproofing product now available at Home Depot
It is the stuff of science fiction - a white T-shirt that can be fully immersed in red wine and come out clean, and bone dry.
But now there is a $20 product, launching this week at Home Depot, that can do just that.
NeverWet, a superhydrophobic spray, actively repels liquids to protect everything from your favorite cream dress to a pair of white sneakers from ever getting stained again.
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Magic: NeverWet, a superhydrophobic spray, actively repels liquids to protect everything from your favorite cream dress to a pair of white sneakers from ever getting stained again
'This is a game changer,' said Jim Stinner, vice president of marketing for Rust-Oleum, the company distributing NewWet. 'Everyone is going to want to try it out.'
The product was designed by Ross Technology, which was faced with the challenge of fixing rusting pipes under the sea, and set to work to find a substance that would coat the metal to prevent rusting.
Available to buy: The $20 product is available at Home Depot, and will soon be available at other U.S. stores
In the course of their experimentation, they found the resulting substance - a silicone-based spray - could have infinite uses in the worlds of fashion, technology and engineering.
Not only is NeverWet, the first such consumer product to enter the market, impervious to any liquid substance, including oils, mud and condiments, but it actively deflects moisture leaving no trace whatsoever on its surface.
In a video released by the company, a man in pristine white deck shoes - one coated in NeverWet, one simply plain canvas - jumps into a muddy puddle.
After swishing his feet around in the muck, he steps out to reveal the uncoated shoe covered in a thick layer of mud.
As the NeverWet coated shoe emerges however, the mud shoots off the surface, leaving the canvas bone dry and completely unmarked.
In another demonstration, chocolate sauce is poured onto the coated shoe, which slips off leaving not a trace.
And on a treated white T-shirt, engine oil, apple sauce and orange juice form convex fluid globules that speed off the surface of the fabric.
Not only could footwear companies use the coating to thoroughly waterproof their shoes, but a fabric with such effective repellant qualities could prove priceless to firms producing ski equipment, sailing and fishing gear or wet weather clothing, as well as being used as a protector for upholstery, tablecloths or napkins in restaurants.
No more stains: NeverWet, the first such consumer product to enter the market, is impervious to any liquid substance, including oils, mud and condiments, and actively deflects moisture
Waterproof: In this demonstration, mustard is poured onto the coated shoe, which slips off leaving just a few beads behind, which then brush off
And its uses can extend beyond simple fabric treatment too.
Studies have proved it is also efficient at completely waterproofing gadgets; protecting iPhones and iPods that previously would have been rendered useless after being submerged in water.
In an experiment by Ross Technology, an iPhone was left in a bowl of water for 30 minutes - and came out unscathed.
Stain free: On a treated white T-shirt, chocolate sauce forms convex fluid globules that speed off the surface of the fabric
Repelling soda: The coating could prove priceless to firms producing ski equipment, sailing and fishing gear or wet weather clothing, as well as being used as a protector for upholstery, tablecloths or napkins in restaurants
How it works: NeverWet creates microscopic nano-particles across the surface it coats, when liquids hit the superhydrophobic barrier, it forms a nearly circular bead that causes the liquid to shoot off the surface
This so-called superhydrophic substance was developed only in the last decade as scientists tried to mimic the water-repellent properties of the Asian lotus plant.
Research found that, contrary to expectations, smooth surfaces actually encourage liquids to stick.
NeverWet creates microscopic nano-particles across the surface it coats. When water hits the coating's superhydrophobic barrier, it forms a nearly circular bead that either causes the liquid to shoot off the surface or never cling there in the first place.
Water damage no more: Studies have proved it is also efficient at completely waterproofing gadgets; protecting iPhones that previously would have been rendered useless after being submerged in water
Among other things, it can be used on metal, wood, masonry and aluminum as well as fabric, leather and canvas.
According to Ross Technology, applications of NeverWet can be as diverse as making toilet plungers water repellant so they attract less bacteria, forming anti-corrosive coatings on metal, and as an anti-icing device, protecting surfaces prone to freezing, such as aeroplanes, piping and electrical transmission lines.
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