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Comment by jarin | Hacker News Reader

Wow, this is incredible. Assuming it isn't crazy expensive, I'd put this on everything from my car to my walls.

I do kind of wonder how you'd wash clothes coated in this, though. It would be kind of tricky if dirt can get into the fibers but water can't.

Edit: Also, I would love to prank a bartender at my local watering hole by spraying this on his bar rag when he's not looking :)

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Here are some more details: http://www.neverwet.com/product-characteristics.php

They don't mention how durable it is - maybe it rubs off from your car.

If it works similarly to how Rain-X works, it'll last for awhile, then eventually you'd need to re-apply it. Rain-X is pretty cool stuff. You can drive down the road in heavy rain, and not even need your wipers 'cause rather than spreading out when the rain hits the windshield, it beads up, and "rolls" up the windshield over the car.

If it works like Rain-X without causing the streaks that show up painfully in sunlight, that would be a pretty big deal.

Helmet visors, too... there are some products out there for them, but these demo vids have some really impressive performance and look like it would work a lot better in fine mist.

I think one video mentioned being resistant to specific types of liquids like oils and water. It might be possible to just wash the clothes with detergent, with dirt (and waterproofness) just vanishing.

This stuff may not be safe for humans, especially as it degrades and flakes off. I don't really want my kids breathing it in.

Remember Scotch Guard?

It's silicone (not silicon, as the article misstates) so it's probably safe. Silicone is used in breast implants, home window sealants, cookware (look up silpat) and yes, fabric, as silnylon (the ultralight backpacker's waterproof friend). With the last case, it is not breathable, which is why it's not used for jackets.

I thought silicone in breast implants was discontinued in favor of saline due to the dangers of toxicity with implant leaks.

I am not a breast implant expert, but if I recall, silicone fell out of favor due to fears connecting the implants to mysterious immune-related diseases. However no connection between silicone breast implants and these diseases was ever borne out.

That was alleged, but IIRC, the studies showed that there was no toxicity, and that the women with leaking silicone implants didn't have a higher incidence of problems than other women their age.

It still used a lot. And they still leak.

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