Are wipe-clean clothes too good to be true? FEMAIL trials new T-shirts that promise never to stain... by holding a food fight with red wine, ketchup, beetroot and mustard

  • A new range of T-shirts promise to repel liquids like red wine and cola 
  • Reality Dreams clothes are coated in chemical that makes them waterproof
  • FEMAIL tested the tops by having a food fight with hard-to-clean liquids 

By Caroline Mcguire for MailOnline

Published: 03:07 EST, 6 August 2015 | Updated: 11:30 EST, 6 August 2015

Everyone has seen their favourite top or skirt ruined thanks to a rogue blob of ketchup or a spill from a glass of red wine.

However, a new range of T-shirts and sweaters that repel liquids such as Coca Cola and beer has been launched, promising to end the day as good as they starter.

FEMAIL decided to put these miracle clothes to the test - with a food fight.  

Scroll down for video  

FEMAIL writers Caroline McGuire (left) and Sarah Barns (right) tried out a new range of stain-proof T-shirts by having a food fight with items including red wine, ketchup and mustard 

FEMAIL writers Caroline McGuire (left) and Sarah Barns (right) tried out a new range of stain-proof T-shirts by having a food fight with items including red wine, ketchup and mustard 

According to the owners of Norfolk-based Reality Dreams Matt Doughty and Steven Stokes, a revolutionary hydrophobic treatment coats the fibres in their T-shirts and jumpers that waterproofs them against liquids. 

They claim that if any of these items come into contact with the material, all the wearer needs to do is pour water on the spot, without dabbing at it, for it to wash off.

But could this possibly be right? 

Armed with an arsenal of hard-to-clean liquids, including ketchup, beetroot juice, mustard and cola, and a video camera to document the results, FEMAIL writers Caroline McGuire and Sarah Barns headed to the nearest park to MailOnline towers to try out the promising claims of Reality Dreams. 

Caroline was wearing the 'Low leopard tee' priced at £39.99 and Sarah was wearing the 'Allucinor flecked grey tee', which retails at £35.00. 

Then they picked their first food weapons and prepared for the food fight test, so how did they get on?  

BAKED BEANS AND COLA 

Sarah douses Caroline in cola
d Caroline gets her own back by attacking Sarah with baked beans

Sarah douses Caroline in cola (left) and Caroline gets her own back by attacking Sarah with beans (right)

Caroline picked a tin of baked beans, while Sarah opted for a bottle of cola - neither held back, with both spraying each other liberally with the contents.

But after allowing the cola to soak into the fabric for a couple of minutes, all it took was half a litre of water two wash the brown liquid off Caroline's T-shirt completely. 

The baked beans stains on Sarah's top were much less easy to remove. 

The baked beans stains on Sarah's top were impossible to remove
All it took was half a litre of water two wash the brown liquid off Caroline's T-shirt completely

Despite pouring one and a half litres of water down Sarah's T-shirt (left) the baked bean stains wouldn't budge (left) but the cola instantly washed off (right) 

Despite pouring one and a half litres of water down her T-shirt, most of the orange stains refused to budge. 

In fact, they remained so prominent that Sarah was forced to turn around her T-shirt in order to start round two with a clean slate.

RED WINE AND KETCHUP  

Caroline covered Sarah's T-shirt in ketchup
But the water did little to budge it

Caroline covered Sarah's T-shirt in ketchup (left) but the water did little to budge it (right) 

For the second round, the T-shirt testers opted for the reds - red wine and ketchup. 

Sarah doused Caroline from the neck down in a deep Rioja that would have been the end of a normal white T-shirt, and she retaliated by coating Sarah in more than half a bottle of ketchup. 

Once again, Caroline's T-shirt was presentable within 30 seconds, after Sarah had poured a litre of water down her front. 

The red wine on Caroline's top would have been the end of any normal T-shirt
But it washed straight off

The red wine on Caroline's top would have been the end of any normal T-shirt (left) but it washed straight off (right) 

All the red wine stains needed were a splash of water in order for them to wash right off. 

But Sarah's ketchup stains were impossible to budge. Despite pouring almost two litres of water down her front, most of the red sauce stubbornly remained. 

By this stage, Sarah's top was so stained with baked beans and ketchup that she was out of the game. 

BEETROOT JUICE AND ENGLISH MUSTARD  

For round three, Sarah attacked Caroline with beetroot juice - one of the worst stains to remove from clothing - and mustard. 

Half a bottle of beetroot juice was poured on Caroline's front, leaving behind a giant purple mark, along with a large dollop of bright yellow English mustard. 

Caroline's T-shirt was covered in English mustard and beetroot juice for round three
Half a bottle of beetroot juice was poured on Caroline's front, leaving behind a giant purple mark, along with a large dollop of bright yellow English mustard

Caroline's T-shirt was covered in English mustard and beetroot juice for round three 

While the beetroot juice came off quickly once covered in water, the mustard refused to budge
Despite an entire litre of water targeted at a relatively small area, the yellow substance just didn't budge

While the beetroot juice came off quickly once covered in water, the mustard refused to budge 

But once again, the liquid came off instantly. After it was covered with water, all of the beetroot juice washed off the T-shirt onto the floor.

The mustard wasn't so simple. Despite an entire litre of water targeted at a relatively small area, the yellow substance just didn't budge.

So what was the verdict? 

CAROLINE'S VERDICT 

As a magnet for disasters, I was delighted when I learnt that there was such a thing as stain-proof T-shirts - if I wear a white dress or top, it is only a matter of hours before I have splashed  something across the front. 

And while these T-shirts don't 100 per cent live up to their claims, when it comes to some of the worst offenders like red wine and beetroot juice, they get full marks. 

Like many inventions, Reality Dreams has a way to go before their range are completely stain-proof, but I would feel very confident about wearing a white suit on a night out if it was made from this material. I'd just steer clear of when picking up a bag of chips on the way home.

Caroline and Sarah were impressed with the T-shirts and would definitely consider buying dresses int he material for a night out 

Caroline and Sarah were impressed with the T-shirts and would definitely consider buying dresses int he material for a night out 

SARAH'S VERDICT  

Despite being sceptical about how stain-resistant these ‘wonder’ tops could really be, I was pleasantly surprised after putting them into action.

While the range doesn’t contain the world’s most exciting designs, the T-shirts do eliminate the fear of spilling red wine or cola down yourself on a boozy Saturday night out – if you do, our test proved that these liquids easily wash off with a bit of tap water.

However, heed caution when eating baked beans, mustard or tomato ketchup as these sauces can’t be removed so quickly. And they stink. 

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