Stain-Resistant Shirt!
As a busy mom there is no doubting my life is brimming with stains: whether it’s self-inflicted by splashed coffee or by missing the wine glass to my lips. (I honestly don’t know how that happens, but it just does, DOESN’T it?!) Finding an easy solution on the road is tricky too.
As a family, we’re doubly preset as messy! Kids walk up to you sweat-drenched, dripping in condiments and coated in yogurt. We just attended a dinner party last night, and I asked my daughter what in the world was dusted all over her leg? ‘Oh, that’s just paint.’ Of course it is! It’s as if after a bath, the next button on their interior panel is set for “get dirty.”
When asked by the Rachael Ray Show to join the likes of model Emme and fellow fashion expert Kyan Douglas to test out laundry hacks for the next installment of Human Lab, I was delighted. Sign me up! Because I was that guest at the wedding whose husband spilled an entire glass of red wine all over her at the start of the reception. I need help!
Chico’s No-Stain No-Iron Shirts
The Claim: these no-iron, no-stain shirts powered by Stain Shield technology repel oil- and water-based liquids such as red wine, coffee and salad dressing for up to 30 washes.
The Background: It’s 100% cotton, and I’ve worn a lot of cotton shirts in my time that definitely weren’t stain resistant! So it’s not the fabric itself that makes it stain resistant, but likely the manner in which the fabric is made. There have been some developments in stain resistant technology, with some companies using a technology called Nanotex. Nanotex developed a fabric to model the way peach fuzz repels water, so they’re using what they call nano-whiskers. Similar to the fuzz on a peach, these whiskers are tiny hairy-like projections, almost tiny enough that you can’t see them, that cause liquids to roll off the surface. Another technology used in stain resistant clothing packs billions of particles so close together that it creates a shield that doesn’t allow the liquid to permeate. This particular shirt uses what it calls Stain Shield technology, so we’ll see how it holds up.
Rachael Ray Show
The Human Lab Test: After a thorough test of the shirt in dropping every suggested liquid for the shirt and simply rinsing as suggested by pouring water on it without rubbing—the shirt was remarkably resistant. My beloved red wine and coffee rolled right off! The salad dressing as can be expected had just a tiny bit more residue, likely due to the oil component, but I think that if you follow the shirt’s direction for washing it would wash out without any problem at all. It performed far better with the dressing than a standard white shirt for sure.
Behind-the-scenes with Emme and Kyan Douglas.
For the full video of the Human Lab Test, check it out here!
$79.50, Cotton Stain Shield Shirt, chicos.com