Cotton Proof

Used this to proof my jobman poly cotton blend work pants. My work pants are 100% not waterproof initially. Soaks up water like sand. I washed my pants per manufacturers instructions, then used the hand wash method with cotton proof. Bucket of hand hot water and 50ml of cotton proof. Soaked for 5 min, then mix to flip pants over, and soaked for an additional 5 min. Ran it in the dryer on the delicate cycle and then let it hang dry overnight. Made my pants water repellent. Do take note that this does not make my pants waterproof. I have rain pants for when I have to be outdoors in the rain. But this will help with brief showers, accidental water splashes and short walks between job sites. The coating also helps repel dust and stains so I can wash my work pants less often. Cotton proof liquid was thicker compared to their soft shell proof. So I had to mix it with a butter knife and shake well before pouring.

I want to give a 5-star but the waterproofing of the entire surface is hard to achieve, even though I know I have bought the right amount. I can say that for the areas that this product did get onto, it definitely works. One note : It does not work if the water pools for 24 hours.

I was a little nervous given the variability on some of the reviews but I washed my M65 field jacket with tech wash and then cotton proof in my washing machine and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed, water beads up on rolls off similar to what the other field jacket user reported. Short of waxing, cotton will never be truly waterproof but I would say that if there were light rain or showers in the forecast I wouldn't be concerned. In the bottle the proofer smells a little like Elmer's glue with a trace of vinegar but I can't detect it at all on the dried garment.

As others have noted in reviews, it looks and smells like diluted Elmer's white glue. Make sure you shake well and make sure to follow instructions. My deviations from instructions: After cleaning clothes (jackets and pants) with regular detergent, I ran them full cycle with a cup of vinegar. Then removed them and ran a full cycle of just water and vinegar (no clothes) to clean out any soap. Put clothes back in, filled the machine with water (all items needed cold), added half the bottle, let agitation cycle run, then stopped machine and let everything sit for at least an hour. Re-Started machine at beginning, let it run through all cycles uninterrupted. Put clothes in dryer without a static/softener cloth on lowest heat. Did this with Wrangler cotton blend cargo work pants, a no-name poly cotton jacket, knit poly winter hat, an LL Bean barn jacket (Teflon treated from manufacturer), and a Carhartt heavy cotton duck jacket (no factory waterproofing). The LL Bean, and Carhartt jackets got a spray down of silicone after. Both bead water well, the LL Bean jacket not as well as the Carhartt. The pants bead water a bit, they do not soak up water like a towel anymore, but they are not impervious to water (impervious should not be expected anyway). I do plan on using this stuff annually on all of my usual work outerwear.

It works well! I made sure my washer was extra clean before using this. I have a windbreaker jacket that is water resistant, but it didn't have a hood. I wanted to sew one but couldn't find a similar marital for it. So I bought some cotton fabric and use Nikwax Cotton Proof. Let me just say that the hood I made is now more waterproof than the actual jacket. The video is slightly sped up. Here it shows the same fabric, one untreated and the other treated. They both do not adsorb the water right away. The untreated one will darken and let the water seep slowly, while the treated one remain unchanged. The only cons I can think of is that it slightly stiffens your fabric and wrinkles even with fabric softener. But, that's not a deal breaker for me.

The pants in the pictures are 100% cotton and were cleaned as per the directions from Nikwax prior to applying the product. I ran this pair through with one additional pair of pants using the recommended amount of solution and at the recommended washer setting and temp. This was the result - it was poring outside when I took these pictures, so I figured it would be a good test. Water hit the pants and soaked right in, no resistance whatsoever. You can see one bead sort of rolling off in one of the pictures, but that was only because I had the pants at an angle when I took the picture. I figured I would go do a short three mile hike to see if it made any difference as you can see, the parts of the pants exposed below my poncho are completely soaked through (the pic of my feet). This stuff didn't even provide any level of repellency, let alone "proofness". I've used Nikwax products in the past and they generally do what they are supposed to, so I was disappointed with this one. One star, but would be zero if I could give it a zero. It's not worth sending back, so I may do another wash cycle using more product to see if makes any difference.

It worked well to restore the DWR coating on my cotton clothes. However, I'd waited a while to use it and it had really clumped up. There didn't seem to have been enough space for air to actually shake it up, and I didn't realize the intended consistency was less viscous, so I ended up using a lot of very dense goop. The remaining liquid in my bottle is unfortunately thinner than it should be.

I used this product on my denim jacket, an L.L. Bean field coat, 2 pairs of work pants, and my dog’s sweatshirt. After one application, the clothing had no changes in color or feel. They remained just as comfortable as they were, only now they are much more water resistant. This L.L. Bean field coat has never been treated before and is 100% cotton. I’ve had this coat for nearly 15 years, and wear it in the fall and spring. As you can see in the video, the treatment made the surface very water resistant. I wouldn’t say it made the coat fully waterproof, but it will certainly hold up in light-medium rain. This product gave new life to a beloved old coat. The rest of the clothing had similar results to the coat, and there isn’t really anything negative for me to say about this product. I will definitely use this product again in the future. The only reason I made it 4 stars is because none of the clothing is actually waterproof, just highly water resistant, especially for pure cotton.