A windshield treatment can made the glass temporarily water repellent to improve visibility; it is, of course, already waterproof.
Keeping water out of places it doesn't belong requires thought and preparation. Whether you are trying to protect yourself from the rain, your basement from flooding, or your camera from sea spray, you'll need to discover the correct product or strategy to accomplish your goal. As you evaluate what tack to take, it is important to know the difference among the terms "water resistant," "water repellent" and "waterproof." Does this Spark an idea?
Water Resistant
Water-resistant fabrics, sealants or other products are the least protective of the three options. Water resistant means the item will shed water to some degree. Usually water resistance is accomplished by a very tight weave in fabrics or by treating them with a substance that makes the weave act as if it is more dense than it would be otherwise. A water-resistant product can be expected to prevent water from soaking through immediately, but it will not offer much protection beyond that. A water-resistant watch, for example, may survive a few scattered drops of rain, but if you drop it in the pool, even for a few seconds, it will be ruined.
Water Repellent
Water-repellent fabrics and other products are more protective than those that are water resistant. If you stain your deck with a water-repellent product, rain would bead on the surface as the rain began. But that does not mean the deck would not get wet eventually. Similarly, water will bead off fabrics -- rainwear, tents, boots -- that are water-repellent for a short while. Water-repellent products will usually lose their effectiveness over time. For instance, the deck will need to be restained and the tent treated again. Water-repellent fabrics should not be dry cleaned.
Waterproof
The term "waterproof " implies that water cannot penetrate, but there are caveats. Some products are made of substances that are themselves waterproof, such as rubber boots. Others, such as high-tech raincoats could be a special blend of fibers, such as a polyester-nylon blend, or they could be coated with a non-porous product such as silicone. Waterproof objects are graded on the Ingress Protection scale. Most waterproof electronics are IPX7, which means they are not completely impervious to water but that if you drop them in the pond and retrieve them immediately, they will almost certainly be OK. You cannot, however, leave them in the pond.
New Technologies
Scientists are working on a variety of new technologies to make products impervious to water. A scientist at the University of Zurich has invented a fabric made of polyester fibers coated with silicone filaments. The spiky nanofilaments have a chemical composition that makes water bead on the surface of the fabric, according to NewScientist Magazine online. According to the 2008 article, the fabric will never get wet.
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