The iRepel Chef’s Shirt Uses Science to Keep Stains and Spills at Bay

If the kitchen is your domain and you'll be the mastermind behind the holiday meals this year, iRepel's chef's gear will keep you clean in even the messiest of kitchens. If a home cook who loves trying new dishes is on your shopping list this year, they'll appreciate a chef's shirt or apron that rinses off cleanly when the pasta sauce bubbles up a bit too much, or the blender lid isn't on tight enough. All of their shirts and aprons use advanced textiles coated with hydrophobic "nanospheres" to keep any liquids or spills out of the cloth fibers and on the surface, where they can be rinsed away.

iRepel sent over a chef's shirt to try out, and over the course of cooking all manner of meal wearing it, I managed to get everything from pasta sauce, bacon grease, red wine, mustard, and Sriracha on it, and I'm a pretty clean cook. Even if I purposefully waited until I was finished what I was doing to take care of the mess or stain, it rinsed right off with a little water—and when I say "rinsed right off," I mean the water was gone too and I wasn't left with a damp chef's shirt to put back on.

You can read more about the technology used in the textile coating here, but it definitely works as advertised. The iRepel Home Chef shirts come in men's and women's cuts for $89.99 and $79.99 respectively. They may not be cheap, but they're comfortable and breathable, come in different colors to match your style, and are all machine washable. iRepel also sells cooking aprons with the same technology, including a short, ruffled apron and a long, grilling-style apron, both for $49.99. If you're the chef in your household or you're looking for a great gift for the person who is, this is a fun, high-tech option that's also useful in the kitchen.