# Would this work? (waterproofing with fabric softener) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099 "2006-06-02T02:44:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/1 "2006-06-02T02:44:56Z")
I’ve been seized by a crazy idea. We’re making a new dayshade / pavilion thingy to take to Lilies War next week. It’s made from a pattern with the main material being a 9 x 12 canvas painter’s drop cloth. Super easy. Add eyelets\* and poles and you’re set. It won’t be waterproof, though, and it’s really not a huge concern. This was a cheap fix for shade without paying big bucks for a pop shade. Then I was washing the clothes, and recalled my mother’s admonishments about using liquid fabric softener on towels or cloth diapers because it will essentially make them non-absorbent. Eureka?! If I soak this canvas in liquid fabric softener, will it become waterproof, or even slightly water resistant (which would be good, too). It would definitely soften the canvas up to the touch. - Yes, I hand stitched the eyelets. I even made little gold-brushed finials for the tops of the poles! ---
**Author:** ![seenidog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@seenidog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seenidog)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/2 "2006-06-02T02:56:34Z")
Never tried it but best guess is waste of time. The thought that did come to mind is a product called “ScotchGuard”, an aerosol stain proofer I used a few times a long time back. I do not even know if it is still on the market. I can say my fabric softened towels may be slightly less absorbent that the non softened ones, but not enough to make a difference. OTOH the scratchy factor is very noticable. Back in the old days we would waterproof canvas with a brush on product which was basically paraffin thinned out by gasoline. I don’t think you can get it anymore, and well so, the slightest spark created the “Hindenberg Effect”. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/3 "2006-06-02T03:30:33Z")
> [@seenidog](#): > > Back in the old days we would waterproof canvas with a brush on product which was basically paraffin thinned out by gasoline. I don’t think you can get it anymore, and well so, the slightest spark created the “Hindenberg Effect”. > > Good luck. I love this quote in combination with your sig. 😃 Anyway, considering the number of open flames in any given square foot at an SCA event, I think more flammable is not a good idea. Scotchgard was a possibility, but would be expensive to buy enough to treat the whole canvas. Downey is 3.00 a bottle, and I have a kiddie pool to soak it in! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/4 "2006-06-02T03:56:22Z")
[This site](http://midtown.net/dragonwing/col0005.htm) describes the gasoline paraffin method. They also talk about dispensing with the gasoline: > [@](#): > > Probably the simplest of all home waterproofing methods is to rub block paraffin onto the material, section by section, as it’s spread out on a smooth, hard surface. Once this is done, use a warm, not hot, iron to set the paraffin into the weave. [These notes on medieval pavilions](http://www.currentmiddleages.org/tents/pavgeneral.htm#genpavilionwaterproofing) suggest that the heirs of King Arthur use Thompson’s Water Seal. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/5 "2006-06-02T05:50:10Z")
> [@seenidog](#): > > The thought that did come to mind is a product called “ScotchGuard”, an aerosol stain proofer I used a few times a long time back. I do not even know if it is still on the market. 3M stopped making ScotchGuard ™ a few years ago. Basically because some people were claiming it caused all kinds of health problems, and the company decided the costs of fighting a lot of product liability lawsuits wouldn’t be worthwhile for this rather minor product. So they just stopped making it. It’s still sometimes available in the market; there’s almost a ‘black market’ in this. People who used it a lot often bought up big supplies and have hoarded them since then. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/6 "2006-06-02T07:05:44Z")
> [@FaerieBeth](#): > > - Yes, I hand stitched the eyelets. I even made little gold-brushed finials for the tops of the poles! I am in awe. I would have wimped out and gone the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am brass eyelet route. I probably wouldn’t use paraffin as a waterproofer, since it’s still flammable by itself. Not as much when mixed with gasoline, but you’d basically be making a giant candle. I seem to recall (I’ve been searching to no avail) that the most popular option on the SCA LJ group is starting out with Sunforger canvas (rather expensive) and after that, various waterproofing methods– **Squink** ’s Thompson’s WaterSeal method seems to be ringing some bells. Definitely check out the Rialto and Stefan’s Florigelium, though. Are you a member of the SCAGarb or SCA Yahoo! lists? You could try asking at either of those for more ideas. If anybody’s tried waterproofing with Downy, you ought to be able to find them at any of those places. Oh, and if you ever go the fullscale pavilion route, this [diary](http://www.housemorien.org/paviliondiary.htm) is really interesting. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/7 "2006-06-02T07:38:49Z")
Fabric softener makes fabrics _less_ absorbant, not \*non-\*absorbant. If you spill your drink on a T-shirt washed with fabric softener, the cloth will still soak up the liquid. And goodness knows those of us who let ourselves get talked onto amusement park water rides when wearing jeans (when will I ever learn? :smack: ) are not significantly protected by the softener. I don’t think it will make any noticeable difference if your mini-pavillion gets rained on. On the other hand, your mother was right that the difference becomes significant when you’re dealing with things that exist solely to absorb, like cloth diapers and towels. My first thought was a spray-on waterproofing, like the stuff we use on the kids’ boots every winter - Boston In Rain, it says on the can. And it claims to work on all textiles. But you’d need several cans of the stuff to cover a sheet that size. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/8 "2006-06-02T09:39:16Z")
there a lot of commercial products out there, usually based on silicon oils, that claim to do what you want - e.g. [http://www.seattlefabrics.com/waterproofing.html](http://www.seattlefabrics.com/waterproofing.html) ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-work-waterproofing-with-fabric-softener/359099/9 "2006-06-03T22:19:33Z")
Sorry I didn’t get back to this until now. I had to go to work and do some other junk (housework) that interferes with all my hobbies. 😉 > [@Miss Purl McKnittington](#): > > I am in awe. I would have wimped out and gone the wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am brass eyelet route. Sadly, we had to resort to this today on four of the eyelets. The copper tubing that we inserted into the tallest poles (that make the peak) was too large to fit any hand sewn eyelet I could manage. So we had to put the 1/2 inch brass grommets in. _le sigh_ They shouldn’t be seen, though, since they will be 8 feet in the air and covered with red pennants. > [@Miss Purl McKnittington](#): > > I probably wouldn’t use paraffin as a waterproofer, since it’s still flammable by itself. Not as much when mixed with gasoline, but you’d basically be making a giant candle. I seem to recall (I’ve been searching to no avail) that the most popular option on the SCA LJ group is starting out with Sunforger canvas (rather expensive) and after that, various waterproofing methods– **Squink** ’s Thompson’s WaterSeal method seems to be ringing some bells. As it happens, I have a 200 yard bolt of white Sunforger in the garage. I was saving it for an arming/dressing room mini pavilion later on. My lovely husband has decided to go the WaterSeal route with the waterproofing attempt, but he insisting he’s seen aerosol cans of it. So our mission this weekend is to find spray cans of Thompson’s. > [@Miss Purl McKnittington](#): > > Definitely check out the Rialto and Stefan’s Florigelium, though. Are you a member of the SCAGarb or SCA Yahoo! lists? You could try asking at either of those for more ideas. If anybody’s tried waterproofing with Downy, you ought to be able to find them at any of those places. I’m a member of the garb list, the SCACooks list, the Medieval Encampments list, etc, ad nauseum. Sometimes they have a tendency to overlook questions. Especially when the lists are moving fast. I was hoping I might get a faster answer, here. > [@Miss Purl McKnittington](#): > > Oh, and if you ever go the full scale pavilion route, this [diary](http://www.housemorien.org/paviliondiary.htm) is really interesting. That is a nice make-over of that pavilion! We have already gone that route, though we didn’t make it ourselves. Panther Primitives made [ours](http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/faeriebeth/detail?.dir=/58e6&.dnm=2339re2.jpg&.src=ph) ! Here’s the [dayshade](http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/faeriebeth/detail?.dir=58e6&.dnm=640fre2.jpg&.src=ph) in progress…about at Phase II. This is roughly half of what it will end up. The best part is that this entire endeavor has cost us about 50 bucks.