The days of the red wine stain could be over with the arrival of a new form of waterproof cotton which repels spills and dirt and stays cleaner for longer. The makers claim that patented pioneering 'hydrophobic' technology means the likes of wine and ketchup will simply run off the surface of the machine-washable fabric. They liken its self-cleaning effect to that of the lotus leaf and say any residues on the 100% cotton material can be removed by just wiping or rinsing off it off with water.