NeverWet on tennis shoes

'This is a game changer, ' said Jim Stinner, vice president of marketing for Rust-Oleum, the company distributing NewWet. 'Everyone is going to want to try it out.'

The product was designed by Ross Technology, which was faced with the challenge of fixing rusting pipes under the sea, and set to work to find a substance that would coat the metal to prevent rusting.

Available to buy: The $20 product is available at Home Depot, and will soon be available at other U.S. stores

In the course of their experimentation, they found the resulting substance - a silicone-based spray - could have infinite uses in the worlds of fashion, technology and engineering.

Not only is NeverWet, the first such consumer product to enter the market, impervious to any liquid substance, including oils, mud and condiments, but it actively deflects moisture leaving no trace whatsoever on its surface.

In a video released by the company, a man in pristine white deck shoes - one coated in NeverWet, one simply plain canvas - jumps into a muddy puddle.

After swishing his feet around in the muck, he steps out to reveal the uncoated shoe covered in a thick layer of mud.

As the NeverWet coated shoe emerges however, the mud shoots off the surface, leaving the canvas bone dry and completely unmarked.

In another demonstration, chocolate sauce is poured onto the coated shoe, which slips off leaving not a trace.

And on a treated white T-shirt, engine oil, apple sauce and orange juice form convex fluid globules that speed off the surface of the fabric.

Not only could footwear companies use the coating to thoroughly waterproof their shoes, but a fabric with such effective repellant qualities could prove priceless to firms producing ski equipment, sailing and fishing gear or wet weather clothing, as well as being used as a protector for upholstery, tablecloths or napkins in restaurants.

No more stains: NeverWet, the first such consumer product to enter the market, is impervious to any liquid substance, including oils, mud and condiments, and actively deflects moisture

Waterproof: In this demonstration, mustard is poured onto the coated shoe, which slips off leaving just a few beads behind, which then brush off

And its uses can extend beyond simple fabric treatment too.

Studies have proved it is also efficient at completely waterproofing gadgets; protecting iPhones and iPods that previously would have been rendered useless after being submerged in water.