Product Review: 303 Fabric Guard

[BradE]

Of all the products I have at my disposal for testing 303 Fabric Guard was one I was looking forward to getting my hands on. After being disappointed with other fabric protectants I was hoping 303 Fabric Guard would be the answer. Now, after testing this highly anticipated product I can say I’m disappointed once again.



I started out my adventure with shampooing the mats from my Ford Explorer and letting them dry as usual. Once dry I got the Fabric guard and read the directions. It seemed pretty straight forward and nothing different than other products of that nature. As I began spraying a light even coat across the mats the first thing I notice is a strong solvent odor. The odor isn’t pleasing, but is tolerable. After the first coat was applied I touched the mat and noticed an oily solvent like film over the areas sprayed. I don’t like this at all, and I have never noticed this with any other fabric protectant.



As per the directions it says to allow the product to dry between coats. I think, no problem I’ll come back in an hour and it will be dry. I returned after 1 hour and to my surprise the product was still wet and greasy feeling. I wait, and wait, and yes wait even more. It took 4 hours for the product to dry!!!!!! This is totally unacceptable in my opinion. Even after the product was dry I still noticed some residual tackiness on the surface of the mats from the solvent content. Needless to say, I didn’t take this as a good sign. The directions on the product indicate to check for water beading ability between coats to determine if a second coat is needed. So, I sprayed a light mist of water on the treated areas and the water beading was minimal, but some was present. After about 20-30 seconds the water beads just soaked right into the carpeting! So, after all that work and waiting, it appears I need to apply yet another coat.



I began the second coat the same as the first and once again it took a large amount of time to dry. This time it took a little less than before, but the dry time was still about 3 hours. :down Once again I noticed some residual oily feeling on the surface of the carpeting. Once totally dry I tried the water test again. The beading was almost identical to that of the first coat and after about 30 seconds the water soaked right into the carpeting. What a total disappointment. After the second coat I started to notice some stiffening of the carpet from the resin content and decided against any more applications.



All and all I was so disappointed in this product. The strong solvent content makes me wonder if multiple coats are counterproductive, and if they are even possible. The oily, almost greasy, feeling it leaves on the surface after application isn’t exactly nice either. It’s something that I would certainly worry about if I were applying this product to wool, or wool blend, carpeting. I also observed some mild stiffening of the carpeting, another minus. The application of this product is more work than it is worth. The work time certainly does not equal the results the product provides. The dry time for this product is ridiculously long, and once dry the water beading properties leaves a lot to be desired. This will certainly not become a part of my carpet care arsenal. :down

 

[CharlesW]

Since I just recently purchased this product, your negative results don't make me feel real good about using the 303 Fabric Guard. The good results with 303 vinyl/rubber treatment led to my getting their fabric treatment. Guess one never knows.

Just a question, do you think you might have applied it too heavy? Too much product might contribute to the long drying time as well as the greasy residue. I guess i just hate to think I threw my money away on the stuff.

How about ScotchGuard? It's available at Wal*Mart for less than the 303 and no shipping charges.



Charles

 

[iceman]

I agree completely!

I had read so much about 303 Fabric Guard being the best. CMA was a strong proponent as well as others on previous threads. Was quite expensive too.:down



Very solvent like smell. Greasy oily feeling afterwards taking long tome to dry. Because of the water beads soaking in still, I applied THREE coats over several days. I thought one light coat was sufficient?



After drying, the carpet felt very stiff and creaky. Only very fine mist of water would bead. Didn't notice any difference in beading between one or three coats. Any larger water droplets soaked right into the carpet! How is this supposed to protect the fabric from dirty water when it soaks right in as if not treated?



For the cost, I would definitely give Scotchguard a try next time instead. At least when I sprayed Scothguard on a windbreaker jacket once, it beaded quite nicely so I could tell when it wore off. How am I supposed to believe that the 303 protects the fabric "up to 3 years" when I can't tell when it wears off since it doesn't bead right from the get-go?:nixweiss

 

[BradE]

Charles,



I am pretty sure I didn't use too much. I was very careful to use light even coats. The oily feeling after application really bothered me, and the drytime was absurd. Plus, the water beading was not great at all. Since you already have the product go ahead and give it a shot, maybe your results will be better than mine.



iceman,



Thanks for posting your comments. Now at least I know I'm not nuts.

 

[mx5]

The product used to be in an aerosol can, it beaded a lot, lasted months, and dried fast. I recently used the new squirt bottle type it did take forever to dry and did seem way oiler than the aerosol formula. I have not tested its protection yet, though.

 

[huggybear]

This is my girlfriends Bear purse thing and i did it in 303 it DID have that strong solvent smell and it was all greasy and stuff but i took a nylon brush to it and brushed the heck out of it. when i was done the solvent smell was lessened alot (gone a day later) and the greasy feeling was gone... now its a very soft plushie bear and it beads water great.... This is definatley not a product for a detailer though as it takes so long to dry.