Mad Scientist Puts YES Essentials to the Test
3/27/08
Fabric Holds Up Well to Stains and Smells
My son, Liam, recently told us he wants to be a scientist. He only panicked when, post announcement, my husband and I listed all the types of scientists he could be; he thought he was going to have to pick one right there on the spot. With that new career aspiration in mind, he was thrilled when I got a nifty YES Essentials test kit from my boss.
YES Essentials is a fabric upholstery offered in Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles that claims to be stain-resistant, odor-resistant and anti-static. I couldn’t wait for my mad scientist to get his hands on it.
The kit came stocked with all kinds of YES-related supplies, including two small vials, one containing a piece of non-YES fabric that had spilled milk on it and another with a piece of YES fabric with spilled milk on it. The non-YES fabric vial was horribly stinky (and I hate to confess it, but I recognized it as a familiar smell). The YES fabric vial smelled like … no, you guess. That’s right, it smelled like nothing! Liam loved running up to any victim willing to participate in the experiment, waving the vials saying, “Smell this! Now smell this! Isn’t it GROSS?!”
The mad scientist aspect, however, came into play with the kit’s fabric and carpet samples and its host of stain-making substances. Soy sauce, ketchup and relish were offered up as the stinky offenders, and given that my son has a penchant for anything scientific or experimental, I figured we could bond over some legal mess-making. Watch the video above to view our trial.
Ultimately, the YES Essentials fabrics performed pretty well, though it took a lot of elbow grease to get the smell completely out of the ketchup sample. The relish sample wasn’t as bad, possibly because it didn’t soak in as much. A week later, it smelled brand new. My favorite sample was the soy sauce on the carpet — it beaded up and refused to go anywhere until my son insisted he needed to wipe it extra hard. If coffee were spilled on that carpet, a dry paper towel would be all you needed to eliminate the evidence. What’s more, you can order YES Essentials floormats for your car, meaning you don’t need to buy a new Chrysler car to get it.
All that said, while I did like the YES Essentials fabric, I’m not sure I’d sacrifice leather, or even faux leather, for it. If leather — faux or otherwise — isn’t an option, ditch regular fabric. Your next-best bet is YES.
Comments
The fabric is neat in its ability, but I don't like it in the car. It's too rough or weird feeling. I prefer the plusher seat fabric. My home carpet cleaning machine can clean car interiors with the hose attachment and I've never encountered anything that wouldn't come out yet - as long as it hasn't set in for several days.
Posted by: L | Mar 28, 2008 11:15:34 AM
Oooh, interesting point L. They did not have a sample I could sit on (with any efficacy anyway). If I get a test car with it, I'll note the fabric texture.
Posted by: Sara Lacey | Mar 30, 2008 10:59:10 AM
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Sara - that video rocks!
Yes Essentials fabric is one of my favorite technological developments - I played with it once, kind of like Liam did, and thought I could wreck it. I was pleasantly surprised!
Posted by: | Mar 28, 2008 12:29:06 AM