Not any more. For a chemical process developed by British scientists could, in the near future, lead garment manufacturers to develop clothing that never gets dirty, says a report published in The Independent, London.

The manufacturing secret developed by researchers at the University at Durham is every parent's dream come true.

Children wearing clothes made with the process could make as much mess as they like, yet remain clean and dry.

The treatment creates an invisible non-stick surface coating that repels water, grease and dirt thus keeping the clothes spic and span despite constant exposure to the outside environment.

Besides being useful for clothing, the process has hundreds of other applications, ranging fromaircraft parts and ship hulls to bank notes and wall paper.

According to Professor Jas Pal Badyai, director of the research programme at Durham University's department of chemistry, ``This process has many advantages over existing methods.''

``It works at room temperature with a low amount of energy. It uses no solvents, produces negligible waste, and is friendly to the environment. Also, the process is fast and the effects are long-lasting,'' he said.

The key to the treatment is a plasma process which involves filling a chamber with gas and passing an electric current through it. The process deposits a thin coating on the clothing which is invisible to the eye. The resultant finish is super-repellent, and far superior in performance to conventional non-stick surfaces.