Go Beyond Just Cleaning Your Interior and Protect it With Chemical Guys HydroThread
Chemical Guys is one of the most well-known names in the automotive care industry and a brand we’ve trusted with our own vehicles for years. When they reached out to us about the Chemical Guys HydroThread Ceramic Interior Protectant, we didn’t hesitate. The only question was which vehicles would we treat?
Pros
- Excellent protection against stains and spills
- Easy to apply
- Works on cloth and carpet, including furniture
- Doesn’t stiffen material
- Doesn’t affect material color
- Resists UV damage
Cons
- We’d like to have larger bottles or gallon refills
Chemical Guys HydroThread Ceramic Interior Protectant
What is Chemical Guys HydroThread?
Time to put what you learned in chemistry class to good use… HydroThread is a ceramic polymer that bonds with the surface. The resulting SiO2 (silicon dioxide) barrier is incredibly hydrophobic (repels liquids).
Once it cures, it causes liquids to bead up and roll off, preventing stains and making cleanup easier. One of the reasons it works so well is that the molecules are able to bond with individual fibers. In addition to its liquid resistance, it also protects against color fading and UV breakdown.
At the same time, Chemical Guys HydroThread is an odorless water-based protectant that doesn’t change the color or stiffness of the material you apply it to. Chemical Guys calls it “No-Stiff” technology. Expect the treatment to last up to 12 months.
The Project
Getting the final nod was a 2008 Toyota Highlander and a 2007 F-150. Why go with vehicles more than a decade old?
If Chemical Guys pretreatment and HydroThread can bring those interiors back to life and protect them, it will earn our recommendation for any vehicle.
The Highlander spent its life as a family vehicle with plenty of coffee stains on the carpet and floor mats. The F-150 was used as a work truck with plenty of carpet and cloth interior that needed some love.
PreTreatment: Chemical Guys Lightning Fast Stain Extractor
If you’re new to Chemical Guys or just haven’t used their Lightning Fast Stain Extractor, we highly recommend it. We pretreated the areas we were going to protect it and got outstanding results.
After spraying it on liberally, we used a medium bristle brush to work it in and around the carpet and a softer brush for the cloth interior areas. To aid the drying process, we ran a wet-dry vac over the surfaces to pull any additional moisture away and then let the surfaces air dry.
Years of coffee and who-knows-what stains lifted off, leaving the cleanest surfaces either vehicle had seen in a living memory. $10.99 gets you a bottle.
Applying Chemical Guys HydroThread
Satisfied that the surfaces were dry, we applied a good coating of Chemical Guys HydroThread and worked it in using a clean soft brush. 20 minutes after the first application, we did a second.
The label says you can see results after as little as 20 minutes. We saw mixed results on the cloth interior and the carpet was still soaking up water at that mark.
Before making any judgments, we’re in central Florida where the temps are still in the high 80’s and the humidity is still hovering around 50%. The longer we gave the HydroThread to cure, the more impressive the results. So we gave it a full 24 hours before giving it another shot.
After using it, we recommend 2 coats of Chemical Guys HydroThread on cloth interior and 3 – 4 coats on carpet with a full 24 hours of cure time to get the best results.
While you can plan on up to 12 months of protection, that’s a light-use scenario. For your daily driver, we’d recommend treating every 3 – 4 months.
Pricing
The Chemical Guys website is the best place we’ve found to get HydroThread. They have it for $28.99 for a 16-ounce bottle, which is enough to cover a cloth interior sedan by our estimates.
Keep your eyes open on Amazon and your other favorite Chemical Guys retailers, too.
The Bottom Line
Chemical Guys HydroThread delivered on its promises in our testing. If you’re willing to take the time for good pre-treatment, you can take out years of stains and give your vehicle the protection to hold up against mobile coffee breaks and meals on the go. Of course, HydroThread a great first step for your new vehicle as well, protecting it from day one.
Chemical Guys HydroThread Complete Feature Set
- Add ceramic protection to interior and exterior fabrics
- Repel water and other liquids
- Help prevent permanent stains
- Protect without changing the look and feel of fabric
- Resist accidental spills and stains
- Help keep your fabric from fading & discoloration
- Help repel harmful UV solar rays
- Give your fabric extreme hydrophobic water beading
