Self-clean technology to remove the mud, sweat and tears of wash day for ever

Muddy sports kit, the bane of parents with active children, may be heading for the laundry basket of history.

Scientists have produced a coating that could make filthy rugby shirts and grubby football shorts a thing of the past.

The "self-cleaning" process makes fabrics repel water, resist stains and even kill off the bacteria that grow in sweat and make clothes smell. As a result, kit could be worn repeatedly between washes, the distinctive aroma of kit bags gone for ever – even performance on the field could be enhanced.

Scientists working for the US Air Force have already produced T-shirts and underwear that can be worn for weeks at a time without washing, and the technology has now been licensed to a London company, Alexium, to develop for civilian applications.