It is called the "lotus effect', or nature's principle of self-cleaning surfaces. And it could revolutionise the manufacture and use of several everyday products, particularly paints. You could have cars that don't need washing, house fronts that stay clean for years at an end, and even a reduction in the use of household chemicals for cleaning operations. All this and more, merely from studying nature's gift to the lotus plant.

Wilhelm Barthlott, professor of systematics and biodiversity at the botanical garden of the University of Bonn, Germany, is the man behind this exciting new discovery. He conducted a special study of the lotus leaf and how water cleans its surface. Its unique structure and self-purifying properties have encouraged scientists to devise ways of making long lasting, dirt-repelling products in the form of paints, roof tiles, and what have you.
The method behind the gift The process undermines the popular belief that smooth surfaces are best at repelling dirt. When water drops on a smooth leaf surface, it shifts the dirt particles without washing them away. But the lotus is different. The waxy surface of the lotus leaf is actually quite rough. Observed at the microscopic level, it is coated with a thick bumpy layer of wax.

This conspicuous layer of impermeable