Which Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays is safest?

3M Scotchgard Fabric & Carpet Cleaner is the highest-graded Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays product we have scored, at 85/100.

42Poor

Do Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays have PFAS?

The verdict October 2026

Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays average 42 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 21 Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays graded as of October 2026, above the 40 out of 100 median for the 29 other fabric stain guard sprays brands graded alongside it.

Free to quote with attribution to PFAS Authority and a link to pfasauthority.com/brands/scotchgard/stain-guard-spray.

Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays average Poor on our four-band scale. 1 of the 21 we graded is worth buying. That is above 86% of the fabric stain guard sprays brands we grade.

PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Grades are model-based, built from published ingredients, materials, certifications, brand disclosures and third-party lab results where they exist. See the rubric.

What Scotchgard says and does about PFAS

Scotchgard has a long history with PFAS. In 2000, 3M agreed with the US EPA to phase out the PFOS chemistry used in some Scotchgard lines, and the NRDC reported that 3M stopped selling Scotchgard aerosol cans with PFAS in June 2020. 3M, which makes Scotchgard, says it completed its exit from PFAS manufacturing at the end of 2025, and that transitional efforts are ongoing. Texas’s attorney general has sued 3M and DuPont, alleging misleading advertising about the safety of brands including Scotchgard.

Regulatory filingIn 2000 the US EPA announced that 3M would voluntarily phase out PFOS chemistry used in a range of products, including some of its Scotchgard lines. US EPA (archive) ↗
Brand statementThe NRDC reported that 3M stopped selling Scotchgard branded aerosol cans with PFAS as of June 2020. NRDC (archived page) ↗
Brand statementIn December 2022, 3M announced it would exit PFAS manufacturing and work to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025. 3M ↗
Brand statement3M says it completed its exit of PFAS manufacturing at the end of 2025, and that transitional efforts are ongoing. 3M (archived page) ↗
Legal caseTexas’s attorney general sued 3M and DuPont, alleging misrepresentations and omissions in advertising the safety of brand names such as Teflon, Stainmaster and Scotchgard. Texas Attorney General ↗
Government sourceEPA’s own 2000 statement on the phase-out named Scotchgard directly, saying 3M would voluntarily phase out and find substitutes for PFOS chemistry used to produce a range of products including some of their Scotchgard lines. U.S. EPA press statement, May 2000, filed as a Minnesota Attorney General trial exhibit ↗
Government sourceIn the same 2000 documents EPA described 3M as the sole US manufacturer of the PFOS family of chemicals, and said continued manufacture and use of PFOS represented an unacceptable technology that should be eliminated. U.S. EPA, May 2000, Minnesota Attorney General trial exhibit ↗
Brand statement3M’s own presentation records that the first Scotchgard protector was based on POSF chemistry, and that its post phase-out reformulation in 2002 was based on PBSF as a building block. Both are fluorochemicals, so the 2000 phase-out changed which PFAS was used rather than removing them. 3M, PFAS status presentation ↗
Brand statementA 3M customer letter reproduced in that presentation says 3M was transitioning certain Scotchgard products to formulations that do not use PFAS, stopping manufacture of the affected products by 30 June 2020. The same deck lists six Scotchgard-line products as still PFAS at that date alongside a separate PFAS-free list. 3M, PFAS status presentation ↗
Independent testAcademic measurement published in Chemosphere found the post-2002 reformulated Scotchgard mixture contained 1.8 percent fluorine, higher than the 0.5 percent measured in the pre-2002 PFOS-era mixture. That bears on the 2002 to 2020 formulations rather than on anything sold now. Fredriksson and colleagues, Chemosphere 2022, abstract via PubMed ↗
MaterialsThe one current 3M document we found that addresses PFAS in a Scotchgard product covers roofing granules, and uses the qualified wording that PFAS are not intentionally used in the manufacturing process or composition of the product. 3M, Scotchgard Protector roofing granules FAQ ↗
Legal case3M announced a settlement with US public water suppliers over PFAS, contributing up to a present value of $10.3 billion over 13 years, and stated that the agreement is not an admission of liability. A federal court granted final approval in 2024. 3M ↗
Brand statementAnnouncing its exit from PFAS manufacturing, 3M said that while PFAS can be safely made and used it also saw an opportunity to lead in a changing regulatory and business landscape. The announcement does not mention Scotchgard. 3M ↗

Sources checked October 1, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.

Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays worth buying Good or better, best-graded first

Scotchgard

3M Scotchgard Fabric & Carpet Cleaner

85ExcellentPFAS grade

aqueous cleaner solution, surfactants
Skin and eye irritation from surfactants, Aqueous cleaners inherently contain surfactants that can irritate…

4 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.

Full breakdown Buy

Graded and flagged Poor and Bad, we’d swap these

Scotchgard

Carpet Protector Spray

40PoorPFAS grade

Fluorochemical-based water and stain repellent coating
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from spray application, Aerosol spray formulations typically contain…

3 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.

Do Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays have PFAS?

What Scotchgard says and does about PFAS

Scotchgard fabric stain guard sprays worth buying Good or better, best-graded first

3M Scotchgard Fabric & Carpet Cleaner

Graded and flagged Poor and Bad, we’d swap these

Carpet Protector Spray

Rug & Carpet Protector

Carpet & Rug Protector

Auto Interior Fabric & Carpet Protector

Fabric Protector

Fabric Protector 10 oz.

Fabric & Upholstery Protector 3-Pack

Rug & Carpet Protector 14 Oz.

Fabric Water Shield

Sun and Water Shield

PF DISCON Water Shield Repellent

Rug & Carpet Protector 4406-17 PF

(2 pack) Scotchgard Outdoor Water Shield, 10.5 oz, 1 Can

3M Scotchgard Heavy Duty Water Shield

Fabric and Upholstery Protector

Fabric and Upholstery Protector Spray

Fabric Crafts Water Shield

Fabric & Upholstery Protector

Heavy Duty Water Shield

Outdoor Water Shield Fabric Protector Spray

Better fabric stain guard sprays from other brands

Waterproofing Wax for Leather

Mink Oil Paste Leather Waterproofer and Contitioner 3 oz

Waximum Waxed Leather Protector

The same question, asked of the other fabric stain guard sprays brands