You have to wipe the last bit of water off pretty much everything, how does the last bit of water stick to most surfaces?
In: Chemistry
It comes down to whether your cleaning item can absorb or wipe all of the water. But since it sounds like you’re talking about absorption, you’re looking at a scenario where the thing you’re using to “wipe down” your surface has run out of usable wicking material. In my experience, a cheap paper towel or napkin can barely hold water, but a cheap cloth towel isn’t much better. The “optimal” tool (without getting into expensive solutions) is a decently-made microfiber towel. A hand-towel size microfiber cloth is usually able to wipe and dry off a table for 4-6 people. But you should also note that microfiber towels need to be washed in a very specific way to keep them in good working condition.
But there are other factors, too. Sometimes, a surface that looks clean actually has a film of dirty stuff that clings both to water and to the surface, which will require a cleaning agent like a degreaser or a detergent to break up. Or sometimes, the surface can be made of a material that attracts water or have a texture that can “hide” water from your absorbing tool. In some cases, too (if have the right conditions), a wiping tool could create just enough static in a surface that attracts water, which would then push up the absorbency you need to draw up all of the water on the surface
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