I’ve had several objects over the years that are sticky on purpose (game pieces for travel games, Cricut cutting mats, jelly window clings, etc), and usually instructions will say if they begin to lose their stickiness, wash with soap and water and leave out to dry. I understand that debris can cover up a sticky surface, but why does the soap not remove or otherwise create a film that would prevent the sticky from sticking? What properties of the soap and the sticky item are at play? And if the item is entirely sticky, does it count as an adhesive, and why does soap not just remove the adhesive?
In: Chemistry
The objects are made of materials that are inherently sticky. Over time, the surface area of the object comes into contact with dust, lint, or other fine particles, that cling to the object. When enough of the surface is covered in particulates, it inhibits the material from sticking to other surfaces. Washing the object removes the particulates from the surface clearing it to be inherently sticky again.
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