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 sticky object gathers dust over time. Cleaning it removes the dust exposing the adhesive surface.
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