Why do certain types of thermoplastics or rubber (i.e. used for soft buttons of a tv remote or the insulation of cheap headphone cables) turn sticky or even gooey after they haven’t been used in a long while?
In: 41
They use cheap injection-moldable plastics that tend to break down in the presence of the oils that your skin produces. When you use the thing every day, you’re rubbing off the tiny amount on the surface that’s reacted, so you don’t notice it. When you don’t use it for a while, though, more of it can build up.
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