# Surfaces That Dirt Won't Stick To? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602 "2008-06-11T18:38:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/1 "2008-06-11T18:38:17Z")
Can teflon be incorporated into paints, so that you can have objects which don’t get dirty? Take a car-if you had a paint that dirt wouldn’t stick to, washing your car would be a snap. Has anyone tried this? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/2 "2008-06-11T18:44:35Z")
[teflon pants](http://www.google.com/search?q=teflon+pants&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/3 "2008-06-11T18:54:02Z")
If you abrade the surface of a block of Teflon (with sandpaper, or whatever) and then rub dirt into it, it’ll stick. Teflon might resist chemical sticking, but you can still embed things in it mechanically – pretty easily, too – Teflon’s notoriously soft. So just because Teflon is “non-stick” doesn’t mean that it’s “non-dirty”. That’s the way they used to get Teflon to stick to pans and the like, as the Great Master once r4ecorded in a ciolumn – mechanical binding. Of course, soft pure Teflon will rapidly wear or tear off. I think most non-stick surfaces these days are made of something tougher. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/4 "2008-06-11T20:25:05Z")
[Activ glass](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3770353.stm) uses a titanium dioxide nano-scale coating to deactivate dirt and repel water in sunlight. I am sure researchers will be trying to apply this sort of technology to other coatings. Si ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/5 "2008-06-11T21:54:26Z")
You need to be a bit more clear as to what ‘dirt’ you want to repel. There are many different types, like dust, pet hair, skin oil from fingers, saliva, food waste, spilled drinks including sweet sticky soda pop to acidic tomato juice to solvent alcoholic drinks, etc. All of these might be considered ‘dirt’ when on a kitchen wall, but they are quite different from each other. One ingredient that would repel them all seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/6 "2008-06-11T22:10:12Z")
There’s paint inspired by the Lotus plant, which naturally repels dirt and gunk [http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/18/paint\_inspired\_by\_a\_lotus\_flower/](http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/18/paint_inspired_by_a_lotus_flower/) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/7 "2008-06-12T01:15:00Z")
[QUOTE=Fubaya] There’s paint inspired by the Lotus plant, which naturally repels dirt and gunk [http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/18/paint\_inspired\_by\_a\_lotus\_flower/](http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/18/paint_inspired_by_a_lotus_flower/) [/QUOTE] I guess you could say it was your dream car. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surfaces-that-dirt-wont-stick-to/452602/8 "2008-06-12T05:41:40Z")
Teflon is an excellent insulator. It holds electrostatic charge like almost nothing else. If it ever gets any internal charge, it will draw and hold dust like a CRT screen.