Wet Cloth

There I was busy tidying up in the kitchen so that my wife wouldn't angry with me for not keeping the place spick and span while she was away on a trip, and I spilt a glass a water on the stove.

Yes, I am a typical man, so instead of going to the sink to get a dishcloth, I grabbed the nearest thing I could find, which was a clean tea-towel.

Imagine my surprise when I found that it wouldn't absorb the water...

I discovered that a dirty, wet tea-towel was much more effective.

Can you explain why?

Lima, Peru, 24/06/2008