Well, we all pretty much know what cling film is, but did you know the answer to this question?

Why doesn't cling film cling to a metal bowl as well as it does to an equally smooth glass or ceramic one?

a. Cling film, known as cling wrap in the US, works because it acquires an electric charge as it is peeled from the roll. It can then stick to an insulating body by the same mechanism that an uncharged piece of paper sticks to the charged glass of your computer or television screen.

The mechanism relies upon the cling film and the object to which it is sticking being at a substantially different electrical potential. This works when the object is an insulator. When the object is metal, the charge on the film is dissipated throughout the object, so negating the effect.

Old cling film taken off the roll doesn't work either. After a while, the charge breaks away, and the clingyness is lost.
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