system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why isn't it possible to wring a cloth completely dry?
gpt
Water, at the molecular level, forms attachments to fibers that are absorbant like cotton. The small weak forces keep the water attached and prevent you from physically removing it by trapping it and also providing it a haven. You can't compress the fibers with your hands hard enough to squeeze the small pockets where the water resides and remove them.

So between the cotton being a good absorbant and your lack of physical strengh required to manually remove the water, some will inevitably remain. Even in a "dry" shirt, there is still ~1-3% moisture in the shirt at all times due to the cotton absorbing water straight out of the air or off your skin.