But, after fooling with them a while, Omega Man knows exactly what's going on here. I've heard other climbers complain of exactly the same problem you have and they use exactly the same lubricant. This leads Omega Man to tap his pipe against his teeth like Sherlock Holmes and deduce that White Lightning may be the likely suspect. This helps to reduce the amount of dirt and grime it'll pick up. However, with a carabiner, there simply isn't that kind of spring tension to reliably return the gate to the notch as that waxy buildup occurs.
ALL lubricants pick up dirt and grime to one degree or another.
Then we gave them a good brushing with an old toothbrush at the hinges. After that, we shot them with a little silicone spray lubricant. I assume it's some sort of oxidation from the biners, but I've never noticed this before. Omega Man just knows a little about ropes. You see, Kyle, in order to apply a dry treatment to a rope, it needs a carrier-a liquid medium that permits the treatment to be applied to the cord.