Dish Soap Trick / Masking Acrylic with Dish Soap

If you've been reading up on all things acrylic, you've heard of using dish soap as a masking agent, or in place of masking.  But what's the deal? 
You can checkout the video below for a visual, but it's a really simple idea of applying a thin layer of dish soap to your acrylic. Dish soap acts as a natural flame retardant so it works well in the laser. No need to let it dry, just a few drops on your material and a paper towel or paint brush to spread it evenly across and you're ready to rock and roll!