Canon 12x36IS II Binoculars: Rubber coating becoming gummy

[Poses]

I have a pair of Canon 12x36IS II Binoculars I bought in 2008 and The rubber coating on my binocular is becoming gummy, moveable and imprints everything, I took these on one trip when I bought them new otherwise they are stored on a shelve in my living room in the case, I pull them out once or twice a month for use. Is this normal? why is this happening and what can be done to stop this?

[Ken-SRQ]

I second the butanol alcohol solution. Noxious stuff but it does the job. Rubber gloves, two covid masks, well ventilated area, lint free painters cloth ($7 at Home Depot for a 10-pack), some Q-Tips, and a couple of hours rubbing. I did it in 20-30 minute stages over a few days leaving it overnight to dry. Looks good now with no 'sticky' surfaces. 

[poppaB]

I am in a very similar situation. I hadn't used my binoculars for a few months, and when I took them out, they were sticky or gummy. There were suggestions on the internet to use isopropyl alcohol or mild soap and water. After testing a limited area, I found no change. I can see that this has happened enough that it seems unlikely that Canon would not be aware.

[Ken-SRQ]

Butanol alcohol, not isopropyl alcohol, is the solution. See my post directly above yours for instructions. 

Canon is very aware of the issue and will happily charge you several hundred dollars to replace the binoculars.