We have studied the interaction of single-wall carbon nanotube and graphite surfaces with a variety of adsorbates, ranging from inert gases to polar molecules, solvents and aromatic compounds using thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). These studies allow to investigate the wetting properties of such surfaces on the microscopic scale and are unaffected by complications arising with some techniques due to surface roughness. Graphite and nanotube samples are both found to be hydrophobic.