I wasn't going to get into the "play sand" part of this thread debate, but there are some inaccurate assumptions being suggested which some may not recognize as such, and facts are facts that no one can reasonably argue (one either agrees or disagrees with fact) but there are some valid and legitimate opinions derived from those facts that can and should be debated so we learn. We just have to keep the true facts in mind.
Any substrate can and will compact, depending upon depth, plants (rooted therein), presence of snails, sometimes the type of fish (large plecos and digging cichlids for example will rescape down to the bottom glass), and of course what if any disturbance the aquarist carries out regularly.
Anaerobic areas are healthy and beneficial, so such areas (provided they are under control, determined by the biological system and additives/maintenance re water changes) should never be deliberately disturbed by the aquarist. There is no reason why the sand substrate in any tank need be "cleaned" by the aquarist in most cases, if the biological system is functioning; there are always exceptions though.
Depending upon the fish species, I think that the substrate is often best left alone (by the aquarist). The play sand substrate in my cory tank is never touched by me, yet there is never any detritus that flies up from their digging behaviours or if I should disturb an area of open sand. Clearly they are keeping it clean. The plants are thriving, I now only use a Flourish Tab next to each of the largish sword plants because these are very heavy feeding plants and their response shows they need this. I stopped the liquid some months back, but from the spread of the floating Water Sprite you would not know it. This is a low-maintenance tank about as much as one could be and still be healthy for the fish/plants.
Play sand is the most highly refined of all industrial sands. That means it will be the least rough/abrasive industrial sand. Please do not argue this, it is fact, just ask Quikrete how they process their range of sands. One can say this fact is not important in their situation, fine, that can certainly be the case; just don't try to support a valid opinion by denying the underlying fact.
I switched to Quikrete Play Sand some 8-9 years ago and have never had issues that I could attribute to problems with the sand. Keeping it somewhat shallow (some would think) probably benefits, along with my work-a-holic snails, my minimal fish feeding (all manufacturers tell us to feed way more than any tank fish need to be healthy, both quantity and frequency), and my careful fish stocking (number but also species that are truly compatible with each other, in suitable numbers, and compatible with their environment).
