Static electricity can be a major nuisance, especially in winter when the air is drier. We've got a variety of homemade solutions to help you get rid of static electricity, electric shocks, and hair that stands on end.
It's the reason why your hair is a frizzy mess, your clothes look disheveled, and you get a shock each time you reach for a doorknob. Static electricity can be embarrassing and literally a pain that wreaks havoc during the winter months. When the air is dry, static cling is everywhere.
What Is Static Electricity?
Static occurs when
electric charges accumulate on an object's surface; this is commonly a result of two materials that are moving apart or rubbing together. For example, rub your feet across a rug, then reach out to touch a doorknob or nearby person. That zap you feel? A charge of static electricity. Very dry air and cold weather increases static electricity, so static shock takes place more often in the winter when the air is especially dry.
How to Get Rid of Static
While there are commercial products available to eliminate static cling, such as
Static Guard, there are also many homemade solutions to reduce this winter irritation. Here's how to control static electricity all around you.
IN THE HOME
- Humidifier: Raising the humidity level in your home via a humidifier will reduce random static shocks, static cling and static in your hair. The water particles in the humid air will break up static charge quicker. More humidity in your home will also limit
electric shocks around computers and electronics, which can cause serious damage.
- DIY humidifier: For a budget-friendly humidifier, simply simmer water on the stove. Throw in a spice like cinnamon or
citrus rinds and you'll also get an
inexpensive air freshener.
- Bring in nature: Incorporate indoor plants and bowls of water around the house to
add moisture to your home.
ON CLOTHES
Fabric softener, the same laundry product that keeps clothes from clinging, can prevent static electricity buildup in cars, carpets and your hair. Photo: Getty Images
- Dryer sheets: Stop static electricity where it starts by throwing in fabric softener sheets or dryer balls in the
machine along with your clothes. This will minimize the fabrics' contact with one another. Already dressed? For a quick fix, simply rub
dryer sheets over the clothes you're wearing to remove static cling. These sheets will also neutralize the electric charge in your hair. (Bonus: You'll end up smelling like fresh laundry.)
- Damp washcloth or towel: Placing a damp cloth in the dryer during the last 10-20 minutes of the cycle will help prevent the air from becoming too dry.
- Wire hanger: Glide the long side of a wire or metal hanger over your clothes to remove static electricity.
- Lotion: After a shower or bath, add moisture to your body. The lotion will act as a barrier and prevent static electricity from building up. Rub lotion on your hands, legs and even a small amount to your hair. Then gently rub your clothes to diffuse shocks directly there as well.
- Hairspray: Spritz hairspray on apparel that tends to be affected by static cling, such as areas on skirts, pants, pantyhose, tights or socks.
- Homemade Static Guard: According to to Joey Green, author of
Joey Green's Fix-It Magic, mixing one cap full of Downy fabric softener in a spray bottle filled with water will give you the DIY version of Static Guard. Spray the mixture on affected areas of clothing.
ON CARPETS
Photo: Paul Mullet, Flickr
- Homemade Static Guard: Sometimes there can be an immense about of static electricity charge in carpets, so much that you'll receive an electric shock every time you touch someone or something metal. To reduce the static and prevent shocks, the same mixture used on clothes can be applied to carpets. Shake mixture and lightly spray over the carpet.
IN HAIR
Photo: StarMama, Flickr
- Use conditioner: The combination of dry winter air and indoor heating often equates to a style-resistant, frizzy mess of static hair. Charles Igergan, stylist and salon owner in a Chicago -- an area known for its harsh, cold winters -- highly suggests
stepping up your conditioning routine. "Every couple of weeks, use an intensive conditioning mask," says Ifergan. Using a rich conditioner will add moisture and reduce the static in your hair.
- Avoid wool hats: Wool generates friction, and as a result produces static electricity. Opt for cotton or cashmere headgear, or wear a satin bonnet underneath your wool cap to
reduce hat hair.
- Brush it away: Spray hairspray or leave-in conditioner in a brush and comb it through your hair. Switching from a nylon or synthetic brush to one with boar bristles will also de-electrify runaway strands.
- Finishing products: Adding a few drops of silicone-based serum or
conditioning oil to your styling routine will create a barrier that eases the electrical charge in your hair.
- Fabric softener sheets: These handy static-fighters are prime for taming flyaway strands, especially if you have fine hair and fear excess styling products. Slide a sheet over hair to get static under control.
IN THE CAR
- Clothes: To keep down static electricity, opt to wear natural fibers like cotton in the winter instead of synthetics like nylon or polyester. Synthetic fabric sliding along car seats can
generate a substantial charge leading to those annoying static shocks.
- Fabric softener sheets: Once again, these handy sheets come to the rescue. Rub car seats with a dryer sheet every couple of weeks to reduce static cling and shocks.
- Metal: When exiting the the car, touch the handle before you slide across the seat. This will
break up the charge instead of letting it build up. Also, before you enter the car, touch the metal door handle first with your keys or some other metal object. This technique will transfer the shock from metal to metal -- and you won't feel a thing. The "metal to metal" strategy can also be applied to household objects, such as doorknobs and kitchen towel racks using keys or silverware.
SEE ALSO:
Energy Savings: Dryers and Washers
20 Uses for Used Dryer Sheets (Apartment Therapy)
Use Aluminum Foil to Keep Clothes Static-Free (Lifehacker)
Auto Clinic Fights Static (Popular Mechanics)
And for more uses for static-removing dryer sheets, watch this video:
Judi Roaman: We Talk Endlessly About the Next President,…
Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
I have tried all the things they said for the hair, none worked for me, anybody got any other ideas?
ReplySHAVE YOU HEAD
I have tried all the things they said about the hair, none have worked for me, anyone have any other ideas for me?
ReplyI have tried everything they said for the hair, none worked for me, anyone have any other ideas for me?
ReplySorry my comment came up 3x.
ReplyI have very long thick hair. I spray static guard on my brush before brushing my hair. I have used it for years. Works great.
rinse your hands under very cold water,dry them lightly then run them thru your hair. static disappears or is greatly reduced, repeat as neccessary.
ReplyA couple of years ago I ended up with an swollen infected hand after my cat bit it from shocking him too many times while petting him. We went to Sears and purchased a Kenmore whole house humidifier. Now everyone is happy. No zapping the cats, no getting zapped by touching metal, my skin feels less dry and itchy, and my hair isn't full of static. We have to refill it about three to five times a day depending on how cold the air is outside. The colder the air the less humidity it has so the more we end up filling it. I also find that I stay warmer with fewer layers if I rub coconut oil or cocoa butter on my skin while I am showering right after washing. The oil stays warm so I stay warm until I get dressed after blotting my skin dry.
ReplyI'd like to know what to do in stores! Sometimes when shopping EVERYTHING I touch shocks me. Sometimes it really , really hurts bad. How can I avoid this???
ReplyA portable whole house humidifier does wonders. Sears has several models that only need to be refilled a few times a day. The wood-colored one is $161.99 and the white one is $139.99. You change the filter once a year. We only use the humidifier in late fall through early spring. And you also use this antibacterial solution that only uses a small capful per refill. We are on our third year and still using the original gallon of that solution. We are keeping our humidity level at 38 percent. Makes your skin feel better, eliminates the static electricity in your hair, and keeps you from getting zapped when touching metal objects in the house. I use Alba shampoo, and very seldom use conditioner.
ReplyI noticed that I don't get shocked as much in store if I walk around with my hand touching something metal like my keys or a necklace that I have on. It is kind of like when they say to touch something metal to discharge static electricity before opening your gas tank and filling it. I think that keeping one hand on something metal helps to keep the discharge from happening.
Reply