Static electricity is what causes static cling in clothing. When two different objects are rubbed together, one loses electrons and the other gains electrons. The one that loses electrons becomes negatively charged. and the one that gains electrons becomes positively charged. Transferring these electrons is what causes static electricity. That was your science lesson for the day!
I’m sure you have noticed, that during the cold weather when the air is dry, static cling is everywhere! Indoor air is made even more dry by forced air heating that we have in our homes and other buildings. Synthetic fibers are particularly prone to generating static. Synthetic fibers are found in everywhere, like in our clothing, carpeting and home fabrics. Rubber soled shoes are partially to blame too!
Here’s are some tricks I learned from my husband who knows a lot about electricity. He’s actually an engineer. He told me that metal will help discharge the buildup of static electricity, and prevent static cling. No chemicals or sprays are needed.
You can do it a few different ways.
Attach a safety-pin to the inside of your hem or an inside seam of your skirt or pants to discharge the static. The metal of the safety-pin discharges the electrical build-up in your clothes, preventing that build-up from shocking you or causing the garment to stick to you.
You can also eliminate static from building up in the dryer by attaching a few safety pins to a small towel or washcloth and toss in the dryer along with your laundry. The metal of the safety pins will act like mini-lightning rods for the static!
It also helps to remove the clothing from the dryer just before it is completely dry and hang it up while it is just barely damp.
If necessary, rub a metal hanger over the items of clothing that are stuck together with static (this picks up the loose electrons!) It’s like a fun science experiment! Have your kids try it!
You’ll be amazed at how well these static eliminating techniques work.
Do you have any other tricks you use to eliminate static?
absolutely great tip
Use a ball of aluminum foil in the dryer w/ clothes when you try them.
Im so glad I came as cross this. I shock people at work and its embarrassing!
This may be a stupid question and that idea is brilliant, but why wouldn’t zippers or buttons on jeans work the same way? Or does it and I maybe just never noticed? I get such horrible static all the time. In my hair (it literally stands on end), when getting out if my car, or even to shake someone’s hand. I can’t ever get rid of it 🙁
Thank you for your time,
Lulu
I don’t think I have had static in jeans or pants that have a metal zipper. Some of my slacks and skirts that are a synthetic blend have nylon zippers, so I do get static in them. I fasten a safety pin to the hem 😉
Boy i thought i was the only one with this issue…i have the same things happen to me. ..i am going to try this
LuLu You can actually spray Static Guard [lightly] on your hair. Maybe hold your head upside down and hold the can several inches away and spray and again after you flip your hair back and give it one more spray. Also, you could use a dryer sheet and loosely attach to your blow dryer with a rubber band or just lightly rub dryer sheet onto your hair and your hair brush. Good luck!
I have a quick question that is similar… This year I’ve noticed that I have been having a horrible time with static electricty all around me. The two biggest places are my couch (we just bought it this year, fabric couch with plastic feet) and my desk chair at work (again fabric seat, plastic base/wheels, and on carpeting). Both are recipes for a ton of static. The big problem is that whenever I sit in one of them and get up, the next thing I touch will shock me. This is starting to get extremely painful. Do you have any ideas on what I can do? I’ve tried wearing a paperclip on me. Nada. I’ve also gone so far as to wipe down my couch and chair in dryer sheets and all that has happened is that I am not the best smelling cubicle in the office! I’m completely frustrated and could use any advice you can give me! Thank you!
Sharon, I know how those static shocks can be painful! It sounds like your office space has the perfect storm for generating static electricity! It is probably a result of all of the synthetic fibers and such. I would suggest you try to reduce anything you can that is synthetic. I hope this helps you!
You might also try setting up a small humidifier in your office, if possible. I have recently been getting shocked every morning when I shut off my bedside fan and it is just the worst way to start the day! I started turning on a humidifier in the room while I sleep and it has cut down the static electricity dramatically!
Great idea! Thank you!
When I was working in a hospital office and getting static cling on my skirts, someone told me to rub lotion on my legs right overtop of my pantyhose. It worked like a charm. My current problem is shopping. When I go to the store – grocery or otherwise and am pushing a cart (metal cart but plastic bar to hold onto to push), I get shocked when reaching to get something off of the shelves. Very painful and frustrating and the painfulness seems to get worse every time it happens. The carts are sometimes painted too, so may have plastic coating in the paint. I was wondering if holding onto my keys, or the sides of the unpainted carts would help?
Thank you.
I know what you mean about the shopping carts! Ouch! That sounds like a good idea. Let’s try it!
“The one that loses electrons becomes negatively charged. and the one that gains electrons becomes positively charged”
Electrons are negatively charged. Something that loses electrons will be positively charged. Something that gains electrons will be negatively charged.
I remember taking off my static gym shorts and wiping them up and down the outside of the metal change stalls to help lol…
1/2 cup of white vinegar in the final rinse will also soften your clothes and leave them smelling fresh with no static cling. I use it in everything from jeans to sheets and towels, much cheaper than fabric softner.
Jo, that sounds like a wonderful idea! I use vinegar to clean most everything in my home so why not my clothes as well? Thanks for the insight!
This is exciting! I can’t wait to do my next load of laundry.
PAPER CLIPS TUCKED INTO THE HEM OF YOUR CLOTHING ELIMINATES STATIC CLING. I HAVE TRIED THIS AND IT WORKS
SOMEONE ELSE WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON HIS HANDS HA HA
Do not use rubber slipers or shoes. or Nail a sole to ground the static cling.
I use three foil balls in my loads and still get static……my next venture will be wool balls, though after the foil failure I’m increasingly hesitant.
I really like your tip about attaching a few safety pins to a small towel or washcloth to help with static while the clothes are drying. My sister would be happy to know that are other ways to get static out of their clothes and her kids will love experimenting with these ideas. I will be sharing these eliminating static cling tips with my sister.
Very useful article with the scientific explanation. Thank you so much for providing this valuable information.
I didn’t know that static electricity is the culprit for static cling.
I’ll always use a safety pin to discharge the electricity.