08/09/2010
How to get rid of static electricity
Static electricity occurs as a result of charges difference (negative and positive) between two objects. Sparks, which occur during discharge, cause irritable effect on the human body. How to minimize this affect? Below are several static control methods.
* Increase the humidity of your home. You can do this with a humidifier. The humidifier will add moisture to the air. This moisture will make the air more conductive, which will decrease the ability of things in your home to retain a static charge. The vaporizer humidifier is the best at adding humidity. The only issue with it is that you must use distilled water; otherwise, the minerals in tap water will make your house extra dusty.
* Clothing made from cotton. Some materials have a tendency to lose electrons and become positively charged. These include air, skin, fur, glass, nylon, wool, silk, and aluminum. Other materials have a tendency to gain electrons and become negatively charged. These include Teflon, silicon, polystyrene, polyester, gold, brass, Mylar, and cellophane. Put a positive like wool next to a negative like polyester, and you have an electron exchange and the creation of static electricity. Cotton is a neutral material, so if you wear cotton, you won't be as good at generating static.
* Shoes that have good conductivity. Shoes that don't conduct electricity well are known as insulators. The best insulating shoes would be made from glass, paper, or Teflon. But rubber like polymers and plastic are about as good as it gets. There are many antistatic safety boots on the market. They conduct electricity from the sole of your foot to the bottom of the boot. Basically, they keep you grounded so you can't retain any static charge. Or you could just go barefoot.
* Dryer sheets added to the dryer. A drier sheet is an example of an external antistatic agent. It contains a chemical that attaches itself to the surface of the clothing during the cycle. This chemical makes the surface of the clothes slightly conductive. And since conductive things are lousy at static production, it gets rid of static cling. But this variant is not good for people who have sensitive skin or asthma as they may be affected by the chemicals. There are chemical-free alternatives.
* Getting rid of static on your pets. Spray your pet's fur with a little water to make their fur more conductive, thereby making it incapable of static charge. Or get an ionic brush. It ionizes air while you brush. The released ions should be enough to neutralize the static charge in the fur. The ionic brush will probably go over better than the water sprayer.
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