Who has never felt a small electric shock in contact with an object or between two people? Unexpected, often striking, these small electric shocks are nevertheless not dangerous. This article explains static electricity and teaches you how to avoid it .

How does static electricity arise

Our whole environment is charged with electricity, positive and negative . When two materials with insulating properties come into contact, rub together and resist coming apart, an electric shock occurs. This physical phenomenon comes from the modification of the electrical charge of matter.

Throughout the day, we come into contact with the elements and we also charge ourselves with electricity. If our electrical charge is out of balance when we come into contact with an electrically conductive element – be it a door handle, a piece of clothing, an animal, another person, a particular material – the rebalancing will take place by a transfer of electrons from our body to the affected surface which will manifest itself by this electric shock, without danger because of low intensity.

We notice that in winter, this phenomenon occurs more and that we have much more often the hair which stands on the head. There are several reasons for this. The main reason lies in the decrease in humidity in the air. The more humid the air, the more it conducts electricity . When the air is drier in winter, it becomes more insulating and, electricity circulating less well, our body stores more electrical charge. Balancing by electricity transfer will therefore take place more frequently. Similarly, someone who tends to have dry skin will experience more electric shocks than someone who has more hydrated skin. Then, the materials of winter clothing, wool and synthetic fabrics, are good conductors of electricity.

What to do to avoid static electricity

Knowing that static electricity is favored by dry ambient air , dry skin or certain clothing materials, here are some tips to counter it.

If the air is too dry in your home, plug in a humidifier. For your clothes, favor clothes made of natural materials, add fabric softener to the wash, avoid wool and synthetics in winter, prefer shoes with leather soles. Moisturize your skin regularly, especially your hands. For the hair, no too frequent washing or plastic brush.

To prevent static electricity from building up on your armchairs, seats and carpets, do not hesitate to rub them with fabric softener.

Difficult to get rid of when it appears at home or at work. Static electricity largely depends on our environment and our clothing . Find out how to remove or limit it, by intervening on these different elements of daily life!

How to get rid of static electricity?

1. Humidify the air in your rooms

Renewed, fresh and humidified air is less propagative of static electricity. Not to mention creating condensation on the windows , you can simply have green plants sprayed regularly, or use a small humidifier to raise or maintain the degree of humidity in your interior.

As for heating, it tends to dry out the air in the room, favoring the appearance of static. So, in winter, ventilate and ventilate more often!

2. Choose clothes made of natural fibers

To prevent your clothes from stinging you too often, choose natural fibers. If they are synthetic, place them on a metal hanger in your bathroom before getting ready or taking your shower , to take advantage of the humidity naturally present in this room.

3. Attach importance to floors!

Walking on a synthetic carpet with shoes contributes to the production of electrostatic charge, by friction phenomenon . Leather or rubber soles are good insulators, and can help you, if your office  has carpet, for example.

At home, wear woolen socks instead, walk barefoot on the carpet or prefer cotton rugs , which are much less subject to this type of electricity!

To go further, certain “dissipative” fiber coverings, in lino, PVC or plastic materials in general are particularly appreciated in workshops or offices equipped with computers, because they are non-conductive.

4. Adopt new laundry habits

We told you about it a little earlier, laundry and clothing are at the heart of the little hassles of static electricity. But you can fix it, by washing them differently !

Take out your wet laundry as soon as the wash is finished and dry it in the open air if possible, Place a pinch of baking soda in the laundry before washing it. This miracle product protects your clothes from the electrical agglomeration produced by the friction of the drum!

What causes static electricity?

Under normal conditions, all matter around us is electrically neutral, because the number of protons (positive charges) is equal to the number of electrons (negative charges). The phenomenon of electrostatic discharge occurs during a redistribution of electrical charges between different insulating materials : friction then allows charges to be transposed from one object to another, causing a discharge of static electricity!