Dealing with Static Shocks
What These Are and Practical Tips to Handle Them
Learn about static shocks and some practical tips to minimize their frequency and severity in winter.
What Are Static Shocks?
On average, about 60% – 70% of the human body is made up of water. This makes us walking conductors, continuously accumulating electrostatic charges while performing normal activities. For example, as you walk across a piece of carpet, electrons (which carry a negative charge) get transferred to you. In the process, you gained extra electrons and a negative static charge.
During summer, when the atmosphere is more humid, the moisture in the air helps you to transfer away the extra electrons constantly. This way, the negative static charge in your body does not build up.
In winter, when the air is very dry and arid, the frequency and severity of static shocks increase. This is because the low level of moisture in the air, coupled with your dry skin, does not provide much opportunity for the electrons gathered by your body to dissipate quickly and easily, thus causing the negative static charge to keep building up.
When you come into contact with conductors, the static charge gets transferred over rapidly, resulting in a static shock that is often accompanied by a popping sound. Most metals are conductors, so the static shock can happen when you touch a door knob or hold a clothes hanger. The stronger the built-up static charge, the more painful your fingertips will feel during the transfer.
Practical Tips to Reduce the Frequency and Severity of Static Shocks:
- When indoors, ensure that there is a minimum level of moisture in the air by having humidifiers in the home and office. A more primitive method is to fill a few cups or bowls with water and leave these in the various rooms. Then, let the natural evaporation process take its course.
- Wear clothing made only of natural fiber, such as cotton and wool. Synthetic and blended materials like polyester pick up more of a static charge compared to natural fibers.
- Use a fabric softener when washing your clothes. This helps to further reduce the static build-up in the materials.
- To neutralize negative charges in clothes and other objects, rub them using the positive electrode of a battery.
- When inside the house, walk barefoot. This helps to reduce static build-up.
- Wear special electro-static dissipative (ESD) shoes. These have specially-made soles that absorb and neutralize loose electrons. Negative charges in the body are also sent into the floor, so there will not be any static buildup followed by sudden discharge. Specialty brands include Ground Zero, Elme and Bokar International. Some commercial footwear brands - such as Carolina, Dunham, Nautilus and Timberland - also carry selected models with in-built ESD technology.
- Apply hand lotion or moisturizer to keep your hands from becoming too dry. Those who suffer from severe static shocks may wish to consider using special static dissipative lotions. A wide range of these products is available at Empire Safety and Supply. Other brands of anti-static hand lotions include Techspray Zero Charge, Rezstore and Killstat.
- As a last resort, wear a thimble on your finger or carry a coin with you. Use these objects to touch grounded metallic objects as often as possible to dissipate the negative electrons in your body. Doing this will not totally eliminate sudden static discharges, but it will at least reduce the pain you feel in your fingertips.
