Last week when I saw Pioneer Woman at her book signing, she mentioned that she was having a tinsy static problem at that moment. Her shirt, she said, was completely stuck to her back.
“Shocking, simply shocking…”
Welcome to Utah, PW. With our ultra dry air, static is a way of life here. It’s especially bad in the winter.
Do you have static problems in more humid climates? I’m not sure.
Here’s a few things I’ve found to combat the static invasion.
- 1/4 cup of white vinegar in my rinse cycle seems to be helping- and once my clothes are dry, there is no vinegary smell. The vinegar also works wonders for keeping my clothing soft.
- If I use my dryer, I don’t dry the clothes 100%. My dryer automatically stops when the clothes are slightly damp dry. For some reason this seems to help. I wish I knew why.
- Clothes that have been dried on my drying rack have much less static, I’m sure the same science applies here.
- My natural fiber clothing are less prone to static. It’s an incentive to buy 100% cotton or linen clothing.
- When I do put on a skirt with a liner and a pair of stockings, and the liner sticks to my legs, a quick spray with WATER from a water bottle does the trick. The static instantly disappears. Yes, I did say water. Isn’t that amazing? And free!
- Applying body lotion really helps too. On my body…. not the clothes, of course.
Static is a sticky problem and I hope a few of these tips help.
What do you do to combat static?
You nailed it. Sunday my skirt was having an issue since it had a lining. Ick. Next time I’ll try water. I forgot that. I grew up in a humid climate but polyester was very popular in the 70s so even there we had some static cling. Thanks Calli
I keep a piece of a dryer sheet in my pocket every day to help tame the static, even in hair, though you really only want to rub it over your hair a couple of times in one day or it can leave a film that it not the best.
I have found that a spray bottle filled with water and a small amount of fabric softner is great to spray through the house on things like couch, chairs, pillows, curtains and carpets helps alot as well as I run a vaporazer day and nite. Also spray coats and hats.
We hardly ever have static here in ultra humid southern Louisiana – the 90% humidity must prevent it :-)
I grew up in Idaho, and I remember static driving me crazy! But now I live in the midwest, and I don’t even use dryer sheets. But I’d trade the dry air for the humidity in a heartbeat. :)
I have 3 kids under 5 and in the winter we spend a lot of time indoors. It gets awfully dry in the house, so I often boil a huge pot of water on the stove which really helps alleviate static cling and dry nasal passages:) You can really feel the difference after only 10 minutes. Just a word of warning–don’t forget about the pot on the stove!
I put lotion over my pantyhose to keep a dress, slip or skirt from sticking!
LOL not on the clothes! I had to giggle at that. Great tips. I’m always sticking to my clothes. Thanks for the suggestions!
Putting lotion on my hands and legs before putting tights on keeps the static under control. I don’t like to use dryer sheets so I lightly smooth my lotioned hands over my hair as well.
That’s exactly what I do, too. Really helps, and I have hand lotion in my purse most of the time anyway.
I have found that spraying a little hairspray on the underside of dresses and skirts helps tame the static. This is especially useful if you’re wearing wrap skirts or silk skirts with many layers.
Hairspray also does the trick. This tip is handy when travelling. Spray a little hair spray on the inside of your clothing and give it a shake. it will stop the static completely and it won’t stick to you or anything like that.
I run a metal hanger over the static-filled piece of clothing and *poof*… static is gone.
The trick is to keep natural and synthetic fabrics separate, that and vinegar added to the rinse cycle. I haven’t had static in years with this method, not in the desert nor the humid south :)
I just recently read that attaching a metal safety pin to the staticy piece of clothing will help – I tried it on my worst static-infected skirt and it worked all day :)
Gina
with regard to stopping the dryer a little early, im guessing this doesn’t allow the static to build up. kind of like when you rub your stocking feet on the carpeting to build up static and shock your little brother? the clothes are not rubbing against each other and creating more static. just a thought!
These are fantastic tips.
I just recently heard about the vinegar and plan to begin using that. We just ordered Charlie’s soap and will use the vinegar as the softener. :o) Imagine what we will save!
There is a leave in hair conditioner called “it’s a 10” that is the BEST anti static product I’ve ever found. A sprits or two works great even on dry hair to combat the rising hair, and yes it even works on clothes. It’s not the cheapest leave in conditioner out there, but when you hardly have to use any (because it works) it lasts what seems like forever!