How to Eliminate Static Electricity

I had a shocking moment at work the other day. Quite literally. Now, I'm prone to getting zapped every now and again, especially in the winter months. But I never experienced quite the shock as I did at work.

I walked over to the ladies' room and as I went to turn on the light, I hit a screw on the light switch box. (The box is located on the exterior of the bathroom) When my finger touched that little piece of metal, I received the jolt of my life.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed. Co-workers ran over not just because of my yelp, but also because they heard the "CRACK" noise from across the office. My boss grabbed my wrist and was shocked, too. She thought my blood was literally boiling-she commented that my veins appeared to be bubbling. There was also laughter from the crowd; my hair was standing straight up. They all said they had never seen or heard anything like that.

This little shock also hurt. My wrist clear up to my elbow winced in pain for several moments. My hair continued to stand on end for some time. I was shocked a few more times shortly after, as well as shocked a co-worker who touched my wrist.

They joked it was my electric personality. But, whatever caused that major shock made me curious about static electricity. Most are familiar with what causes it, and some home remedies to get rid of static cling. Many may have experimented with it in elementary school, perhaps by rubbing a balloon on your hair to watch it stand up. My favorite was the comb trick, where after rubbing your hair with the comb, you can change the flow of water from a faucet.

Here, I'll take a look at some facts about this electrifying phenomenon and how we can eliminate it:

CAUSES OF STATIC ELECTRICITY

Static electricity is caused when certain materials are rubbed against each other, like wool on plastic or the soles of your shoes on the carpet. This process causes electrons to be pulled from the surface of one material and relocated to the other.

Sparks will fly when two objects that have opposite charges get near each other; the electrical field pulls them together. The negatively charged electrons are attracted to the atoms in the other material that have an excess positive charge.

ELIMINATING STATIC ELECTRICITY

Tip #1 for Eliminating Static Electricity - Increase humidity in the home or workplace. This can be done with a humidifier, or even adding more plants. (A humidity of 30% is good.)

Tip #2 for Eliminating Static Electricity - Going along with the above tip, also make your hands moister by using lotion. The drier your hands are, the more likely you are to get shocked.

Tip #3 for Eliminating Static Electricity - Wear natural fibers like cotton. Synthetic fibers are more likely to pick up a charge. (That's why some of those pesky items attach to others in the dryer.)

Tip #4 for Eliminating Static Electricity - Use antistatic mats at work or home for either a walkway or underneath a computer chair

Tip #5 for Eliminating Static Electricity - try ESD resistant shoes. Yes. They actually make electrostatic discharge resistant shoes.

Tip #6 for Eliminating Static Electricity - there are anti-static strips that can be placed on items sensitive to static.

As long as their are atoms, there will be the chance of getting shocked. For the most part, shocks are not harmful. But paying attention to the above tips could prevent a nasty zap.