Dealing with a typical Cdn winter issue: static electricity!
Posted December 6, 2013 10:09 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – At least it’s a dry cold. Have you ever heard that one?
In this case, it is true and we are dealing with a cold weather annoyance because of it: static electricity!
If you hate the uncomfortable “snap” you are certainly not alone. But Gordon Whitson, editor-in-chief at lifehacker has some tips on lessening the “wince” every time you go to touch something in this weather.
“I’m from Michigan, so I’m no stranger to freezing cold weather and static electricity,” he laughs. “Whenever we get to about November, everything becomes statically charged. You walk through your house and every time you touch metal you get a giant shock.”
It’s no surprise when you’re wearing wool socks and a wool sweater to stay warm.
“One of the best you things can do is de-static your home with a humidifier,” explains Gordon. “One of the reasons you get so much static electricity in the winter is because the air is so dry. If you get a humidifier in your home and you keep it above 30 per cent relative humidity — though 40 or 50 per cent is better — you can decrease the amount of static electricity you get.”
You can also try a wardrobe change; ditch the trendy merino fleece.
“Wool is definitely worse than cotton, so if you wear cotton socks and a cotton sweatshirt instead of wool socks and a sweater, that’s going to be better,” he tells News1130. “You may not be quite as warm but that’s the kind of trade off you might have to make.”
At least you will be less hesitant to touch anything metal when it gets so cold and dry.
“Every time I go to grab something I just know that this lightning bolt of electricity is going to come. I wince every time. But one of the things you can do to protect against that is when you know you’re going to get a static shock, instead of touching something with your fingertips, hit it with your knuckles or your arm or something not quite so sensitive. It won’t hurt or make you jump so much.”
Here’s a bonus tip from a cold-weather expert: don’t try the tongue-on-a-freezing-metal-pole thing.
“Never do that. I never did. I was too smart to fall for that,” chuckles Gordon.
Novelty or not, your tongue actually will stick to sub-zero metal. It’s downright painful.
