The worry of “getting shocked wherever you touch” in winter and how to fix it

Causes of static electricity

Every time winter comes, many people are afraid because they suddenly feel electrocuted when they touch doorknobs, metal objects, clothes, or even people’s hands. opposite. Why is that?

According to scientific explanations, we inherently know that electrons, protons and neutrons make up atoms. In which electrons have a negative charge. Protons have a positive charge. Neutrons are neutral.

When we move our bodies and rub against our clothes, we lose electrons, also known as negative charge imbalance, leading to excess positive charge.< /p>

Objects such as doorknobs have different electrical charges, but most have a larger negatively charged component. Therefore, when you touch the doorknob, the electrons will move from the object to your hand, creating an electric current and giving us an electric shock, making our hands feel slightly numb.

This is the discharge phenomenon. electrostatic or electrostatic charge (ESD). It often happens when we wear clothes made of synthetic fibers such as polyester nylon – which is a material that easily accumulates electricity if continuously subjected to friction.

A common case In winter, the hair stands up when you take off your hat or shirt… while creating a “crackling” sound. It is even so strong that it causes sparks to create sounds that startle us.

In fact, you can encounter this charge imbalance all the time, not just What winter? However, in winter the condition will become worse due to the effects of humidity. This is inherently a factor closely related to the phenomenon of electrostatic discharge.

Basically cold air does not hold as much moisture as warm air masses and makes the environment drier. This makes your body able to hold a higher amount of charge and more likely to have electrostatic discharge.

In addition, the possibility of static electricity from clothing, scarves, blankets… is also determined. due to the physical and chemical properties of the fibers inside.

What to do to avoid static electricity?

Although it does not cause It is dangerous and does not have any harmful effects on health, but the phenomenon of static electricity can make many people feel uncomfortable.

To limit this, you can increase the humidity in the air. air by using a mist sprayer or increasing skin moisture with moisturizing creams… to limit static electricity

In addition, you can also limit the use of Clothes made of synthetic fibers such as polyester nylon… because they easily lead to static electricity. Instead, use clothes made of natural fabrics like cotton.

In addition, soaking clothes with fabric softener can also help soften clothes and reduce static. electricity. Finally, instead of drying clothes with a dryer, drying them is also a way to help reduce the risk of this phenomenon occurring.