You may notice that during the winter months, annoying and painful static electricity is common in your home. This is because cold winter air tends to hold less moisture, and home heating equipment dries it out even more. This creates a perfect environment for static shocks.
Thankfully, static electricity – while delivering a mild shock – is rarely a threat to your health. However, it can damage electrical equipment and appliances. The simple and common act of unplugging a USB cord may send damaging electrons through the computer, resulting in a jolt of electricity that can severely damage your personal computer.
One way to help stop damaging static buildup from harming your expensive electrical equipment is to wear an anti-static wrist strap. Spraying anti-static spray on upholstered furniture, curtains and carpets also can help reduce static shock. Anti-static sprays are readily available at department stores or can be made at home by mixing one cup of water with two tablespoons of liquid fabric softener. Other ways to reduce static electricity include:
- Maintain numerous plants in your home.
- Leave the shower curtain and bathroom door open after showering.
- Place water-filled pots around your home and let the water evaporate into the air.
- Regularly fill the bathtub with water and allow it to evaporate into the air.
If the above methods don’t sufficiently moisten your home’s dry air, consider whole-house humidification. Installing a whole-house humidifier will eliminate dry air and greatly reduce – if not completely eliminate – static electricity from your home. Furthermore, a humidifier will help improve your indoor air quality and health while increasing your home comfort during the winter months.
For more information on static electricity and how to get rid of dry air in your home, please contact us at Ernst Heating & Cooling. Since we opened our doors in 1951, we have provided reliable HVAC services to the Metro-East area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Illinois and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about static electricity and other HVAC topics, visit our blog.Â