How to remove static out of clothes

When different fabrics rub against each other, for example inside your tumble dryer, an electrostatic charge starts to build up in your clothes (mainly those made from synthetic fabrics), causing them to stick to your body like they were glued on you.

In more scientific terms, your clothes develop static charge as an effect of electrons (negatively charged subatomic particles) moving from one material to the other, resulting in an imbalance between negative and positive charges in the two fabrics. As objects with opposite charges attract each other, the two fabrics will soon be as inseparable as fish and chips. Static cling in clothing is especially noticeable in low humidity environments, when the air has a reduced moisture content, which would otherwise act as a natural conductor and earth any potential static charge.

The most sure-fire way to get rid of that clingy clothes feeling is to make permanent changes in your laundry routine. Here’s how to do it:

• Use fabric conditioner.

  Adding a high-quality fabric conditioner, such as Lenor, to your laundry will help lubricate your clothes in the washing machine, reducing friction and static as well as giving your fabrics a soft and fluffy finish.
  
  

• Line or air-dry your clothes after washing.

  Take your clothes out of the washer immediately and lay them on a flat surface to dry or use metal hangers to air-dry them to prevent future static issues. The static build-up mostly happens as a result of dryness and heat, which is why air drying is preferable over-drying your clothes in a tumble dryer, where they would naturally develop a large static build-up.
  
  

• Dry synthetic fibres separately.

  When sorting your laundry, make sure to separate your synthetic fabrics from the rest of your clothes, so that they don’t get charged up with electrons during the wash or in the drying process.
  
  

• Use a dryer sheet

  . If you’re tumble drying, remember to use Lenor Dryer sheets. These have not only specially designed to prevent the build-up of static in your tumble dryer, but they also help your clothes smell lovely, even in the heat.
  
  

• Shake your clothes when removing them from the dryer.

  As you remove each item of clothing from your dryer, give them 2-3 quick shakes. This prevents static from setting in as your clothes are placed on another surface.

Now that you know all the right steps to protect yourself against the appearance of static cling on your laundry, it’s time to give you a few handy tips on how to remove static from clothes altogether:

• Moisturise your skin before getting dressed.

  This will increase the humidity in the surface layers of your skin, which will prevent fabrics from clinging to it.

• Rub a dryer sheet over your clothes.

  Hold the garment away from your body and rub the underside of the fabric with your choice of Lenor Dryer Sheet.
  
  

• Spray your clothes with water using a spritzer bottle.

  The plan is to wet the fabric slightly in any area where you feel the static cleaning to you. This will help remove the static quickly, but make sure not to spray too much or over too large of an area.
  
  

• Use metal to remove static from clothes.

  After the washing and the drying, but before the putting the garments on, grab a clothing hanger made of metal and move it smoothly over your static-prone clothes. Gliding a metal hanger between your skin and your clothes can also be a useful tactic against static cling when you simply don’t have time for undressing, but other small metal objects can also do the trick.
  
  

• Boost the humidity in your house.

  This might help you fend off all static problems in the future. All you have to do is buy a humidifier at your local DIY or hardware shop and set it up in the room where you dry or store your clothes. Static is especially common in the winter when the air is very dry, which the humidifier will counter by raising the number of water molecules in the air, causing the static on your clothes to die down over time.
  
  

There you have it, folks, now you know how to get rid of static in clothes! Unfortunately, static cling is not the only issue facing your laundry: Extend the lifespan of your garments by learning how to keep your clothes from stretching in the wash or read our step-by-step guide on how to keep odours out of your clothes and achieve an amazingly fresh clean wash after wash with Lenor.

If you’d like to learn more about how to use dryer sheets and enjoy a life of static-free clothes, watch the video below so you can get the best results when you use Lenor Dryer sheets.

When different fabrics come into contact, such as inside a tumble dryer, an electrostatic charge can accumulate in your clothes, particularly those made of synthetic materials. This charge causes the clothes to stick to your body as if they were glued.

In scientific terms, this occurs due to the movement of electrons between the materials, creating an imbalance of negative and positive charges in the fabrics.

To eliminate static in clothes and avoid that clingy feeling, consider making permanent changes to your laundry routine:

1. Use a high-quality fabric conditioner like Lenor in your laundry. This will help lubricate your clothes in the washing machine, reducing friction and static while providing a soft and fluffy finish.
   

2. Line or airdry your clothes promptly after the wash and lay them flat to dry or use metal hangers for air-drying.
   

3. Sort your laundry and dry synthetic fibers separately from other clothing items. This will prevent them from accumulating an electrical charge during washing or drying.
   

4. Increase indoor humidity, this will help prevent static issues in the future.
   
   

Some tricks for getting static out of your clothes are the use of dryer sheets, shaking clothes after drying, moisturizing your skin before dressing, lightly spraying the clothes with water or employing metal to combat the static