How do I stop static in my laundry?

Static electricity builds when two materials rub together and electrons transfer between them. In a dryer, synthetics tumbling against each other in progressively drier air do exactly that, and there is no moisture to conduct the charge away. Everything that reduces static works by adding moisture, adding conductivity, or reducing the rubbing.

What you'll need

• Wool dryer balls (optional)
• White vinegar
• A metal safety pin or a ball of foil (optional)

Step by step

1. Stop drying to bone dry.Static rises sharply in the last part of a cycle once the load is already dry. Removing it slightly damp eliminates most of the problem and it finishes drying on a hanger.
2. Separate synthetics from cotton and towels.Static needs two dissimilar materials rubbing. A load of all cotton generates very little; a mixed load of polyester and towelling generates a lot.
3. Use wool dryer balls.They keep the load open so items rub less, they carry a little moisture, and they shorten the cycle. Three or four for a normal load.
4. Put white vinegar in the rinse.About 60ml in the conditioner drawer. It removes detergent residue, which itself increases the charge, and slightly softens the fibres.
5. Do not overload the dryer.A packed drum means more contact and more friction between garments, and it dries unevenly so parts of the load are over-dried.
6. Add a ball of foil or a safety pin.A metal object in the drum discharges the build-up continuously. It sounds like folklore but the mechanism is straightforward conduction.
7. Raise the humidity in the room.Static is far worse in winter when heating dries the indoor air. A humidifier, or simply drying some washing indoors, reduces it throughout the house.
8. Deal with a static garment directly.Run a metal coat hanger between the garment and your body, or dampen your hands and smooth it down. Both discharge it immediately.

Tips

• Line drying almost never produces static, because the fabric never gets driven below its natural moisture content in dry moving air.
• Fabric conditioner and dryer sheets both reduce static effectively, but they coat the fabric — a real problem on towels and sportswear and not worth it there.
• Static clinging skirts respond to a light mist of water or a very small amount of hairspray on the lining, not on the outer fabric.

Common mistakes

• Solving it with dryer sheets on everything — They work by coating the fibres, which ruins towel absorbency, blocks technical fabric and clogs microfibre. Fixing static this way creates a worse problem elsewhere.
• Drying synthetics with towels — It is the classic static-generating combination and it also transfers cotton lint onto the synthetics. Separate loads solve both at once.

If it doesn't work

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