How To Stop The Static On All Your Winter Sweaters

Like David Rose on "Schitt's Creek," we love our knits. Sweaters deserve extra care in return for keeping us cozy. Whether designer-label or hand-knitted, sweaters can be styled and paired with your wardrobe to create chic looks for every occasion. With so many styles, like colorful Fair Isle, classic pullovers, and the trendy shrug, sweaters match our mood and add a dash of joy to the coldest season of the year.

Besides sweater weather, another signature sign of winter is the unmistakable crackle of static electricity. We feel that unwelcome, tingly charge when we get ready in the morning, or separate freshly-dried clothes to fold and put away.

According to Troy Shinbrot, a Rutgers professor of biomedical engineering, when items rub together, they transfer some electrons. Static cling is a sign that things are out of balance, with too much positive or negative electrical charge (per Time). For clothes, electrostatic charge occurs when different fabrics rub together. Static is a fan of low humidity, making dry-aired winter its favorite season (per Good Housekeeping).

To avoid static cling, consider your choice of sweater material. Natural fibers, like wool, hold moisture better than synthetic acrylic fibers and are less prone to static. For a one-two punch to knock out static and avoid chemicals, harness the natural fabric-softening power of white vinegar when you wash (per Good Housekeeping).

To lessen static in the dryer, choose dryer sheets or wool dryer balls. Dryer balls offer a chemical-free alternative to the more common dryer sheets. The natural fiber of the balls absorbs moisture and helps separate clothes as they tumble. Real Simple suggests attaching safety pins to each ball to help discharge any static.

If you take the clothes out of the dryer before they are totally dry, you can stop static before it starts. Static often forms at the end of a drying cycle when already-dry clothes spend extra minutes rubbing together (per One Good Thing). Of course, depending on the sweater's material, you might skip the dryer altogether. For wool sweaters, Woolmark advises gently reshaping and laying the sweater flat to air dry.

Before you put on your favorite sweater, slather on some moisturizer to prevent static caused by dry skin. Consider using a humidifier to add moisture to the air and eliminate static throughout the day (per Cleanipedia). That way you can enjoy soft skin as well as static-free clothes and hair.