If static electricity rules your household once temperatures drop and conditions become drier, it’s time to take back control over your home’s relative humidity. Cooler, drier air can’t hold moisture, and while running your furnace will make your home’s temperature warmer, it’s not a sufficient tool to ensure proper home humidity. The air still can’t hold enough moisture to counteract static electricity. Further, dry air can lead to serious damage within the home like warping wood floors and trim, as well as cause health issues.
Learn some ways you can control static electricity, and restore a healthful level of moisture in your home:
- Use a whole-house humidifier. One of the most comprehensive solutions to dry indoor air, using a whole-house humidifier will ensure proper humidity throughout your home. Installed alongside your heating system, the humidifier releases water vapor into the heated air, which is sent through the ducts and into your living spaces. Most units allow you to set a desired humidity level, and the unit will adjust its output accordingly as the weather conditions change.
- Use alternative methods. Restoring moisture into the air via alternative means can also reduce static electricity. Because electrical charges exist on objects and surfaces throughout your home, static electricity results when you come into contact with a charge or object/surface. Placing bowls of water around your home will release water vapor into the air as the water evaporates. Alternatively, you can place a large pot of water on the stove and let it simmer, releasing water vapor into the air throughout the day. Just keep an eye on the water level as it simmers.
- Use preventive measures. Applying lotion after a shower or bath will moisturize your skin, and act as a barrier to static electricity. Keep an eye on laundry in the dryer, and place a damp washcloth in the dryer during the last 15 minutes of the cycle to counteract static.
If you’d like help learning how to counteract static electricity and dry air in your home this winter, contact Aladdin Heating & Cooling. We’ve served homeowners in Warren, Troy, Grosse Pointe, Dearborn since 1945.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about Static Electricity and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston.
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