Over the last few days – I’ve been sensing an electric ghost in my suite. It never shows up, but uses its shock-&-awe tactics to surprise me at regular & unprecedented situations. Whether I touch the door knob, the washroom tap or the refrigerator door, it shocks me every single time. The situation had become so spooky that I finally had to search for ways to get rid of it.
This situation is nothing but Electrostatic discharges in the form of shocks. Here are a few facts about the same (Actually there were many but I just managed to pull in the ones which are applicable to me/people like me):
Cold & dry climate, Furniture coverings, Man-made floor and shoe sole materials are main factors in most cases of shocks.
And as with most cases – The causes themselves gives us an indication of the solutions. So for people who experience electric shocks more often than others, here’re a few pointers to reduce the same:
- Try to increase the temperature & humidity of your place.
- Wear cotton clothes
- Change the furniture covers from synthetic/nylon to some cotton variant.
- Check your floor. Change it if you can [Wooden & carpeted floors are more susceptible]
- Opt for shoes with leather soles. Better still – Walk without shoes or socks.
I’m still wondering that the electrostatics chapter in the high school Physics class taught us so many complex formulas (of which we remember none). What if our education had been more practical!?
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