by Dolores Moore

Created on: March 23, 2010

There is nothing worse than being all dressed up in a slinky dress, a fabulous blouse or some silky-type evening trousers, only to find that the material clings in all the wrong places, thanks to build-up of static.  For that very reason,  I have given away many a beloved garment in the past.  That is, until I discovered a few good ways for how to stop static cling in clothes.  As ever,  I have a favorite method, one which always works and which I prefer above the others I am going to tell you about.

I have found that wearing all cotton underwear is one way to stop static cling.  It is the man-made material in clothing that causes the static, in my experience, so pure cotton cuts it down enormously.  If wearing a dress that has a tendency to cling, due to static, wear a cotton underskirt as well as cotton bra and pants. Because I could not find an underskirt at the time, I made a couple out of very fine cotton, one dark and one light and the static was much lessened.  If possible, leave off panty hose, because most definitely, these will contribute to the build up of static and make your dress cling to your rear end in a less-than attractive manner.  Better to go bare-legged - there are some great fake tan creams to give those legs a lovely summery glow.

All items of clothing will benefit from a hand rinse in fabric softener or conditioner, then to be dried naturally.  This is known to stop static cling in clothes made from  man-made fibers.  On the topic of drying, it is a good idea to avoid the tumble drier if you want to avoid static build-up.  You just know when you take the garments out, as they crackle and stick to each other, that they have the potential to cling.  So dry such items in the open air, after that final rinse in fabric conditioner,  or on an inside drier, but not the tumble drier.

One tip I read, which I cannot wholly vouch for as I have not tried it, is to run a metal clothes hanger all over the garment before you put it on.   This is said to remove static, and so the possibility of it clinging to your person in all the wrong places.  I suppose the principle of a lightening conducter is at play here,  but it sounds rather a temporary measure, though might be worth a try.

Finally, you can actually buy products that promise to stop static cling in clothes.  These come in the form of a spray and I have seen them in some home shopping catalogues.  One such product can be purchased from a firm called Kleeneze, available in the UK, but I expect that such sprays are more widely available elsewhere.  But no matter which way to choose to treat clothes to stop static cling, I still believe that pure cotton underwear and bare legs is the best and most effective method.   It always works for me.

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