Best way to deal with electrostatic build up on furniture?

[AntiProtonBoy]

Ok, dumb thread time. We have an annoying situation and I'm looking for creative solutions:

We have a rather nice sofa, but it has the really nasty habit of building up electrostatic charge on anything that gets in contact with. Doesn't matter what you wear, even cotton. The charge build-up is actually quite significant. Sometimes the discharge voltage feels pretty similar to a piezzoelectric igniter spark zapping you. I've seen arcs 5 mm long. It's the worst ESD I've seen for any furniture for a long time. The upholstery fabric is like one of those micro fibre things... looks nice... doesn't play nice. Wooden floor. Couch is in the centre of the living room.

My GF and I accidentally shock each other routinely in various ways... I tell you what, it turns the cliche "electric kiss" into a literal experience. I can deal with the shocks fine, after years of fooling around with step-up transformers, but the experience can bring her to tears. I'm also concerned about touching equipment, like laptops, or hifi equipment. They are all grounded, but I fear ESD damage if I happen to touch a port pin, or an audio input for a preamp.

Antistatic sprays work for a week, but it's back to square one after that. Re-upholstering is out of the question, as the couch is relatively new. The large cushion covers could be replaced, but then it won't match the sofa material, so I try to avoid that. Anyone know of a good conductive lining/material I could put inside the covers? What else could I do? Crazy ideas welcome.

[Berni]

In theory you could get some of that hair thin steel wire and weave it trough the thing in more unconscious spots. But i think unless your bare skin touches it it wouldn't help since the material would still charge up.

I guess one thing you can try is getting a air humidifier. High air humidity tends to stop static because it causes most materials to leak charge.

[Zucca]

Puttig a wool blanket on the sofa?

Or you can watch TV with this on:



bathroom reading:

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/the-role-of-esd-lab-coats-in-esd-protected-areas-epas

[NiHaoMike]

What about an ESD floor mat?

[Zucca]

This is very funny:

https://www.cafepress.com/+i_love_esd_throw_blanket,1837618368

quality 100% polyester

  

[brabus]

An ionizer will help as well.

[jeffreyjames44]

I gotta get one!

[coppercone2]

the worst for ESD is when you pet a cat and it charges you up and then you stun the cat

my suggestion: get wood floors (the plastic shit is ridiculous).

Also, get leather furniture. Wooden chairs for eating. Metal chairs for out door use (like the deck).. leave the plastic crap in the back yard when you need to take a break working in the garden. Leather office chair for sure. Nice wooden window blinds too. All this will make your house much easier to clean.

The worst experience I had with ESD was in a gym I used to go to when I was a kid. The whole building was ridiculous and after they would make us run laps on on the floor and do situps, pushups, jumping jacks and all those manner of army type exercises, we had free time. During the winter I literately became scared of going on the trampoline during my free time, because when you were charged up, the metal body of the trampoline would kick like a fucking mule. If I had to do that now, I think I would get a vacuum high voltage resistor on a key chain or something so I could drain myself. You had to wear socks so you don't get rug burn doing all the jumping and roman rings etc.... I remember feeling the fields when I got near stuff charged. Nightmarish.

[Jeroen3]

What is the humidity like?

[Gregg]

The rubbing of clothing on the furniture is the problem.  take off your clothes --- problem solved! 

[coppercone2]

also healthier

[maginnovision]

I have the same problem. I carry a screwdriver and discharge through it. Just get a good hold of a metal object and ground it through whatever is handy. I use the TV and a surface book mostly.

[AntiProtonBoy]

my suggestion: get wood floors (the plastic shit is ridiculous).

It's one of those laminated composite wood jobs. We're renting a brand new apartment, so replacing them is not an option.

The rubbing of clothing on the furniture is the problem.  take off your clothes --- problem solved!

When summer hits, definitely. 

What is the humidity like?

Can be pretty dry. Roomy house. Australian climate.

[Electro Detective]

Some thin wire/s attached to the back of the couch/sofa?  in coil form stuck on perhaps,

capacitor, resistor,

and a plug adapter thingy to plug into the mains Earth/Ground do the job? Somehow ? 


Been meaning to rig something like this up to try, but haven't been zapped for years.

Might be due to less/no salt in the diet perhaps,

or losing the crappy carpets and rolling with wood floors and rugs ?

Whatever you do, play it safe... and don't trip the RCD   

[Marco]

Antistatic sprays work for a week, but it's back to square one after that.

You can make your own to keep down the cost.

Can you take the fabric off the seat cushions? Would it help to put a conductive fabric underneath?

[eugenenine]

Thats what we always did when I worked in a small company with carpeted floors.  A small spray bottle with 90% water to 10% fabric softener (unscented) and pick a day of the week to lightly spray it on the fabric.

[AntiProtonBoy]

You can make your own to keep down the cost.

Nice one. Will give that a try.

Can you take the fabric off the seat cushions? Would it help to put a conductive fabric underneath?

I thought of  using a conductive fabric, I just need to source one somehow.

[D3f1ant]

https://www.aclstaticide.com/antistatic_coatings.html

Various products for various surfaces, available from digikey. Might be worth a try, presumably better than fabric softener mixtures.

[coppercone2]

do you really wanna be living with that stuff all over your house?

i can understand using it at work to protect millions of dollars of shit but I doubt its too healthy. I would not use it in my home.

And no, I dont use fabric softener.

[generic_username]

I like to wear slippers at home all the time so ESD shoes could solve your problem, I have a chair which shokes me regulary, when I changed my slippers to ESD safe slippers the problem is gone now.
Problem is if you don't like wearing those, as I sometimes and then it zapps you again