Rubber soled slippers generating static electricity

[froggy123]

I started having this problem with wearing slippers (or any shoes with rubber soles) in the house because the rubber, rubs the carpet and charges me up. Anything metal that I touch gives me a mild-nasty shock depending on how charged up I am. I tried different kinds of slippers and socks, I tried wearing my sneakers or crocs, but as long as it has a rubber sole, it charges me up. I even tried touching something metal every few minutes to balance out the shocks but I kept forgetting, and it isn't fun touching something that you know will give you a shock!

For the last few months I have just been wearing socks around the house which is cold in the winter and painful when I stub my toe.

It seems that every slipper is made with rubber soles these days. I can't find anything else. It would be so great if I could find a solution. Some kind of shoe or slipper to wear around the house that will protect my feet and not make me get an electric shock whenever I touch anything. Help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[davenn]

Hi there
welcome to PF

Some kind of shoe or slipper to wear around the house that will protect my feet and not make me get an electric shock whenever I touch anything. Help would be greatly appreciated

on a carpet, in the winter time, that's going to be VERY difficult

Winter time, when dry atmosphere = low humidity, can be particularly bad for static buildup.
This is usually not a problem during the summer when atmospheric humidity is much higher.

The reason is that, when the air is more humid static tends to bleed off easier and doesn't have a chance to accumulateJust about any footwear on a carpet in low humidity is going to be a problemDave

 

[berkeman]

I tried wearing my sneakers or crocs, but as long as it has a rubber sole, it charges me up.

Can you try leather slippers that you treat regularly with moisturizing leather cleaner? Or you could try slippers made with a synthetic hide, if you'd prefer not to wear clothing made from ranch animal hide.

Alternately, you may be able to mix some conductive <something> in with your carpet shampoo to make your carpet more conductive. I'm not sure what that would be, but there should be something out there (I can try searching for it if you want). You can also buy an inexpensive ESD meter to measure the effectiveness of your solutions. I'll post a link to some of those in a follow-up reply.

 

[berkeman]

You can also buy an inexpensive ESD meter to measure the effectiveness of your solutions. I'll post a link to some of those in a follow-up reply.

Hmm, I guess they aren't so cheap after all...

https://www.google.com/search?q=han...li57gAhUNP30KHfhWDB8Q_AUIDygC&biw=882&bih=576

 

[froggy123]

Can you try leather slippers that you treat regularly with moisturizing leather cleaner? Or you could try slippers made with a synthetic hide, if you'd prefer not to wear clothing made from ranch animal hide.

Alternately, you may be able to mix some conductive <something> in with your carpet shampoo to make your carpet more conductive. I'm not sure what that would be, but there should be something out there (I can try searching for it if you want). You can also buy an inexpensive ESD meter to measure the effectiveness of your solutions. I'll post a link to some of those in a follow-up reply.

View attachment 238192

Great ideas. I've been searching for leather sole slippers. They are very expensive but I guess they would last a lot longer. That's a good idea to get carpet shampoo that makes it more conductive, but a lot of work I'd imagine!

Hi there
welcome to PF

on a carpet, in the winter time, that's going to be VERY difficult

Winter time, when dry atmosphere = low humidity, can be particularly bad for static buildup.
This is usually not a problem during the summer when atmospheric humidity is much higher.

The reason is that, when the air is more humid static tends to bleed off easier and doesn't have a chance to accumulateJust about any footwear on a carpet in low humidity is going to be a problemDave

It's weird that I've never had this problem until now. What do others do? Just avoid footwear indoors in the wintertime?

 

[froggy123]

Are these leather soled? I can't tell, it only says that they are soft soled.

https://www.hannahs.co.nz/mens/shoes/slippers/driving-moccasin-brown-leather-slippers-DTS7110?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2eS6uoye4AIViQsrCh0RXAFiEAQYAiABEgIcz_D_BwE

 

[davenn]

It's weird that I've never had this problem until now. What do others do? Just avoid footwear indoors in the wintertime?

something that came to mind after seeing Berkeman's post is antistatic spray

https://www.bing.com/search?q=anti+...sc=8-17&cvid=d5b3dd95699449e28470eccccb2672f9it would be worth a try on the bottom of shoes/slippers

 

[davenn]

Are these leather soled? I can't tell, it only says that they are soft soled.

https://www.hannahs.co.nz/mens/shoes/slippers/driving-moccasin-brown-leather-slippers-DTS7110?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2eS6uoye4AIViQsrCh0RXAFiEAQYAiABEgIcz_D_BwE
View attachment 238193

the top is leather ... the bottom looks synthetic

 

[froggy123]

Oh well. Back to google :)

 

[Tom.G]

Spray the carpet with liquid fabric softener as used in the laundry.

We had to use this in a Computer store back around 1976. Without the treatment we were kept busy rebooting the computers instead of selling them! We had a spray attachment for a tank-style vacuum cleaner that allowed you to connect the hose to the vacuum exhaust. Even with the high traffic, a treatment would last a couple months. The drawback is the stuff is slightly sticky so the carpet needs vacuuming more often, along with some shampooing now and then.

At least it's cheap, easy, and proven!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[LURCH]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GUL8ZQE/?tag=pfamazon01-20

At the shop, we are required to wear these, so we don’t zap a circuit board or something.

 

[spareine]

I started having this problem with wearing slippers (or any shoes with rubber soles) in the house because the rubber, rubs the carpet and charges me up.

Connect an electroscope to your hand to test your hypothesis that you are being charged by the carpet. In my experience people are usually electrified by rising from their chair, not by walking over the carpet. If in your case too it is the chair, the remedy is to touch the metal of the chair while rising from the chair. Then you are neutral while walking over the carpet.

(The carpet may succeed in charging the lower surface of the rubber sole, but because of the insulating rubber sole that charge is unable to flow into your conducting body, towards your finger, and the doorknob.)

 

[davenn]

In my experience people are usually electrified by rising from their chair, not by walking over the carpet.

NO, no, no ... that isn't correct ... tho movement on/from a chair may cause static discharge to be produced
Most and the worst of it IS caused by moving across carpeted flooring

Then you are neutral while walking over the carpet.

only to be charged up again by moving across the carpet

The carpet may succeed in charging the lower surface of the rubber sole, but because of the insulating rubber sole that charge is unable to flow into your conducting body, towards your finger, and the doorknob.)

Again, completely incorrect
I suggest you go and read up on the subject so that you get a better understanding of the problem

You really do have some serious misunderstandings that are causing you to give poor information Dave

 

[spareine]

NO, no, no ... that isn't correct ... tho movement on/from a chair may cause static discharge to be produced
Most and the worst of it IS caused by moving across carpeted flooring

My experience is direct observation from an electroscope connected to the hand, so I am not convinced by your statement. If you have an electroscope, you might try it yourself.

 

[davenn]

Then you are neutral while walking over the carpet.

I don't need one

I have walked across 100's of carpets and like millions of other people, get zapped all the time

 

[spareine]

My electroscope thinks the question which you are ignoring is: did those people rise from a chair before walking over the carpet.

 

[davenn]

My electroscope thinks the question which you are ignoring is: did those people rise from a chair before walking over the carpet.

NO, NO mate, seriously please stop trying to justifying your incorrect position

As I said earlier ... go do some reading and learning

 

[spareine]

Direct observation with an electroscope is not 'justification'. Which instrument would you use to demonstrate your position?

 

[davenn]

Which instrument would you use to demonstrate your position?

Direct observation of the spark that jumps from my fingertip to whatever bit of metal I touch and the feeling of the assoc. electric shock ...
It's undeniable evidence and as I said, millions, probably hundreds of millions of people experience it on an everyday basis

did those people rise from a chair before walking over the carpet

chairs are irrelevant
I can come into a room, walk across the carpet, touch something metallic and get a zap. Without doing anything else,
walk back across the room and get another discharge zap on the metal doorknob or some other metal object...
then again, without doing anything else, walk back across the room and get another discharge zap on the metal doorknob
or some other metal object...

this can go on ALL DAY long ... no chairs or anything else involved ... just me, a metal object and some carpet

Again ... Please go do some reading up on electrostatic charge accumulation and dischargeDave

 

[spareine]

Ok, we are not going to agree. Maybe our carpets and conditions are different, that is another way out.

 

[berkeman]

In my experience, both chairs and carpets are problematic. At work, we don't have carpets, so chairs (and some clothing like sweaters) are the main sources of transient static charge on folks (not in our static-controlled areas of the labs). At home, carpet seems to be the biggest culprit (we have mostly leather chairs at home).

 

[davenn]

At work, we don't have carpets, so chairs (and some clothing like sweaters) are the main sources of transient static charge on folks (not in our static-controlled areas of the labs).

yup, no carpets in our static controlled lab either ... we have anti-static flooring. I didn't know it existed till this new lab was
built for me a year and a bit ago. From memory, this was the mob that our company went to

https://www.forbo.com/flooring/en-au/products/marmoleum/conductive-linoleum/b44g69Dave

 

[froggy123]

In my experience, both chairs and carpets are problematic. At work, we don't have carpets, so chairs (and some clothing like sweaters) are the main sources of transient static charge on folks (not in our static-controlled areas of the labs). At home, carpet seems to be the biggest culprit (we have mostly leather chairs at home).

and getting out the car! I used to get terrible electric shocks from the car door!

 

[Jeff5522]

NO, no, no ... that isn't correct ... tho movement on/from a chair may cause static discharge to be produced
Most and the worst of it IS caused by moving across carpeted flooring

only to be charged up again by moving across the carpet
Again, completely incorrect
I suggest you go and read up on the subject so that you get a better understanding of the problem

You really do have some serious misunderstandings that are causing you to give poor information Dave

Sorry old post here but I couldn't leave it alone seeing Davenn saying Spareine is completely incorrect (which is not the case) while providing no actual scientific explanation as to why! After reading all the back and forth talk about poor information being given!

Spareine is correct. The rubber soles are an insulator so no electrons are transferred through them. Getting up from a chair often transfers electrons directly to your body. When you are wearing rubber soles the electrons can't pass through them easily to escape (they are an insulator) , so you get a shock when you touch something metal - you have a negative charge so the electrons pass from your body to the metal.

BUT...

Davenn is also correct that static shocks often happen when wearing rubber shoes from simply walking across the floor, without getting up from a chair. In this case your body is turned into a capacitor of sorts. The rubber shoes pick up electrons from walking across the floor. However, since the shoes are insulators, the electrons don't pass from the shoes into your body. Instead, the buildup of negative charge in the shoes forces electrons already in your body to its extremities (away from the shoes) so essentially your feet gain a positive charge and your fingers get a negative charge. Then when you touch a metal object, the electrons still rush out and cause the static shock.

 

[Bruzote]

Of course you don't need chairs! That's very self-limiting to think only personal experiences could describe the scope of all potential events.

At the USAF Academy, where it is over 7,000 feet and often terribly dry in the winter, static was/is a frequent annoyance. People would sometimes even get "gun shy" about touching anything when they walked around a carpeted area. In the academic building, they even put a metal railing all around the hallways so people could tap their knuckles on it to ground themselves as they walked around on the carpeted floors. I tell you, that's a good way to develop OCD habits.

What was funny was when a person would watch fail to do that. Then one would realize one had built up a charge and had a choice. One could keep going and pay the price later, or discharge intentionally and immediately get a shock. It's really funny to watch warriors (e.g., some instructors were combat pilots) as they keep trying to flick a piece of metal but they keep pulling back too soon because they know a bright, blue zap is going to hit them! =:-D Sooner or later, everybody went through that experience. Really, sooner or later anyone gets tired of being zapped! Everyone went through the feeling many times, that knowing a spark will hit you makes it 100 times more intimidating than the actual feeling. =:-D

 

[Tom.G]

A rather simple work-around:
Hold a piece of metal in your hand and draw the spark from that; a key works well.

If you don't have any metal handy, try slapping the discharge point/object. The physical impact tends to cover the feeling from the discharge.

 

[hutchphd]

Spareine is correct.

I've got to agree. I have a big La-Z-Boy covered with microfiber that is zero steps from my TV. One good butt slide and my name is Van de Graaf. I can feel the static as I slide and the result is as expected.
I also once had an acrylic turtle neck that when pulled off over my head would draw arcs from the tips of my handlebar mustache. Cotton tee shirt underneath and lot of hair on my head . The first instance freaked me right out.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Hmm, I guess they aren't so cheap after all...

https://www.google.com/search?q=han...li57gAhUNP30KHfhWDB8Q_AUIDygC&biw=882&bih=576

A handful of small bits of paper would give comparative values of charge - open the basis of how many you can pick up with your hand from a plastic tray?I see no one has suggested trying wet socks! That would raise the humidity around your feet (In a nice way!) and limit build up of charge. Or just boiling a kettle every now and then.

and getting out the car! I used to get terrible electric shocks from the car door!

When they pick up casualties at sea with a helicopter, the first thing they do is to dip the line into the sea, before letting the crew of the boat grab it.
At one time, they sold light chains to dangle under cars, to avoid charge buildup.
They still sell these:

 

[Fred Wright]

If I had this problem I would invest in an humidifier. They are relatively inexpensive.

 

[davenn]

At one time, they sold light chains to dangle under cars, to avoid charge buildup.

Never saw chains, but leather straps were extremely common on vehicles from the 1950's - 70's.
Apparently there was a link to the static buildup as being one cause of car/motion sickness

 

[sophiecentaur]

If I had this problem I would invest in an humidifier. They are relatively inexpensive.

That is a solution but it's yet another box to find room for and to remember to fill up with water. I remember people used to have a simple form of humidifier which was a small trough of water, hung over a CH radiator. They did look a bit 'quaint' and were a modern equivalent of antimacassars in old persons' sitting rooms. But no one seems to like my wet socks idea.

 

[spareine]

leather straps were extremely common on vehicles from the 1950's - 70's.
Apparently there was a link to the static buildup as being one cause of car/motion sickness

From a physics point of view the straps must have been useless. Electrostatic charge on the car cannot affect the passengers. The car is a Faraday cage, so charge would move to the outside, and inside there would be no electric field. In addition, since the 1950's-1960's car tires are made sufficiently conductive to bleed away excess charge to Earth as fast as it is generated.

(Nor would such a strap prevent passengers to accumulate charge when leaving the car by sliding in their seat, and experience a spark when touching the door.)

 

[NoBoutADoubtIt]

I grew up in the 60's with winter static and, yes, you can get a real jolt. As kids we used to chase each other around, which made it all the worse when you got caught. My recollection was that leather sole shoes on Sunday were the worst but nothing seemed to spare you..

Ultimately, the solution was, and, I fear, still is, a humidifier (See also #29). Humidifiers have the advantage of also addressing the other problems of the ultra dry winter air (e.g., hair, skin, sinuses, static cling), not just the shocks. It can either be added to the HVAC for the whole house or individual units for the largest rooms. It does not have to be humid, just not so dry. Just barely below the point you start to get condensation on the inside of windows, and glasses with ice, is best.

In the 80's there were "new" ultrasonic humidifiers that were great and they are so much less expensive now. Some people have concerns about refilling and also bacteria. Refilling is what it is, for room units. There are carbon sticks you can put in the water for bacteria. I never liked adding chemicals to the water. The humidifiers we tried that used heat, rather than ultrasonic, started to get mineral deposits on the heating coils right away.

 

[sophiecentaur]

inside there would be no electric field.

I always understood that it was negative ions that came into the cab and made people feel unwell. The ions could be formed outside on sharp bits of the car body. A Faraday cage would need a very high potential to beat the air flow through the car.
I'm not actually endorsing the hypothesis about static and sickness. It is not a common problem these days - motion sickness is most likely due a subjective reaction to motion and suspensions (and roads) are much improved these days. Many remedies for this work on the placebo effect. If they work then use them.

 

[Tom.G]

motion sickness is most likely due a subjective reaction to motion

The last I heard (many years ago), motion sickness was attributed to the conflicting inputs to the inner ear and the eyes. It was/is considered a survival adaptation because some natural poisons, when ingested, upset the inner ear semicircular canals. The result is to regurgitate whatever was recently eaten.

This explanation is somewhat supported by the 'motion sickness' cure to watch the horizon. Those land-lubbers that have been below decks on a ship in rough weather or rode in an enclosed van on a rough road can attest to effectiveness.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[sophiecentaur]

motion sickness was attributed to the conflicting inputs to the inner ear and the eyes

We're going a bit off topic here, I was really just challenging the use of Faraday Cage in the argument against an electrical cause of motion sickness. The idea of the vomit reflex when your head goes woozy is well known and I could well believe it.

 

[Jayne]

I have this problem. You can see the sparks when I touch something metal. It's awful!
We have nylon carpet and I blame this as I've never had am issue with wool carpets in the past.
I have found my slippers have to have a natural rubber sole, not synthetic. This stops the shocks. However natural rubber soles are hard to fine.
I also get zaps from my car when getting out so learned to hang onto the car door until I was completely out of the car.
The supermarket is another scary place for me. Constant zaps when touching the metal shelves to get something! Can't afford to re-sole all my footwear to natural rubber!

 

[berkeman]

I have this problem. You can see the sparks when I touch something metal. It's awful!
We have nylon carpet and I blame this as I've never had am issue with wool carpets in the past.
I have found my slippers have to have a natural rubber sole, not synthetic. This stops the shocks. However natural rubber soles are hard to fine.
I also get zaps from my car when getting out so learned to hang onto the car door until I was completely out of the car.
The supermarket is another scary place for me. Constant zaps when touching the metal shelves to get something! Can't afford to re-sole all my footwear to natural rubber!

Welcome to PF.

Sounds like you could benefit by doing a web search for clothing that does not generate static charge. What kind of material do you usually wear? Also, what is the typical relative humidity where you live?

 

[Jayne]

Welcome to PF.

Sounds like you could benefit by doing a web search for clothing that does not generate static charge. What kind of material do you usually wear? Also, what is the typical relative humidity where you live?

Thanks!
There are some polyesters that I won't wear at home anymore. They're just asking for trouble! So I try to wear natural fabrics without being too pedantic about it.
I'm in lower New Zealand so not a humid climate.
It's embarrassing at the supermarket, jumping and going ouch all around the shelves, I sometimes ask people to get things for me
Apparently the trolleys get charged just by being pushed around. I get shocks off them too if I touch the metal sides.
At least I'm not there all the time like I am at home though.

I've read about using a Humidifier but this concerns me, all that extra moisture in your home in winter. We actually use a dehumidifier in winter!

 

[berkeman]

If other people wearing the same type if clothing at the supermarket are not having the same issues, perhaps there is something else going on. Have you spoken with your family physician about this? There are some tests that your doc can have done to see if what you are perceiving as static shocks are actually a symptom of something else.

 

[Jayne]

If other people wearing the same type if clothing at the supermarket are not having the same issues, perhaps there is something else going on. Have you spoken with your family physician about this? There are some tests that your doc can have done to see if what you are perceiving as static shocks are actually a symptom of something else.

Speaking to the Doc is something I've never thought of! Thank you, I might just do that.
I know other people do have issues at the supermarket as I spoke to a staff member once and she knew what I was talking about.
I remember wearing old wind up watches and the time would always race ahead on me so I gave them away!

 

[sophiecentaur]

Constant zaps when touching the metal shelves to get something!

I used to demonstrate the Van de Graaf Generator in school and learned that the shock from the charged sphere was virtually non-existent if I made sure to touch it with a screwdriver, held firmly in the hand. The same thing worked well with a Tesla Transformer that we made at work. People used to think I was very daring but they didn't seem to realize that the screwdriver was taking the zap!

I'm not suggesting you should walk around the supermarket holding something that looks like a Weapon but anything metallic will do which you can hold tightly with a good contact and touch the shelves with that. Perhaps a pointed object would be best but I never looked further into it.

It may be worth a try and you could soon get into the habit. Perhaps a novel piece of jewellery could do the job.

 

[Tom.G]

I'm not suggesting you should walk around the supermarket holding something that looks like a Weapon but anything metallic will do which you can hold tightly with a good contact and touch the shelves with that. Perhaps a pointed object would be best but I never looked further into it.

The classical object is a car key or house key.

 

[sophiecentaur]

The classical object is a car key or house key.

If you wander around with car keys gripped in your fist you really do look like you are out for trouble.

 

[BigDon]

When one starts getting static shocks at home from static simply put a large pot of water on the boil. That's what my Mom used to do.

I was raised in a Mediterranean climate. Hot dry summers and rainy winters. So we did this in reverse to most of you.

 

[BigDon]

Tom G. has the right of it. Disagreement between the eyes and vestibular system is a well acknowledged symptom of alkaloid poisoning. As we were initially a roots and tubers eating sort of folk in our early evolution this was a highly selected survival mechanism.

 

[davenn]

Spareine is correct. The rubber soles are an insulator so no electrons are transferred through them. Getting up from a chair often transfers electrons directly to your body. When you are wearing rubber soles the electrons can't pass through them easily to escape (they are an insulator) , so you get a shock when you touch something metal - you have a negative charge so the electrons pass from your body to the metal.

This is incorrect and as I said earlier is proven on a daily basis

 

[sophiecentaur]

Getting up from a chair often transfers electrons directly to your body.

A mechanism that's often neglected is Electrostatic Induction and I think it is a more common way that things can become charged than simple 'charge sharing' (which is how people describe the process). Getting up from a chair, in itself, can't deposit charges easily because there is poor contact between your body (a conductor) and the chair plastic. But your body will easily become polarised, with charges attracted to the chair and charges moving to a far point in your body.

When you touch any conducting part of the car, during driving, those 'other' charges will flow to the car (in small quantities - so no shock). This leaves you with a charge imbalance and you have that when you step out of the car. Once outside the car, if you touch the door handle, the pairs of unbalanced charges flow together and you get a shock. You don't get a shock if you kick the door closed with rubber soles (mind the paintwork) but you leave with your extra charge and get a shock when you next tough an uncharged or Earthed object.

The charges back on the car seat are still there until they slowly dissipate. The Electrophorus is described in the link above and it provides an endless supply of charge from just one statically charged source. The Energy for charging is provided by the effort of separating your backside from the seat.

 

[MaryYamada]

I have to wear special shoes with rubber soles to prevent back pain, so I did buy shoe covers in bulk from Amazon, although have yet to try them out. Weather is heating up here, and for a few weeks I didn't have static shock but past few days, it's returned (and I don't know why because weather has been hot still), so I will try out those shoe covers because I don't want to accidentally spark a fire, plus those shocks can be painful.

 

[MaryYamada]

I have to wear special shoes with rubber soles to prevent back pain, so I did buy shoe covers in bulk from Amazon, although have yet to try them out. Weather is heating up here, and for a few weeks I didn't have static shock but past few days, it's returned (and I don't know why because weather has been hot still), so I will try out those shoe covers because I don't want to accidentally spark a fire, plus those shocks can be painful.

Forgot to mention, I have to wear those shoes both indoors and outdoors.