How to Stop Static Cling on Dresses and Tights

To stop a dress clinging right now, run a damp hand or a little lotion over your tights, mist anti-static spray inside the skirt, or brush a metal hanger between the dress and your legs to discharge it. To stop it for good, skip the hot dryer, add a slip between dress and tights, and choose natural fibers when the air is dry.

Static cling is the winter dress problem nobody warns you about: you walk out looking great, and by the time you reach the office your skirt is wrapped around your knees. Here's what works in the moment, and what keeps it from happening again.

Quick fixes when your dress is clinging

If you're wondering how to get rid of static on clothes while you're already wearing them, these fixes work in a minute or less. Start at the top; the first ones need nothing but your hands.

1. Dampen your hands and smooth them over your tights and the inside of the skirt. A little moisture lets the charge drain away. Don't soak anything; a light touch is enough.
2. Rub a little lotion on your legs or over your tights. Moisturized skin cuts the friction between your legs and the fabric. Use a small amount so it doesn't leave marks on the dress.
3. Mist anti-static spray inside the skirt. Hold the can at arm's length, spray the lining or the inside of the dress lightly and let it dry for a moment before you smooth the skirt down. An anti static spray is the easiest fix to keep in a bag or desk drawer.
4. Run a metal hanger between the dress and your legs. Slide the long wire of a metal hanger over the inside of the skirt and over your tights. The metal carries some of the charge away.
5. Touch something metal. Touching a metal door frame or a radiator cover discharges you, which can ease the cling for a while.

These are quick fixes, not cures. On a very dry day the charge builds again before long, so the habits further down matter more.

Why static cling happens in winter

Static cling is an electric charge that builds up when fabrics rub against each other, or against you. In humid air, moisture carries that charge away before it builds. In dry winter air, especially in heated buildings, there's little moisture to do that, so the charge stays put and the fabrics stick together. It can happen any time of year, but cold, dry months make it much worse.

Fiber makes a big difference. Synthetics like polyester and nylon hold static readily, and natural fibers less so, though any fabric can cling on a dry enough day. Our guide to polyester or cotton covers how the two fibers behave in other ways too.

• More likely to cling: a polyester dress over nylon tights; a polyester or acetate lining against nylon; a synthetic slip over synthetic tights.
• Less likely to cling: a cotton or wool dress over cotton or wool tights; a natural-fiber slip between a synthetic dress and tights.

The dress-and-tights problem

The classic winter cling is a dress against tights. Most tights are nylon with some spandex, and many dresses, or their linings, are polyester or acetate. Two different synthetics rubbing all day while you walk and sit make a strong charge, so the dress grabs your legs. Acetate linings are smooth and slippery, but they can cling too.

Thin sheer black tights tend to show the problem most, because a light skirt has nothing to weigh it down. Heavier tights can help or hurt depending on the dress: fleece-lined tights have a brushed inside against your skin, but the outside is still a synthetic knit, so a polyester dress can still grip them. A heavier dress fabric, like wool or a thick knit, clings less simply because its weight pulls it down.

A slip between dress and tights

The best long-term fix is a layer between the dress and your tights. An anti static slip gives the charge somewhere else to go, and a slick slip lets the dress move freely over it instead of grabbing your legs. A half slip that sits at the waist is enough for most dresses. Our guide to half slips for dresses covers lengths and fabrics.

Laundry habits that prevent it

Much of the static in your clothes starts in the dryer, where fabrics tumble and rub for the whole cycle in hot, dry air. Change how you dry and you'll have less to fix later:

• Use a lower heat setting. Over-drying strips the last moisture from fabric and makes static worse.
• Take synthetics out while they're slightly damp, then hang them to finish drying.
• Air dry your dresses and tights. Line or rack drying means no tumbling at all.
• Sort by fiber. Dry synthetics apart from cottons and wools, so different fibers aren't rubbing together.
• Don't overload the dryer. Packed loads rub more.
• Use fabric softener or dryer sheets if the label allows. Softener coats the fibers and cuts friction. Skip it on performance and moisture-wicking fabrics if the care label says so.

Many people also use wool dryer balls in place of dryer sheets. They keep clothes apart as they tumble, which means less rubbing.

Products that help, and what each one does

You don't need all of these. Pick the one that fits where your static starts:

• Anti-static spray: a quick fix on the go. Spray the inside of a dress or a slip. Static Guard is one brand name for it; any spray labeled safe for fabric is used the same way.
• Wool dryer balls: a laundry habit. They replace dryer sheets in the dryer.
• Anti-static slip: a layer that stops a dress grabbing your tights. Good for anyone who wears dresses and tights all winter.
• Humidifier: adds moisture to dry indoor air. It helps with static across your whole room, not just your clothes, and makes the air feel less dry.

Before you leave the house on a dry winter day, run a little lotion over your legs, put on a slip, and give the inside of the skirt a light mist of spray. That routine keeps most winter dresses hanging where they should.