the.com/static cling
The universe's way of reminding you that fabric softener aisle exists for a reason.
means The force that makes a sock stick to a shirt fresh out of the dryer, caused by a buildup of electric charge between fabrics.
from Not a word with ancient roots but a 20th-century compound: 'static,' from Greek 'statikos' (causing to stand, setting), borrowed into physics for electricity that stays put rather than flowing as a current; and 'cling,' an old English verb (clingan) meaning to stick fast or adhere. Clothes tumbling together in a dryer rub against each other, trading electrons — one fabric ends up with extra negative charge, another positive, and opposites attract hard enough to glue a sock to your sweater.
- cause
- electrons jump between fabrics in the dryer
- worse when
- air is dry and cold, winter's specialty
- quick fix
- metal hanger touched to clothing discharges it
- synthetic fabrics
- cling more than natural fibers like cotton