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Static and dust

A dry cloth on a plastic surface charges it, and a charged surface pulls dust straight back. Wiping can leave a surface dustier than before.

In detail

Rubbing two insulating materials together transfers electrons between them and leaves both carrying a static charge, and a charged surface attracts light particles electrostatically. That is why dusting a television screen, a plastic light fitting or a laminate shelf with a dry duster often makes it worse within the hour: the wipe removes the dust and charges the surface, and the surface then collects new dust from the air faster than it would have done untouched. A lighting manufacturer's cleaning instructions state the mechanism directly, prohibiting a dry cloth on plastic parts because static already built up on them attracts dust, and specifying antistatic detergents without alcohol instead. The practical rules follow. A slightly damp cloth dissipates charge as it cleans, which is why damp beats dry on almost every plastic surface. A microfibre cloth traps particles mechanically rather than pushing them around. Antistatic products work by leaving a very slightly conductive residue. And synthetic textiles in dry winter air charge readily, which is part of why dust settles more visibly at that time of year and why fabric conditioner is sold on reducing static.

Why

Sources for this page

Sources

  1. Cleaning instructions for luminaires

    ETAP Lighting International · Manufacturer documentation

    Relied on for: That a dry cloth must not be used on plastic parts because static already built up on them attracts dust, and that antistatic detergents without alcohol are specified. (states this directly)

    Verification: a person has read the passage relied on.

    Read on — Section 0, the introduction, covering the safety instructions and the general instructions; and section 1, the cleaning table for parts that affect lighting, by component material. Supports the claim as stated. Opens the light-fitting domain, which had three externally observed rows and no source. Covers how-to-clean-a-light-fitting and, with the consumer safety body read alongside it, power-off-before-cleaning-a-light-fitting. It does NOT close waiting-for-a-bulb-to-cool: it states the condition and declines the duration, so the thirty-minute figure that recurs in consumer results still has no authority behind it and is not adopted.

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