Anti-static solution

I am having some big issues with static in my coffee grinder and in researching the different spray's out there, none seem to be safe for coming in contact with the actual food, only to be used in food production.

I have come across an "all-natural" anti-static spray for hair with the following ingredients list: organic aloe vera juice, salt, plant-based soap, plant-based glycerin, distilled water

Now in my research, I have come to understand that all we're looking to do is keep the charge from building up on the plastic surface by either keeping it mildly moist (what fabric softener does) or by coating the surface with a very thin layer of conductant.

So given that list of ingredients in the all-natural spray, I'm thinking that the soap is dissolved in the water, emulsified with the glycerin and the rest of the ingredients are hair specific. I am also thinking that in this case, the soap is left behind in a very thin layer as the water and alcohol evaporate away.

I want to formulate my own simple spray so I can just lightly coat my grinder and catch bin. Any ideas about how to best go about this? My first thought was to get rubbing alcohol and mixing that with a plant-based dish soap in very small quantities and spraying it out of a small spray bottle I have but I wanted to crowdsource the idea before i go about having to clean up a mess.

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Comments

Brendan_Lee_56950

I should mention, the biggest hurdle here is to keep it odorless and tasteless so as to not wreck the flavor of the beans.

bkeene12

I think the better strategy is to search a solution for discharging the static vs. a surface coating. Heck, I'd ask your local coffee shop and see if they have any experience with the issue. I'll ask around and see if my coffee guy here knows. I have seen it in my grinder at certain times, I've never felt it was problematic; what problem is the static causing in your set up?

Brendan_Lee_56950

The buildup of grinds in the chute and around the burr housing is so bad that it I have to calculate the loss in the weight of the beans. It's also a pain in the ass to clean. I don't know that there will be an easy way to ground the parts that are sticky because of their location though.

bkeene12

Here are some ideas...

"The coffee ground receptacle is plastic and not very tall, maybe 4 inches. I pull a strip of aluminum foil about .5 inches shorter than the bin and the entire length of the roll. I coil it into a spiral, with plenty of room under where the grounds tumble into the bin. Boom, static gone! I keep the little spiral in there for a few days at a time, replacing it before I notice any problems with static..."

This one seemed insane but why not try?

"We completely fixed this ANNOYING problem by moving the coffee grinder away from the electrical outlet into which it was plugged when we grind the coffee and empty the well. When not in use, the coffee grinder is against the wall near the outlet. We move it to the front of the counter, away from the wall, before we load it with beans, grind them and empty them into the coffee press or espresso maker, the only 2 methods of brewing coffee in our house. We discovered this by accident and have not had a single encounter with the static problem since."

Source

If either of these work, you owe me a home cooked meal

Brendan_Lee_56950

I have found a NSF H1 silicone spray that I'm going to give a shot, it's rated for incidental food contact which should be fine since the beans aren't being stored there.