my go-to for reducing static build-up on carpet in the wintertime

Captioni live in the midwest and winters are dry, cold and miserable. our basement is carpeted and i couldn't walk five steps without shocking a door handle, my dog, or anything i touched.here's what i do to reduce static electricity build-up on carpets:1) take an empty Windex bottle (CLEAN THOROUGHLY BEFORE USE) or buy one of those cheap spray bottles from the dollar store2) buy a bottle of fragrance-free and dye-free liquid fabric softener. (also good to use on clothes in the wintertime to further eliminate static cling!)side note: i would recommend spot-testing this method first on a hidden area of carpet, just to make sure there is no discoloration or changes to the texture of the carpet3) i have a pretty large area of carpet to cover, so modify as you see fit. i use half a cap of fabric softener and fill the rest of the bottle up with clean water. shake to mix. set the spray bottle to MIST and LIGHTLY mist the carpet, focusing on high-traffic areas. YOU DONT WANT TO SOAK THE CARPET, but a light, sweeping mist will do.4) unless you have A LOT of area to cover, you most likely won't use the whole bottle. that's fine. you can save the remaining liquid and repeat as necessary when things get static-y again. i usually re-mist the high traffic areas after i vacuum.ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: if you wear slippers or shoes in the house, this solution will make the bottom of your feet slick when wet. if you have tiled areas bordering the carpet, please walk with caution and let others in your household know as well.to avoid this, i prefer to start misting from the point furthest from the stairs, and work backwards towards the stairs so i'm not walking over the already treated areas, and let it sit and dry for an hour, keeping pets, kids, and my husband off the carpet until it's all set. continue to use caution just in case, but it should be good to go at that point because, again, the carpet should NOT be soaking wet.this has worked wonders for me (no more zapping my poor dog) so hopefully it can be of some help to somebody on here, too!