The problem of misplaced objects is increasingly becoming a national epidemic. According to research, $2.7 billion is spent in America each year replacing lost items. What’s more, Americans spend about 2.5 days a year trying to find these misplaced objects. More than half of the population reports to school or work late due to frustrating searches.
Let’s face it, most of us can tell a story of how we lost a valuable item—jewelry, car keys, house keys, wallets, backpack, handbag, iPad or smartphone. If you have little kids, then the headache is worse since you have to deal with lost books, sporting equipment, school gear, or electronics, every school term if not every month. The process of trying to find the lost item is a job on its own, and unfortunately, it is a futile effort majority of the time.
One of the practical solutions to this problem is tagging personal items with your name, and better yet, your phone number. Labeling a belonging makes it possible for you to be contacted by the person who finds it when it gets lost. In school, the teacher can quickly identify and assign a lost object to the rightful student if at all it has a label. Like other home DIY tasks, you may consider doing the labeling yourself.
If you are looking to have labels done by someone else, you might want to seek the professional services of a reputable and competent labeling company such as www.leeleelabels.com. Here you can see a myriad of labels that you can customize with names, addresses and phone numbers, whatever you want. Whichever option you choose, you need to get the label done right for it to serve the intended purpose. Let’s take a look at the qualities of a good label.
Types of labels
There is no single best way of labeling items since different types of things that are made of different materials. Here is a guide to help you to choose the kind of labeling that works best for your items:
- Permanent ink laundry marker – This label utilizes indelible ink that survives washing detergents and is quick to use. However, it is not the best methods for labeling clothes since ink can easily bleed to the outside of the garment.
- Stamps – Like the markers, stamps are indelible. They also have the same limitations as the permanent markers when it comes to labelling of fabrics.
- Stick-on labels – These are peel and stick labels that may be used on fabric and other items. They are often not durable and come off after several washings.
- Sew-in labels – They are woven labels that are relatively expensive and time-consuming as compared to other methods.
- Plastic tags – They are attached on an item the same way as a price tag. They are easy to remove and resistant to high temperatures.
Consider the position of the label
Essentially, the name should be on the area that cannot be easily removed. Avoid putting it on a place that comes into much contact with your hands as this hastens the wearing out of the label. You should also avoid labeling inside brand labels of your kid’s school gear since they can be easily cut out. Inside of a collar is a perfect place to label clothes, especially with permanent ink.
Be creative when labeling
There are other creative ways of marking your belongings instead of using names. Names should be avoided where possible due to security issues. You can utilise other options such as initials, symbols, numbers or colour-coded labels. Whenever you use something different from a name, inform the caregiver or teacher about the unique identification label.
Be discreet when labeling
While labeling is an excellent way to protect your items from getting lost, it could be a means of feeding information to predators. Keep the labels in a discreet area on the garment or item. To ensure the safety of your child, label items on the inside. However, make sure the label is in a position where anyone can quickly look and see information just in case the item gets lost.
