Parents’ Questions About Name Labels – What Are Name Labels; How Do Name Labels Work; and Which Name Labels Are The Best?

The term “name labels” reminds many people of the sew-in tags they had in their school uniform as a child. In fact, there are lots of different types of name labels. Each has their own method of attachment and their own benefits and drawbacks. In this brief guide, we'll explain how name labels work so you can pick the right ones for you.

 What Are Name Labels?

In their simplest form, name labels are simply that – labels that display the name of an item’s owner. In the world of name labels, the term applies to a range of products, including stick on name labels, iron on name tags, clip on name labels, and traditional sew-in name tapes. Each type of name label relies on a different form of attachment and has its own benefits and drawbacks.

Why Should I Use Name Labels?

Name labels are a simple solution to lost property. They are particularly useful in shared spaces and facilities where people use or keep similar belongings.

Name labels are most commonly used in schools where items get mixed up or lost in busy classrooms, cloakrooms, and changing rooms. With name labels, it is easy to prevent mix ups and return lost items. This means staff don’t have to waste time and resources maintaining a lost property facility and parents don’t have to waste time and money replacing items that are often quite expensive and usually no more than a year old.

Name labels can also useful in nursing and residential care homes that rely on shared living spaces and facilities, including laundries. Name labels make it easy for staff to return items, which prevents distress to the resident and saves valuable staff time. Businesses can use name labels to track assets, such as uniform or equipment that they assign or loan out to employees.

How Do Different Name Labels Work?

While there are lots of different solutions, we’ll focus on the main types of name labels.

• Sew-in name labels: thin strips of fabric that are embroidered or printed with a name. You sew them onto items.
  Benefits: sew in name labels offer great longevity (depending on your sewing skills!) but are really easy to remove if you want to reuse clothes or donate them.
  Drawbacks: sew in labels take time to apply and are only suitable for fabric items.
• Iron-on name labels: these products have a hot-melt adhesive; when you iron over them, the adhesive melts and then dries into a solid adhesive bond.
  Benefits: modern hot melt adhesives produce really strong adhesive bonds.
  Drawbacks: it takes time and care (and a hot iron) to apply these labels properly and they are very difficult to remove. Some find that the edges catch and pull away over time. Like sew-in labels, iron-on name labels only work on fabric items.
• Clip-on name labels: usually a thin strip of fabric or plastic. You place the two ends either side of a piece of fabric and secure them with a clip.
  Benefits: clips are pretty sturdy and stay in place until you remove them. Application can be tricky but some have applicators to make things easier.
  Drawbacks: some clips are trickier to apply. This product involves punching a clip through fabric, which may be off-putting if you want to reuse or donate items. They are a bulkier solution and only work on fabric items.  
  
  
• Stick on name labels: this modern solution uses pressure sensitive adhesives that are sticky to the touch. You simply stick each label in place.
  Benefits: the quickest and easiest product to apply. Modern adhesives can create extremely strong bonds on a range of items. They are also removable, although this can be a messier process (see below).
  Drawbacks: some adhesives cannot go through washing machines and can only be used on non-fabric items. Sticky name labels may leave behind adhesive residue (although this can be removed with household sticky stuff remover).

Of course, you might want to try a non-name label solution in the form of a stamp or laundry pen. They are a quick and simple way to label items but rely on the durability of their ink, which may fade over time. Neither works well on dark fabrics and stamps will only work on fabric items.

Which Name Labels Are The Best?

Unsurprisingly, we’d like to say that stick on name labels – or, more specifically, Stikins® – are the best!

Stikins® are stick on name labels, which means they are quick and easy to use. We make them with a unique adhesive designed to ensure your name labels stick on and stay on.

The combination of our super soft, flexible material and unique adhesive means you can use one pack of Stikins® on almost everything – including fabric and non-fabric items.

Stikins® have been independently tested using the ISO6330 wash test procedure for 60 washes at 40 degrees. You can put labelled items through washing machines, tumble-dryers, dishwashers, and microwaves. We have over 12,000 five star reviews from parents. Some of our customers have used Stikins® from the first day of nursery to the last day of secondary school.

Our name labels are gentle against skin and won’t cause irritation when labelled items are worn. We print each bright white label with a bold black font, which is clear and easy to read for children of all ages. Each label measures 30mm by 15mm, which fits neatly but discretely onto items of all shapes and sizes. This makes your labels a subtle addition to your kids’ belongings but easy to use when you need them.

Parents can order Stikins® online at any time or by phone during office hours. It takes just a minute or two and all you need to do is give us your personalisation, pack size(s), delivery information, and payment. We despatch orders same day when you order by 3pm (Mon-Fri) and next working day if you order after 3pm, over the weekend, or during a holiday period. Delivery is free and uses Royal Mail’s first class as standard; we also offer special delivery by phone if you need your labels urgently.

Once your name labels arrive, you simply peel each label carefully off the backing sheet and stick firmly into place. We recommend using the wash-care label of fabric items and the side wall or beneath the tongue of shoes.

Stikins® don’t work on fabric items without a wash-care label, especially stretchy items like socks.

Ultimately, the best name labels you can buy depends on what you need to label, how much time you are prepared to spend labelling items, and your budget.

If you only need to label fabric items, sew-in name tapes remain a great solution. They stay put through daily life and remove cleanly. However, they require time and care to apply. If you need to label fabric and non-fabric items, you’ll either need to buy different products for different items or find a solution that works on both – like Stikins® stick on name labels!