How to Remove Safety Tags From Clothing
As a deterrent against theft, clothing stores attach security tags to certain items that will work if you try to leave by leaving a tag on your clothes. Some tags will also ruin clothing by spilling ink from the tag if you try to remove it yourself. This is usually not a problem as the tag is removed before you leave the store, but sometimes the clerks may miss the tag when placing an order – or you will receive an item shipped from the store ordered online to see who packaged it left the tag at the top. Ouch. If you find yourself in this situation, here’s what you can do about it.
But first: it should be taken for granted, but not shoplifting. It’s unpleasant and illegal. This post is intended simply as a remedy for a situation that we have all found ourselves in at one time or another. Use this information for good, people.
The unfortunate reality is that there is no magic method to remove security labels from clothing that vary in shape and function. The best thing you can do is just go back to the store, explain what happened, show your receipt, and hope they’ll believe you. If a return to the store is not possible, or if you cannot find your receipt, try the following alternative methods:
- Cut it off with a dremel or a thin wire cutter . You probably won’t want to spend money on a dremel if you don’t already have one, but if you do, then eHow approves of this method. They note that a standard cutter will not work because they are often too thick to fit inside the safety tag. So, get thin . Dremel will probably be more efficient in the long run, but it is definitely a more expensive option. This tip is more for people who already own one of these items, or perhaps a friend with an impressive collection of tools.
- You can use a strong magnet to remove some types of sensors. This post explains how to detect them, and this video shows you how to make it work .
- Another article on eHow suggests a better solution for some of the tags – use rubber bands ! Typically, you wrap the rubber band around the pin until it loosens and then pull the tag out. Full instructions are here .
- Do not try to freeze clothing or remove ink tags . The advice to freeze clothes and remove the ink label using brute force is pretty common on the internet, but it’s probably not the best idea. Some sites advise treating this ink with antifreeze , which means it will still stain your clothes even after a night or two in the freezer. Another similar option is to wrap the tag in a plastic bag and tear it off, but this method also allows a high probability of error.
- Just get to the right place .
This article was originally published in August 2011 by Adam Duchis and updated on March 1, 2021 by Joel Cunningham to add additional methods and revise and correct old tips.