The ubiquitous sticky tag. Am I the only one who finds them soannoying? They're bad enough on glass, but at least you can run them
under hot water or throw the item in the dishwasher to remove the
pesky things. But, heavens to murgatroyd, why do stores persist in
plastering them on leather, wood and worst of all on the dust jackets
of books? I bought two beautiful small acacia wood trays with huge
sticky labels slapped right in the center of both. It took me 14 minutes
to dig them off, and that's with using my favorite handy dandy Goo
Gone and the former nail on my left thumb, now worn down from
excessive holiday gift label removal. Yes, I am known to use my left
hand for label removal, flipping through magazines, holding the phone
and clicking the TV remote, among other odd assorted tasks. I guess
you could say I am just partially ambidextrous. Sorry, I digress.
Anyway, when the manufacturers or retailers actually use those great
easy to remove labels, you know them, the ones that come off with
one nice clean peel, I am in label heaven and I hear lovely strains of
Handel.
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah.
Halleeeeluuuuu---jah!!!
Happy gift wrapping, dear bloggies.
And may all your labels be smooth and easy.
Nice blog...
ReplyDeleteCongrats...
THE DEVIL INSIDE ©
I agree with you about the labels. I hate trying to get them off different things.
ReplyDeleteomg..yes, I gripe about this all the time! and I agree that the worst offenders are the ones that won't come off from the books I buy! There has to be a better way to affix those stupid things..
ReplyDeleteSadly, Handel's strains are rarely heard these days. I know exactly what you mean about those darn labels. If it's something that can be temporarily wet, I will use a cloth with dish-soapy water. If it's glass or plastic, you can get away with a little nail-polish remover. Books, I often have trouble with, since I get many of them at thrift stores and they just love to stick on those tiny irremovable ones that seem to have been put on with Krazy Glue!
ReplyDeleteMay you have many "Hallelujah" moments this season, Willow.
Kat
'Heavens to murgatroyd'... that made me smile.
ReplyDeleteI have just spent the morning doing the same thing on all my little santa sack presents - I have no nails or patience left. Why do they do it???
Fun post, xv.
LOL--amen to that: I totally agree about those wretched stickers that won't come off. I keep a bottle of "Goo Gone" under the kitchen sink just for those babies. Drives me nuts. I'm spending today wrapping and mailing some things, too. Happy wrapping to you!
ReplyDeleteI have discovered that on paper and cardboard an exacto knife or scissor blades or knife edge work nicely. Just run across the tag then peel...it takes the first layer off. I tend to leave the bar code and cut out the price if the tag is an out of the way place.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain, I just bought some cloth napkins and they had the WORST stuck on paper glue tag mess ever, I had to douse them in goo gone, soak them in water and put them through the washer to get it off. Ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteWhen the Goo Gone doesn't work...it's a bitch.
ReplyDeleteAt least Handel playing in the background (head) makes it worthwhile...
It took 14 minutes even with Goo Gone? Wow! Those labels didn't want to come off!
ReplyDeleteRegarding sticky labels - Depending on the item - Try: peanut butter, cooking oil, or Goop Off (brandname). Some labels come off better if you tear them off really slowly. If on glass - let the item sit in hot water for a while. K-Mart labels are usually in sections, so you have to tear them apart in sections. Vile Stickies are just another bump in the road on life's journey.
ReplyDeleteThe little tokens on cat food tins are a nightmare to remove and drive me mad!
ReplyDeletex V.
I understand your frustration. I especially hate it when they stick those labels on books. Even when you remove the sticker, there is still the sticky residue left over.
ReplyDelete(Nice blog! Your house sounds cool!)
Heavens to Murgatroyd? Wasn't that Snagglepuss?
ReplyDeleteI'd give my right arm to be partially ambidextrous!
oooh, I hate those pesky stickers, too!
ReplyDeleteAnother commentor suggested peanut butter- that's what I use. Works great on plastics.
Have a good weekend, Willow. =)
Relax, relax...
ReplyDeleteyou know , sometimes i just let it stuck , cus it will really drive me insane to remove it !
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. The other thing that bugs me is that tough plastic that takes a chisel or strong pair of scissors.
ReplyDeleteHi Willow,
ReplyDeleteSadly, many stores use indestrucible stickers so that their patrons can't peel 'em off to swap around etc! And they're probably cheaper. Certainly looks like yours weren't meant to come off!
We ALWAYS use peelable stickers but they can have a habit of curling up at the edges, which is just as frustrating! I'll have to remember about the Handel :0)
ooo and the homegoods ones are THE WORST! They perforate them with those blasted circles! I'm with you....those label people need to get a life!
ReplyDeleteThe ones that really send me over the edge are the stickers on fruit! Why? They are so unattractive. I have to pull each and every one off of each and every orange before it goes into the bowl. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteAnd, by the way, try olive oil next time. I have found that works well!
Happy Saturday to you!
Wow, you really hit a nerve here with me. I HATE STICKY RESIDUE!!! I can't tell you how many nails I've ruined trying to get those things off. I actually get shivers when one of those easy peel stickers comes off quickly and without protest! Long live the easy peel stickers!!!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Dakota Bear about the dreaded molded plastic - it's like a medieval chastity belt for merchandise!
I just found your site this morning. It is rare to find someone so interesting. I am going to check out several of the books you have listed. They souund really good. I love music too. I just got an I-Pod for Christmas. I love it. My daughter helped me download songs for it and set it up for me. LoL
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great weekend.
xoxo Nita
I bet if all your readers were reading this at one time, there would be a collective AAAAAAAaarrrrrgggggghhhhhh heard round the world!
ReplyDeleteGoo Gone or WD-40 ... let it soak in for a while before breaking out the dynamite.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree, the plastic packaging is the worst thing since - war? the flu virus? earthquakes?
Here's an irony - Home Depot sells tons of stuff in nasty plastic packaging AND they also sell a special scissor-type tool for opening those blasted things. That's what I call mean.
Labels are a pain in the...!
ReplyDeleteAlcohol or nail polish remover will work on things they will not damage.
I like your blog.
I love your blog! Congratulations from Portugal :)
ReplyDeletekisses
Dang sticky labels...I hates 'em! Them and the sticky tape on CD and DVD jewel cases...oh drat, drat, and double drat!
ReplyDelete(Heaven's to murgatroyd! Saturday morning cartoons just ain't the same...)
Oh do I ever agree Willow!! They drive me insane too, especially on glassware.
ReplyDeleteI hate labels on the underneath of sale shoes. Totally agree with every word, willow
ReplyDeleteRubbing alcohol. Some glues and some inks are alcohol soluble. Check on an inconspicuous location to see how it affects the finish, however. It sometimes dulls the finish as well.
ReplyDeleteMike
New to the manor, but love your blog. I feel as if I have walked into your home. I feel your pain about the tags. An equally annoying tag is the plastic ring that connects shoes (especially when you want to try them on).
ReplyDeleteHappy Wrapping!
Totally agree with the labels. It drives me insane..especially on dustjackets. What else drives me crazy is on the back of magnets. Usually I leave them on, but because some "overhang" the magnet you try to pull it off and you wind up with not only a magnet sticking to your fridge, but also adhesive from the price sticker. Then, you virtually cannot use it because then that will stick to whatever you want to hold up on the fridge. UGH!!
ReplyDeletePoor Willow and her former thumb nail! My tried and true trick is to heat the sticker up with your blow drier. It loosens the glue for a quick peel.
ReplyDeleteYou are way ahead of me in the present buying/sticker removal/wrapping stages! :)
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ReplyDeleteAh...Another Homes Goods shopper! :^)Don't you love that store?
ReplyDeleteI have been battling the same with a few purchased from there myself..They do have killer stickers to remove.
Happy wrapping!
"brown paper packages tied up ith strings"
ReplyDeleteThats from the sound of music?? haha
I was listening to the song and I thought of your blog. It made sense all of a sudden.
The sticky tag on the Manor must always be coming off-- because it's so very "a-peel-ing"!
ReplyDeleteWell...it is!
Completly true! Those labels will be around for Wall-e to collect!
ReplyDeleteI thought they had made a break through in label stickies. I know the labels on books peel off easily these days. :O/
ReplyDeletethe question is why they can't all peel away easily...some conspiracy or another I'm sure.
ReplyDeletedrats on the sticky labels and yeah to goo gone! i'm 3/4 way thru wrapping and will finish tomorrow. well unless the new novel i started today calls my name too loudly. lol
ReplyDeleteOh I hear you! Thank goodness for Goo Gone and strong nails. But still, many a fine book cover has been marked. :)
ReplyDeletebeen traveling down some new blog streets of my own- glad to find you & thanks for the laugh!
ReplyDeleteI hate those lables too!
Hey nice blog...cant really tell you how you've echoes my feelings...and the worst is everytime we visit the mart here, the next day my nails are surely chipped off
ReplyDeleteYou are the only other person I know that says "heavens to murgatroyd" -
ReplyDeleteBesides me! More power to you. :D
I think you've opened Pandora's box. If there is a label rebellion, I'll know who to blame...
ReplyDeleteI would like to think that the sticky tag is the manufacturer's or the store owner's revenge on the customer for the VAT being reduced (sorry, I just realised that that sentence is more appropriate for the dwellers of Blighty, VAT stands for Value Added Tax and it's a levy imposed by shops on certain products and it's just now been reduced from 17.5% to 12.5%, which means it affects mainly the small and medium businesses). The sticky tag could be the sweet smell of revenge after all.
ReplyDeleteHappy gift-wrapping!
Greetings from London.
This reminds me of one of my favourite comedy songs of all time...Nancy Wilson's Sticker's on Fruit. Every time I get an apple with one that song pops into my head. Here's a link to the song if you want to hear. http://www.borealisrecords.com/sounds/stickers.ram
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
No, Willow, you are not the only one who find them annoying! Even under hot water sometimes it's no easy at all! Grrrr.... :-)
ReplyDeleteI could have written that post word for word! My feelings exactly, vile, vile stickers. I've lamented over those things hundreds of times to my husband. Bless that Goo Gone! Your banner is so charming. Lovely blog!
ReplyDeleteA trick .. take a tweezer and gently lift all along one side - any side, doesnt matter - gently is the key . once you get a 'lip' you can then pull it slowly/gently off whatever and 99.99% of the time it comes off in one piece ..
ReplyDeleteand you'll save that thumb nail for more important tasks like removing staples!
:-Daryl
It's nice to know that someone else hates these as much as I do, and who also says heavens to murgatroyd . . .
ReplyDeleteArgh! Sticky tags! How is it that when I stick mine in the dishwasher, they fly off the glass only to land and stick on something else even harder to get it off of.
ReplyDeleteThat was really bad English, I know. But it is what goes through my head.
Argh! Sticky tags! How is it that when I stick mine in the dishwasher, they fly off the glass only to land and stick on something else even harder to get it off of.
ReplyDeleteThat was really bad English, I know. But it is what goes through my head.
9. Remove stubborn price tags or stickers. Paint them with several coats of vinegar, let the liquid soak in for five minutes, then wipe away the residue.-
ReplyDeleteFound this on the Real Simple website and thought of you. I love goo gone but in a pinch this would help!
It's really infuriating when you go through all of the trouble of removing the label, only to have your thumb and finger covered in the sticky mess, then you try to wash it off, but it has some water-repellent reside, so it actually congeals the water to your hand, then you go to dry your hands on the towel, then you have little fuzzies on your fingers, then when you brush your nose, you make yourself sneeze (breath), then you remember the goo-gone, but it gets stuck to your fingers.
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth! However the poor retailers do it because if they peel off easy...some doofus head peels them off and puts them on an item that costs three times as much...and the numbskulls at the registers don't notice and the store loses tons of cash. You can thank all the pitiful skeevy theives out there for the unremovable labels! Can you tell I've worked retail before lol
ReplyDeleteI agree with you so much on the labels. Especially Home Goods, the label is in 4 parts so you get one part off and you still have 3 more to go!
ReplyDelete~Ann
I use to have the same problem, then I bought a Bissel steam shot. It's this neat cleaning appliance I bought from QVC but you can find it online. It has a scrapper tool that removes those labels. It's also a alternative to cleaning with chemicals, check it out.
ReplyDeleteI use Eucalyptus oil or olive oil (just a little) on a paper towel and it rubs right off...Obviously be very careful with books!
ReplyDeleteAs Derrick stated, they are a retailer's defense against the unscrupulous few, who ruin it for the rest of us, who use removable stickers to give themselves a one-of-a-kind discount.
ReplyDeletePersistent stickers are annoying, but only second to the hard-shell moulded plastic packaging that can actually draw blood when you try to free them with your sharpest scissors.
found your blog on blogs of note. i'm hooked. ;o) for labels on glass, plastic, and other hard surfaces, spray a bit of glass cleaner (windex) let it sit a few minutes, and wipe off with a paper towel. truly it works every time and easy as pie. you can even do it on some wood stuff.
ReplyDeletePurple Bee is a fan of this blog but not of stickers unless this blog happened to be published upon them.
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