Remove Clothing Labels

The clothing labels found sewn into most garments can be a real nuisance. These labels can itch, hang out visibly, be visible through thin material, reveal your size to the world and force you to be a walking advertisement for the brand. Luckily, you can quickly and easily remove these labels yourself in almost all circumstances.

Steps

Using a Seam Ripper

  1. Assess your label. Labels are made of diverse materials and sewn into clothing in a variety of ways. You must remove them with care, or you risk accidentally tearing your clothing with the seam ripper.
    • Look for the best approach and point of entry to begin removal.
    • Make a mental note about the type of material the label is made of – is it made of soft fabric or something a little more rigid and paper-like?[1]
  2. Check for multiple tags or labels. They could be sewn into your garment side by side, or one on top of the other. If they are stacked, are they sewn in separately, or are the same stitches holding them both on?
    • Either way, you should start with the top tag when you begin the removal process, but now you know whether or not you’ll need to be doing additional stich removal on the second tag.
  3. Inspect the label and seam closely. Is the label sewn into the same seam that holds the garment together? Look closely at the threads – if you pull out the tag stitching, will it cause the seam to loosen and unravel?
    • If so, avoid using a seam ripper, since doing so will damage your clothing.
    • Instead, cut the label off close to the seam, leaving behind the stitching of the label. Don’t cut into the seam.
  4. Push the tip of the seam ripper under one stitch. Make sure the seam ripper is resting on top of the label rather than underneath it when you begin.[2] Gently pull up and your seam ripper will cut through the thread easily.
    • Pulling the top stitches out first lessens the chance of an accidental tear in your clothing.
    • You can start anywhere, but it’s generally best to begin pulling stitches at the top right corner of the label.
  5. Rip out several more stitches in a row. Move right to left as you work and pull the stitches out consecutively. Continue this process until all of the stitching is removed.
    • Be sure to be very gentle as you cut through the stitches so that you won’t damage your clothing with the sharp tip of your seam ripper.
    • For a slightly faster removal, stop at about the halfway mark and pull the label up so you can see underneath.
  6. Wrap your finger around the tag to expose the stitches underneath.[3] Your label will be loosened at this point, and you can get your seam ripper through the threads underneath it quickly and easily. Rip through those stitches and continue alternating until all of the stitching is removed.
    • Make sure to cut through each stitch. Don’t cut through a few of them until the label is loosened and then attempt to pull the rest of the stitches out.
  7. Use tweezers to pull out any loose or remaining thread. There will probably be a few stray threads embedded in your garment after you remove the label. Carefully tweeze them out, making sure the threads are totally loose before attempting to yank them out.
  8. Keep the label for referencing garment care information. One downside to removing a label is that most of them include care instructions for that particular item. Hang on to it if you think you’ll need it in the future.
    • Otherwise, you can either make a mental note or write the information down and keep it in a safe place.

Using Alternatives For Removal

  1. Cut the label out as close to the seam as you can. Use a sharp pair of scissors for this and take care that you don’t cut into the seam of your garment. A small strip of the label will remain behind, stitched into the seam.
    • It’s possible that the freshly cut label may be itchy or irritating on the back of your neck. Some of the stiffer, more papery labels can cause this.
    • After a few washings, that edge will probably soften and no longer bother you. However, if you’re worried about this, avoid cutting the label off.
  2. Cut a small piece of hemming tape. You want it to be approximately the width of your label. You need to use iron-on, no-sew hemming tape for this. It can be obtained in any fabric store or department.
  3. Place the hemming tape across the bottom of the label. Once it's in place, iron the tape down. Now the label is no longer hanging loose or flapping from the seam of your garment.
    • This will definitely help you out when you have an itchy label that can’t be removed from your garment without causing any damage.
    • Do not attempt this if your garment is made of a delicate fabric. The heat from the iron can damage your item.
  4. Use two more pieces of hemming tape on the label (optional). If you are working with a super itchy label, try completely attaching the tag to your garment with the hemming tape. Place the two pieces of hemming tape along the two remaining sides of the label. Iron down two additional pieces along the other two sides of your label.
    • Now your label has no loose edges and is completely fastened to your garment.
    • Do not attempt this if your garment is made of a delicate fabric. The heat from the iron can damage your item.
  5. Go tagless.[4] Some companies have stopped sewing tags and labels into their clothing completely to create more comfortable garments for their customers. Instead of a tag, the label information is ironed or stamped on the inside of the garment, in the general area where a tag would normally appear.
    • This info is only visible on the inside of a garment, and it is invisible on the outside of the garment.

Removing Outside Labels

  1. Examine your label. Outside labels are most frequently found on men’s suits. You must remove them with care so that you won’t damage your garment, but these labels are meant to be removed.[5] Look for the best approach and point of entry to begin removal.
    • Jeans also frequently feature an outside tag, generally in the form of a tiny patch that features the brand logo. These are not meant to be removed, so you will need to take extra caution when doing it, but these can be removed using this method.[6]
    • Another common example of an outside tag is one that you see sewn into an outside seam on a garment. Use tiny cuticle scissors to cut these off, since they are normally quite easy to get rid of.
  2. Slide a seam ripper or tiny cuticle scissors under one stitch of the label. Make sure the seam ripper or the cuticle scissors are resting on top of the label when you begin. Gently pull up and your seam ripper will cut through the thread easily. If you’re using cuticle scissors, make a tiny snip to easily cut through the stitch.[5]
    • You can start anywhere, but it’s generally best to begin pulling stitches at the top right corner of the label.
  3. Move right to left as you work and pull the remaining stitches out. Pull them out consecutively. Be very gentle as you cut through the stitches so that you won’t damage your clothing with the sharp tip of your seam ripper or scissors.
    • Make sure to cut cleanly through each stitch. Don’t cut through a few of them until the label is loosened and then attempt to pull the rest of the stitches out.
  4. Pull the label away and use tweezers to pull out any remaining thread. There will probably be a few stray threads embedded in your garment after you remove the label. Make sure the threads are totally loose before attempting to tweeze them out.
  5. Hide or tolerate what you can’t remove. Occasionally, you will have garments with outside labels that simply can’t be removed, because doing so would damage the garment or because the label is part of the garment itself. In these cases, there isn’t a lot you can do yourself, but there are a few options:
    • Check with a tailor or dry cleaning professional to see if they are able to do it for you.
    • Hiding outside labels is an option, but there is rarely a graceful way to do this. If the label is on your sleeve cuff, you can roll up your sleeves. Most outside labels on a shirt can be hidden with a jacket.
    • Outside labels on the back pockets of jeans can be covered with a long shirt or jacket.
    • Try using an iron-on patch to cover the label.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/42723/how-to-properly-remove-clothing-labels
  2. ↑ http://gogingham.com/2011/07/how-to-remove-tags-from-clothing/
  3. ↑ http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/42723/how-to-properly-remove-clothing-labels
  4. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/fashion/snipping-out-annoying-clothing-labels.html?_r=0
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.gq.com/story/avoid-these-new-suit-mistakes-tailoring
  6. ↑ http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704723104576062063711568804

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