How to Remove Tags from Clothing

If you’ve ever received a pile of hand-me-down clothing from me, you’ve probably wondered:  Why does none of the clothing have tags in the back of the garment?  Tags in clothing drive me nuts!  If they drive you crazy, too, you’ll love these easy steps to removing those pesky tags while not damaging your clothing. The tool you’ll be using?  A simple seam ripper.  With a seam ripper, you can easily remove tags from any piece of clothing.  Here is my seam ripper.  I keep this one in the kitchen.

These are items I purchased at my recent trip to “The Bins.” This one is a Banana Republic knitted cotton  tank.  Remember, always wash your items purchased second-hand first.

Place your seam ripper under the thread, on top of the tag.  By placing your seam ripper on top of the tag (as opposed to below it) you won’t find yourself tearing the garment itself.  Carefully push the seam ripper through a couple of seams to get started.

Once you remove a couple of stitches, you can also get your seam ripper under the tag by wrapping it around your finger.  Gently push the seam ripper to cut the remaining stitches.

Pull any loose threads out and you’re set!  If you still see small holes in your garment from where the stitching was, give it a good pressing with your steam iron and the holes will disappear.

Ready for its début!  I can hardly wait to wear it.

Clothing manufacturers have really clued into the tag issue and have started printing tags onto the garments themselves.  It seems like a good idea for t-shirts and casual items but I don’t know if it work on a fine gauge cotton sweater like this one.  And, I don’t mind using my seam ripper.

Do tags in your clothing drive you crazy, too?  Do you remove tags from clothing?

Go Gingham related links:

A dining room table table-cloth for Flag Day – or another summer holiday
Thanksgiving table-cloth made for our dining room table
Matching napkins for the table-cloth – made from an old skirt
How to make a waistband smaller without pins!
How to turn jeans into capris – easier than you think!
How to make skinny jeans from wide leg jeans – make your own “jeggings”
How to mend pillow cases to improve your sleeping – hah!
How to take apart a skirt – use your seam ripper on this project!