How to Apply Iron On Clothing Labels

How to Apply Iron On Clothing Labels

When it comes to quickly labeling clothes and linens, iron on labels are often the first type that come to mind. There is a huge selection of iron on clothing labels available these days and a style to suit virtually every need and purpose.

Iron on clothing labels are most often used for:

  • Clothes, as well as bed and bath linens for residents in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes, and other places where laundry labels are essential.
  • Larger homes where it’s helpful to label linens and bedding for sorting after the laundry, such as “Queen,” “King,” etc.
  • Kids’ clothes and belongings for school, daycare, camp, and extracurricular activities.

Personalized iron on name tags are ideal for children’s clothes and miscellaneous possessions, in particular, because they help kids recognize (and bring home) all of their belongings, even when mixed in with everyone else’s, either at summer camp or school.

Senior citizens residing in nursing homes or assisted living facilities with a communal laundry system can also hugely benefit from using iron on labels for identification purposes. Attaching an easy-to-read label onto personal items is a task that’s worth the time, to help avoid losing valuable belongings.

Steps for applying iron on labels:

If you’re trying to figure out how to use iron on clothing labels, look no further. Here, we’ll discuss what steps to take to be sure you have sufficiently ironed on your clothing labels. 

All iron on labels will have slightly different application times, depending on the type of adhesive that is used on the reverse.  All of our clothing labels come with complete instructions and helpful tips, but we thought it would be useful to share some of our advice on how to effectively apply iron on clothing labels here.

  1. To begin with, make sure that your item of clothing is suitable for an iron on label.  Smooth surfaces are the best as the glue will be able to adhere to all the fibers in the fabric and, therefore, stay on.  If you have a knitted or fleece item, a sew on label would be best.
  2. Start with a firm surface such as an ironing board or sturdy table. Remember, if you are using a table, you will need to put a piece of heat-proof cloth between the item and the surface.
  3. Get rid of any leftover water within the iron. If you’d prefer to recycle it, fill a reusable container with the iron water to store it for the next time you need to steam. 
  4. Make sure that the steam setting is NOT engaged. The moisture from steam can dilute the glue, and the label will not adhere correctly.
  5. Turn your iron to very warm/hot. All iron temperatures vary, so it is best to start with warm and heat the iron up if necessary.
  6. Wait patiently for the iron to heat up. If the iron isn’t as warm as it needs to be, you won’t see good results. 
  7. Once the label is in position on the garment, place the iron directly on top and follow the timing directions. We recommend trying to use the center part of the iron as the heat is most evenly distributed there. It can be tempting to use just the tip or edge of an iron, but sometimes the iron is not hot enough at those points to effectively melt the glue.
  8. Be patient while the glue cools down. Once it has, and it’s safe to touch the garment, it’s important to confirm that you have a good seal from your iron on label to your garment. This can be done by trying to lift the corners of the label with your fingers. 
  9. If it stays, you’re set. If the label rises easily, you need to re-apply the iron, or perhaps turn the heat setting up a little.

Tips for applying iron on labels: 

  • Place the iron on label directly on the fabric of the garment rather than an existing clothing tag. 
  • Ensure your clothing item is both dry and clean to get a good seal. If moisture or debris are present, your clothing label will not stick as well. 
  • If you are concerned about applying the iron directly onto the fabric, try incorporating a piece of parchment paper into the ironing process to protect the integrity of the fabric but still achieve strong adhesion. 
  • Follow the specific instructions provided by us here at It’s Mine! Labels on how to apply your iron on labels. 

It’s Mine! Labels has seven different types of iron on clothing labels for customers to choose from and lots of colors, fonts, and icons to make them unique.  If you have any questions about how to iron name labels on clothing, know that we are always happy to give advice via email, or over the telephone, at (866) 695-2235!

 

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