I’ve tried the tape-and-paper trick, and yeah, it gets gross after a while—especially if you’re dealing with any kind of moisture down there. I switched to jotting stuff down on those cheap plastic index cards with a Sharpie. Wipe ‘em off if they get dirty, and they don’t disintegrate if you drop one in a puddle. Not perfect, but better than digging out my phone with muddy hands.
I switched to jotting stuff down on those cheap plastic index cards with a Sharpie. Wipe ‘em off if they get dirty, and they don’t disintegrate if you drop one in a puddle.
That’s clever, and I get the appeal—paper just doesn’t hold up when you’re crawling around under a sink or in a crawlspace. I’ve tried laminated cards before, but started feeling weird about the plastic waste, especially after a few got lost behind the water heater and basically became permanent fixtures. Ever tried using those stone paper notebooks? Supposedly waterproof and tear-resistant, but I’m not sure how eco-friendly they really are compared to the plastic cards.
I’ve also just used a wax pencil on tiles or pipes for quick notes, then wiped it off later. Not great if you need to keep the info, but handy in a pinch. Curious if anyone’s found something that’s both tough and not destined for the landfill... or is that just wishful thinking?
Honestly, I’m not totally sold on the stone paper thing either. I bought a small pad once, but it felt kind of weird to write on, and I wasn’t convinced it was much better for the environment than plastic. At this point, I just snap a quick photo on my phone when I need to remember pipe layouts or valve numbers. It’s not perfect, but at least I’m not leaving stuff behind for the next person to find... or trip over.
I totally get where you’re coming from—stone paper just feels off to me, too. The phone photo trick is actually pretty smart, especially since it keeps things tidy. Ever had issues with photos getting mixed up though? Sometimes I forget to label them and then it’s just a mess of random pipes in my gallery...
Sometimes I forget to label them and then it’s just a mess of random pipes in my gallery...
Man, I feel this. My phone’s got more pics of my crawlspace than my kids at this point. I tried making a “plumbing” album but then I forget to move the photos over half the time. Once, I spent twenty minutes scrolling through blurry shots of elbows and T-joints just to remember which shutoff valve was which. I started using painter’s tape and a Sharpie to label stuff in the photos—looks goofy but at least I know what’s what. Not perfect, but better than playing pipe detective every time something leaks.