Funny you mention the rusty tags—those things are a pain and honestly, not great for the environment either. I’ve switched to using recycled plastic tags with a permanent marker. They hold up through humidity and don’t peel or rust, plus they’re easy to swap out if you need to relabel. Not the prettiest, but way less waste in the long run.
I get the appeal of the plastic tags, especially with all the humidity we deal with in basements and crawlspaces. Rusty metal ones can be a nightmare, and you’re right—they end up in the bin way too soon. Only thing I’ve noticed is sometimes the marker fades if there’s a lot of condensation, depending on the brand. Have you had any issues with that? I’ve tried a few different markers, but some just don’t stick around. Curious if you’ve found something that holds up better, or if you’ve run into that problem at all.
I actually had the opposite problem—my plastic tags got brittle and snapped after a couple years, but the writing was still there. Go figure. I switched back to those cheap aluminum ones and just use a paint pen. No fading, no snapping... just a little rust if you forget about them for too long.
Had the same issue with plastic tags—cracked right in half after a couple winters. Tried those aluminum ones too, but I just use a Sharpie and cover it with clear nail polish. Lasts longer than I expected, and way cheaper than buying new tags every year. Little rust doesn’t bother me as long as I can still read what’s on there.
Little rust doesn’t bother me as long as I can still read what’s on there.
That’s kind of how I feel about half the stuff in my basement right now. If it works, who cares if it looks a little rough around the edges? I tried those fancy metal tags too and they just ended up looking worse than my handwriting. Your Sharpie and nail polish trick sounds way more practical than anything I’ve tried. Might have to steal that idea next time something needs labeling...