Caring for a Loved One in a Nursing Home: Labeling Clothing

There are several options for labeling your loved one's clothing. Pictures help tell the story, so enjoy!

Write on the Clothing

The quickest easiest way to label is to use a Sharpie or a permanent fabric marker. I have personally used a Pigma Micron pen and a Sharpie for my father's clothes, and both have been successful.

Not long ago Sharpie came out with some markers intended for permanent writing on fabric called Stained by Sharpie. These work even better than regular Sharpies for permanent marking on clothing.

Regular Sharpie markers do eventually fade with washing. It's easy enough to re-write on the clothing, but you must remember to check.

This obviously only works well for lighter fabrics using a darker marker.

Write the name in a location on the garment that is inconspicuous when worn, yet fairly easy to find. If the garment is dark, you can write on a light colored manufacturer label. Usually there is some margin space on these labels.

Writing on the garment is my preferred method for labeling white socks. I write the name on the bottom of the sock around the arch. Dark socks are tricky.... that's another post.

Writing on the garment is always a good "fall-back" labeling technique. This is why I keep a Sharpie in my purse at all times. You could also stash one in your loved one's room if there's a convenient place.

Custom Ink Stamps

A social worker at my father's facility highly recommends a military clothing stamp. The military requires all clothing to be labeled and they have developed inks that really stay.  I have no personal experience with these stamps, but it seems like a really good idea.  As an employee of a facility, the social worker purchased a customizable stamp where you can change the name. I'm not sure where you can get such a thing, but as you know....you can buy just about anything on the Internet!

You can get a custom clothing stamp made - several companies offer such a product.

Custom Labels

I don't have personal experience with purchased iron-on or sew-on labels. Many boast iron-on for simplicity and permanent adhesion, but honestly, I'm suspicious. The laundry in a nursing home is so harsh on clothes I would be afraid the adhesive would deteriorate. Knits could be problematic because the stretching could cause the adhesive to detach.

I would imagine sewing them on would be just like sewing on the homemade labels, without having to press under raw edges.

Fortunately, they aren't expensive and you can get a lot of them for a little bit of money. A web search on "clothing labels" will lead you to many options, as plain or as fancy as you like.

Homemade Labels

I like to sew, and my sewing machine is always at the ready, so I don't mind making my own labels. The easiest labels are simple rectangles of white cotton (or cotton-blend) fabric with raw edged folded and pressed under, and stitched to the garment by machine using a zig zag stitch. I write the name on the label using one of the markers mentioned above. I usually make up a bunch of them at one time using scraps of white or light-colored fabric, then sew them on as Dad acquires new clothes.

A good dimension for a homemade label is 1.25" x 2.5" (raw, before edges are pressed under.)

Label with Hand-Written Name
(name blurred for privacy)

Label with Edges Ironed Under

Position the label and pin to garment. If you don't want to pin, you can always use a washable glue (like Elmer's).

The zig zag stitch is a good choice because you don't have to be as precise in sewing around the label, and it has a little "give" to it. Much of Dad's clothing is knit with some stretch. I usually sew the label on near the manufacturers labels.

Label Zigzag Stitched to Garment

I usually use white thread on the top and a thread in the color matching the shirt in the bobbin, so the stitching is not too obvious. Here's how it looks on the back (outwards facing, when worn).

Appearance of Label Stitching

Sure, it's noticeable when you're looking for it. If I was picky I could touch the white thread with a marker to conceal them. In this case, it's the back of a pair of athletic pants and it won't be seen when Dad is sitting. When standing, his shirt will cover it.

Tips: 

Spray starch or Mary Ellen's Best Press Clear Starch used when ironing helps the labels retain their crisp pressed edges.

On polo shirts with knit collars, you can sew the label on the collar itself on the inside, a little above the seam where the collar is stitched to the shirt. The fold of the collar will cover up the stitching in back. On T-shirts, I usually sew the label on the strip of fabric that covers the seam between the shirt and the ribbed neck opening.

Homemade labels do not work well for super-stretchy items like socks, though.

For shirts and pants, this is my preferred technique. The labels are easy to find and easy to read. Plus, it shows that someone put in a little extra care for their family member.

Caring for a Loved One in a Nursing Home: Laundry

Many nursing home facilities offer laundry services for the residents. Usually the fee is quite reasonable and using the service is a great convenience for the family. In my experience, the laundry service currently costs about $1.00/day.

Some families prefer to do their loved one's laundry. That's fine, but be advised that there are dozens of other things that need to be done to care for your loved one in a nursing home. Using the service can lighten the load a little. And, you won't have to worry about if Mom or Dad has enough clothes for the next few days.

Labeling your loved one's clothes is required. There is no way the laundry service will be able to remember whose clothes are whose - it all looks the same to them.  I advise labeling with the last name, rather than a room number, because room assignments can change. Names will work for any laundry service, no matter how many times Dad moves - within the facility or to a new facility.

The laundry service will label clothes if asked, but this is one thing that I don't think is worth the cost. Really it's not that much of a burden to do.

Understand that when laundry is done in this setting, they are interested in cleanliness and efficiency, not special care of delicate fabrics. The laundry detergent is probably cheap industrial strength, and they wash in warm and hot water. They probably only separate whites from colors, and that's it - no wash-and-wear, no delicate cycle, no cold water hand-wash. Everything goes in the drier and they run the drier on hot. Like, really hot...to dry faster.

Laundry Tips

It is important to select durable clothing that can take the laundry wear-and-tear of the nursing home laundry service. Here are a few tips:

• Cotton clothing is at risk for shrinkage, even if the cotton is pre-shrunk. In my experience T-shirts generally hold up well, but 100% cotton sweatpants, slacks, and shorts tend to get shorter. Shrinkage continues to happen over time. 
• Colors will fade.
• The heavy-duty laundering can cause labeling to come off or fade beyond recognition. 
• It is a good idea to check the labeling every so often. 
• Keep delicate or special care items at your home, and if you want your loved one to wear that nicer outfit for an event, bring it in right before it is needed. 
• Before the event, talk to the staff, and let them know your loved-one will need to change clothes for an event. 
• Allow plenty of time to do the change. Then have them change back into everyday clothes as soon as it is convenient. 
• Take the worn clothes with you for cleaning, so they don't accidentally end up in the laundry and get ruined. (Remember to bring a laundry bag, in case an accident happens while Dad is wearing his suit.)
• Anything can end up in the wash.
• My father's shearling leather slippers were put in the laundry once. Shrunk them terribly and bleached the color out! Fortunately, they survived, and with repeated stretching, they are wearable again.

In my next post, I will share my experience about labeling clothes.