You are laying on your bed, enjoying a well-deserved nap, when you see that white tag peeking out of your pillow. The tag says, “NO ONE BUT THE CONSUMER SHOULD REMOVE THIS TAG.” Get ready for the day when you doubt. What does that mean? Is it truly not okay to take it off?
If you own the pillow, you can take off the tag without worrying about getting in trouble with the law or having federal agents come to your house. That label isn’t for you as a buyer; it’s for stores and producers.
The “do not remove” tag, often called the law label, was made to protect buyers. Some bedding producers in the early 1900s used dirty objects like shreds of fabric, dirty stuffing, or anything else they could find to fill pillows and mattresses. They then sold these products without telling anyone. Politicians stepped in and instructed firms they had to place labels on their goods that said what was inside. The strong warning was aimed to make sure that businesses didn’t take the tag off before the consumer could look at the item.
The regulation doesn’t apply anymore once you sell the item. You are now the buyer, and the warning makes it plain that it is only against the law to take it off when you buy it. So go ahead and cut it off; the law won’t come after you.
That being stated, you might want to stop for a moment. You can take the tag off, but it might be useful to keep it around. Most of the time, these labels have information about how to clean the item, its guarantee, what it’s made of, and how it was made. The tag makes it easier to return the item, file a warranty claim, or give it away. For health reasons, some donation services even require that used bedding retain its original tags on it.
There are also a few things that should be kept in mind. Car seats, crib mattresses, and other baby and toddler products often have crucial safety or compliance information on their labels. If you take these off, you can lose your warranty or crucial information that the manufacturer might need in case of a recall. In that scenario, it’s advisable to leave the tag alone or ask the maker again before taking it off.
The tag’s dramatic language might seem unnecessary now, but it originates from a time when strict restrictions were needed to keep people safe. It is more of a formality these days. The phrasing in the industry hasn’t changed completely yet, therefore it still stays on pillows and mattresses.
Can you take the tag off your pillow? Yes, you can. It’s not against the law. Take a moment to think about whether the information on the label will be useful later. If you don’t want it, you may take it off and enjoy your pillow without the old warnings poking you in the neck.