How to label clothes for entry to enter long term care?

I used sharpie pens on labels but I think iron on is good too.

In mom’s NH for rehab, they still lost her clothes. I was taking her clothes home to wash.

The NH placed a huge sign saying that family members were washing clothes at home. They took Mom’s clothes to the laundry area and lost them.

I looked for them in the laundry room and got lucky. Guess what? When I returned to Mom’s room. Someone else’s clothes were hanging in her closet!

These things are going to happen from time to time. I told laundry staff to try to find the rightful owner of the clothes.

We had a poster who said that they took photos of their mom’s clothes. I love that idea!

I ordered clothing labels on Amazon. I had moms name and room number printed on them. I then had to put them on every article of clothing. Kind of tedious but 3 months in they are still sticking. I just ordered more to have extra. Put it on her eyeglasses her tv remote. Literally everything in her room that can accidentally be removed or misplaced by mom. There have been times that some things have gone missing or some articles of clothing that weren't hers were mixed up with other residents, but staff quickly resolved the issue when it happens..they are small to work with but fit perfectly on back of clothing labels , inside shoes etc. Working great so far. Have patience..they're a pain to peel lol.

My husband had dementia. I fretted over this for a bit. Used permanent markers and also bought stick-on washable labels. Clothes do get mixed up in the laundry. Eventually I decided since most of the men wore T-shirts and lounge pants, I wasn’t going to be concerned if he showed up wearing someone else’s clothes roughly the correct size. I marked his shoe soles with his name so they would be identifiable when he kicked them off somewhere in the place! A few special t-shirts I bought him on holiday were distinctive enough that the staff knew they were his and those never got mixed up. If you have any special items (hat, sweater, jacket etc) bring them in for special events and take them home after.

My mother’s nursing home advised using a Sharpie. They had experienced iron on labels coming off

My parents’ NH has a new clothes bin. Before any clothes go up to the room they need to be labeled. They provide a form to be filled out with name and room number and the number of and color of each item. The plastic bag containing the items is placed in the bin. They then iron on the labels.

the system has worked well so far.

My Moms LTC put in her labels and only the machine that put them on, could take them off.

I custom ordered labels for mom and ironed them on every single item she had....they did not stay on. The industrial washes in these places are huge and they have tons of clothes in there at one time and the heat is always high. Normal tags don't stand a chance. The facility has tags that have a super strong glue. I would ask them to tag her clothes.

Beware...even tagged clothes come up missing. They end up in the wrong persons closet or they are stolen...It has been a struggle for us.

My mother's nursing home had ironed on name tags. They seemed to work, but unfortunately she was not there long. I would make sure the Sharpie, if you use it, doesn't run and is water-proof.

I used a simple sharpie.
That isn't to say there isn't, on amazon, a whole host of ways to mark with "clothing markers" of "clothing labels" typed in. Some actually can be printed out and sewn in.

My brother did not live much more than a year and one half in care; his clothing did hold up very well and was never lost, but I do believe it was done not in large commercial machines but in smaller machines and personally by the aid and on rotating basis.

Might ask around the care facility because I bet they will be helpful.
Good luck.

You can ask the facility if they have a preference for labels (iron on or Sharpies) or even if they will do the labeling for you. Just be aware that laundry is going to get lost no matter what you do. There is usually one staff member in the laundry room fighting to do sheets and towels and then moving onto the next batch which is personal laundry. They use commercial machines for everything so even "delicate" is not delicate. there is the folding and hanging of items. Even when the staff gets the items back to the correct room, don't be surprised if another resident doesn't visit and do a little "shopping" in the closets. Buy inexpensive clothes to leave at the facility. Anything expensive, bring when it is needed and then take it back home with you.