DIY Waterproof Labels That Will Never Come Off Your Mason Jars

You might think you should be using a label maker to organize your home office, kitchen, or backyard shed. After all, labels give you a useful shorthand for telling what's in your mason jars. You certainly could fork out for a label-making device — a Brother P-Touch PT-N10 Handheld Label Maker will set you back around $20 — but why open your wallet when you could achieve pretty much the same thing for free? Here's the idea: Cover paper labels with transparent waterproof tape and stick them to your mason jars. Yup, that's it. And, since these labels are waterproof, they don't just work on mason jars. Try them on pretty much any kind of storage container, indoors or out. You could even DIY creative garden labels using these common household items.

The key to the success of these labels is getting the right tape — that is, it has to be waterproof. While general-purpose sticky tape will certainly stick the paper label to the jar, there's no guarantee it will remain waterproof. Instead, spend a little more on waterproof tape. Silicon tapes are resistant to acids and oils, making them great for use on food storage jars or those used in a working garage. XFasten Self-Fusing Waterproof Silicone Tape costs about $15 a roll. Otherwise, a tape from a well-known brand should do the job just fine, like Duck All Weather Repair Tape for just under $10 a roll.

Type up some labels and print them out or get creative and use a label designing service like Canva or Labelmaker, which works with Google Docs. Wash the mason jars you wish to label with warm soapy water and leave them to dry thoroughly. Wipe the spot you'll apply the label to with rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth. The tape won't stick well — or at all — to greasy, dusty glass.

Pull a length of tape from the roll and stick the label onto it, being careful not to create any wrinkles. Cut the tape to size, leaving a decent border of tape around the edges of the label — this is what protects the paper and ensures it stays waterproof. Stick the taped label to your container and rub the tape firmly multiple times with your thumb to remove any air bubbles (again, this is vital for waterproofing).

Go even simpler by using a permanent marker to write onto a sticker and stick that to the container or write directly onto the surface if you're okay with it being there for a while. Then, cut a piece of tape to size, once again leaving a border, and stick that over the words or sticker, smoothing out the air bubbles as directed above. You can easily clean labels off of glass jars using nothing but hot water, which makes it easy to change the labels on your mason jars when the time comes.