From the TAG-A-ROOM team. Our color-coded labels are made in the USA.
The short version: Give each room or category one color, write what's inside before you tape the box, put labels on the sides (not just the top), number every box and keep a master list. Then post a legend at the front of the unit. That's the whole system, and TAG-A-ROOM labels are built for it.
Boxes go into a storage unit fast. Getting something back out six months later is the hard part. A simple color-coded system tells you what's in each box and where it belongs before you ever lift a lid.
A scribble on top of a box works until the box is stacked. In a storage unit nearly every box is stacked, pushed to the back or turned sideways. Labels that are bright, consistent and on more than one side are what keep a unit searchable.
| Black marker on the top | TAG-A-ROOM color system | |
|---|---|---|
| When boxes are stacked | Hidden | Color shows on the sides |
| Reading from the aisle | Hard to read | Bright colors you can read from across the room |
| What's inside | Whatever you scribbled | Box Content Labels with a short list |
| Finding a box later | Open and check | Match the color, then the number on your list |
One room, one color. Kitchen is one color, garage another, holiday decorations another. Color Coding Labels are made for exactly this.
Storing between homes? Color by the room the box goes to in the new place. Storing long term? Color by category, like seasonal, keepsakes, files or tools.
Color tells you where a box belongs. Box Content Labels tell you what's in it. Write a short, specific list ("Christmas lights, tree stand, extension cords") instead of "misc."
Top labels disappear the moment boxes are stacked. Put labels on two sides, or all four sides plus the top, so you can see the color from any angle.
One customer's trick: "I put a sticker on a corner so it's visible from 2 sides at once."
Alert Labels cover open first, do not load, fragile and caution. Flag the fragile boxes so they don't end up at the bottom of a stack, and mark the ones you'll want first.
Number each box and write down what's in each number. Customers do this already. One told us: "Now I have numbered all the boxes, added these colored labels and the category labels by Tag-a-Room, and written everything in a book." Another plans to use "a master sheet to confirm where each color goes." Snap a photo of the list so it's on your phone at the unit.
At a new home, a Legend Sheet at the front entrance shows movers the color for every room. A storage unit works the same way. Tape a legend inside the door with each color and what it means, and add a quick sketch of which colors sit along the back wall and which are near the front.
Packing boxes for storage too? Here's how to properly pack a cardboard box for moving and storage. Need a custom or bulk order for a storage facility, apartment community or moving company? Contact us.
One color per room or category, a contents list on each box, labels on at least two sides, and a numbered master list with a legend at the unit door.
By room if the boxes are going into a new home soon. By category if you're storing for a long time or pulling things out seasonally.
On the sides as well as the top. A label on a corner shows on two sides at once.
Yes.
