Imagine you’ve gone shopping with your family and are on your way from the garage; as you enter the house with several bags of bought items, the security system starts buzzing. You’re wondering what is it that has caused the security alarm to activate, so you rush to check the home security cameras or one of the wireless security cameras. To your surprise, there’s no suspicious activity going on anywhere. Well, if such is the case, then the next logical step should be digging through all the shopping bags that you have loaded with stuff and checking if any of the items still have the security tag on them. In most cases, this happens as a result of negligence from the shopkeeper’s side. But irrespective of how and why it happened, you still need to figure out how you can get rid of the security tag. And to help you do that right at home, here’s a guide that covers it all. Let’s get started!
First of all, why is this important?
You may wonder, what’s the big deal about having the security tag removed from one of the items? Isn’t it just a small tag? What harm can it possibly cause?
Well, while it is just a small tag, please know that it can become a significant issue if you still keep it on the item. To be fair and clear, the item, be it a piece of cloth or a pair of shoes, will eventually because useless. You cannot wear or take that item anywhere because, as you may be aware, most of the public premises are equipped with enhanced security systems that will immediately identify and alert the surrounding whenever the security tag enters their territory.
So, if you really want to save the usability of that item, you cannot keep the tag on. That being said, let’s find out how you can get the security tag off at home without having to head out of the house.
Here are some ways to remove the security tag:
Strong magnet
This method has to top the list, majorly because of how effective it is. As a matter of fact, this same technique is used at stores too; but probably in a more systematic manner. However, you can still manage to get the security tag out by mimicking the same procedure.
All you need to do is place a high-powered magnet on a flat surface such that you can position the security tag on top of it. Make sure that the cartridge is facing down as you stick the security tag to the high-powered magnet, and you will soon hear a clicking sound. This sound indicates that the tag has come off.
So, after hearing that, give the tag a little wiggle which will cause it to fall off, and voila! You’ve done the job right at home.
Candle or Lighter
This is a tad bit risky, so make sure you are very careful while doing it. Usually, this approach of melting the security tag is taken into consideration when the above-mentioned tactic fails to work.
For doing so, you will need a candle or a lighter and some patience. The security tag needs to be held over the candle’s flame so that it starts melting. Consider using a gripper or plyer for holding the tag. Once the outer layer starts melting, you will see the ball bearings. Remove them one after the other, and take the help of a knife or a spoon to scrape off any remains of the tag.
Once all the ball bearings have come off, the security tag will loosen up, and with gentle pressure, too, it will quickly come off.
Rubber bands
When all tricks fail, the job usually gets done with the least expected equipment. And in this case, the equipment is none other than our good, old rubber bands.
For removing the security tag using rubber bands, you need to wrap the tag with a single rubber band multiple times, or rather, as many times as possible. Make sure that the rubber band reaches its full capacity, and even after that if you don’t see a difference, add another rubber band and keep wrapping it too. Continue this process until you have outstretched 3-4 of them.
By this point, the tag will face severe pressure from the rubber bands and is quite likely to snap open.
CONCLUSION
Well, these were the three ways by which you can get rid of a security tag at home itself. All you need is basic items like a candle, a strong magnet, or perhaps, a set of rubber bands. However, despite using these methods, if the security tag still doesn’t open up, then you need to get it removed by either a professional technician or the store itself. Either way, make sure that you have it removed. Otherwise, the item may not prove useful at all. That being said, we hope this guide helps you resolve the security tag crisis without going through any major hassles.
