I was not able to find a label that would stay attached to polyethylene. After trying a few things, I stumbled on a solution:

Clean the surface and then spray with 3M #77 spray adhesive---for some reason, this stuff seems to REALLY like Polyethylene.....)
Let dry 5 minutes or so
Put on the label (I'm using the Avery "permanent" labels, but I'll bet that others will work)

I'll update this in a month or so---meanwhile, fingers crossed

Pixellany...I'll be watching your progress and hope it goes well.

Two years ago I sucked it up and decided to organize all of my caps and resistors. I bought eight 48-drawer utility cabinets. The sorting wasn't actually all that bad of a job but...

KIDS----DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME------

I used a Dymo labelmaker to create every label. Now, every single day I have to press at least 5 to 10 of these stupid labels down flat because they're curling away from the plastic drawers. What a magnificent waste of time those labels were! Making those %&#@ labels was far more tedious than sorting the parts.

So I'll be watching with interest so I can throw these labels (and my Dymo labelmaker) away.

Goodyear Pliobond

+1 one of the few good for most things glue.

I also had the same problem keeping Dymo labels on.Finally I got fed up with continually reattaching them.I stuck transparent Scotch tape right over the labels,over lapping considerably.They're now staying put.

Brother P-Touch labels. They don't come off. Also regular paper Avery labels. Those you can stick in your printer and edit the label text in Word. Both of these seem to stick. Haven't used a Dymo label maker since high school.

I use a black, fine-point Sharpie.
Indelible, permanent, and readable from across the shop.

Chuck

If I do that on polyethylene, it rubs right off. On acrylic, it's better, but I can still rub it off.

But then---on acrylic, the Avery labels stay on better....

Plus one to this idea I went to Lowes and bought the generic P Touch label ur that they sell I bought a couple cassettes of black on clear And black on white They seem to be sticking just fine and its been about 6 months now. the Avery labels also work quite well.

Is everyone talking about Polyethylene?

i have found NO labels that will stay stuck to this......??? Acrylic, yes.....

I don't know about everyone else. but in my case I am talking about the cheap translucent flexible plastic drawers I basically purchased all my storage units at Menards.

my stick-on paper labels fell off too... so now I use Scotch tape over them... that does it.

The only things I know are polyethylene are bottles water and drinks come in. I suspect you're talking about the flexible plastic drawers that a bit milky in color. If so, both the avery labels an p-touch label stick. Sharpy ink rubs off, but ok for temporary marking.

How about using a can of clear coat over the label ? Or would this mess up the plastic?
Stan Ski

+1/2 for Pliobond (but it's no longer made by Goodyear...company called Ruscoe manufactures it now).

It's good but it's also CONTACT CEMENT. So for maximum adhesion you're supposed to paint on each piece, wait, then attach; kind of a pain. But it's good stuff if you have the patience and wouldn't mind the mess. For me attaching several hundred labels, uh-uh.

It's also very toxic and illegal to sell or use in a number of states.

I put satin transparent scotch tape on the drawers and write on the tape with a sharpie pen.
They haven't fallen off or smudged.
Bill

They look and feel like polyethylene, therefore I assumed..........

Specifically, these are the drawer sets from Akro Mills----sold everywhere. Drawers are flexible---unlike the acrylic ones---and no Avery label will stay stuck.

So far, the method I reported is holding up---no sign of anything coming loose.

Okay, so we are comparing apples and oranges:

Pix's bins are probably #1, 2, or 4. The flexible plastic parts bins, I have, are #5, which is polypropylene. Acrylic, though not listed, is hard. That's an easy one to distinguish. Only my really old bins used acrylic.

So, either have some 3M 77 spray on hand, or get bins that have the #5 on them.

wow--real data!!

Mine have no markings to indicate what they are....

Sharpie ink "takes" better on polyethylene and polypropylene if you wipe off the surface to be marked with a paper towel or tissue wetted with lighter fluid. Sharpies are the only thing that seems to stay on such surfaces. Tape will cover it, but sometimes the adhesive will cause the markings to bleed into it, blurring the label. Mylar tape makes a good label for such surfaces too.