It's Time to Ditch the Tape!

Tape — scotch, duct, you name it — is the biggest enemy to windows and doors. Yes, even cellophane tape can turn yellow and its edges curl back, looking antiquated as well as sloppy. Plus, the adhesives that tapes leave behind can be a nightmare — a simple Google search for tape removal reveals hundreds of horror stories, homemade remedies and store-bought products. And, assuming you do get the sticky residue off, you still need to consider possible damage to the glass. It is a costly, time-consuming hassle.

Still, the nation’s businesses, healthcare & educational facilities, and government offices need to post frequent, timely and important notices in these public spaces — so what to do?

Nobody probably understands the dilemma better than facility management teams that are charged with checking and maintaining a long list of items, including making sure the walls and windows are clean and functional. For the typical facility, 60 percent of costs are associated with maintenance issues, according to the International Facility Management Association’s  Whitepaper on Benchmarking.

“It is a big problem,” said Steven R. Pons, President  IFMA Corporate Facilities Council. “Especially for windows — very hard to remove.”

Consequently, many facilities require requests to post notices on windows and doors go throughout a facility management department, and Pons -- as well as a growing number of other facility managers -- are no longer allowing tape on the walls and windows. The problems with tape are real and could be costing you more than you realize:

• On some types of doors, you can’t get the tape off without damaging the door, and that replacement cost can run a company $600 each time.
• On walls, tape removal may leave a ding that is less than three inches, but to fix it, the maintenance teams have to repaint the whole wall -- which, depending on the length of that wall, can cost upwards of $200.
• And, the most common way to get tape off glass is by scraping it off with a razor blade, a tedious process that can consume 3-4 hours, especially if the tape was plastered across a glass door.

So, what to do? Ditch the tape, and start using the  Reusable Magic Frame. The Reusable Magic Frame is a simple display that allows placement of paper notices, signs, bulletins, maps — you name it! -- on any flat non-porous surface such as windows and doors. It features two strips of residue-free adhesive and a clear protective lens (that's right, no more laminating). It is reusable, so you can use it over and over again to display different information easily and conveniently, without the hassles of having to scrape off sticky tape!

And, it is affordable. For about $5 a frame you have a multi-use display option that is half the cost of using acrylic and suction cups. Plus, it functions more effectively and looks much better — you can even brand the frame’s borders. Ditch the tape today and say goodbye to the aggravation!

The Global Display Solution distributes The Reusable Magic Frame from its Portland, Ore.-based headquarters as well as a facility outside Chicago.