Do Not Remove Tag Under Penalty of Law
Do Not Remove
That line Do Not Remove Under Penalty of law is a great joke that even scares kids to this day. The history behind it is a little less threating and more of a precaution for the consumer. It came into effect at the turn of the early 20th century when consumers began questioning the contents used in mattresses. The government to help assure consumers stepped in and required manufacturers to add a tag. On the tag was included a list of materials used to fill the mattress and to inform the consumer if the material was recycled. The reasoning behind this was recycled material was cleaned with chemical agents which caused sickness and had a possibility of containing lice, bedbugs, and human excrements. Because many manufacturers and suppliers knew this tag would cause many mattress not to sell they began removing tags. Again the government stepped in and added Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law. Little beknownst to the consumers this Do Not Remove was for the manufacturers and suppliers and did not pertain to the individual after purchase. It wasn't until more recently that manufacturers switched the tag from Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law to Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law except by the Consumer.
However truth is some states do actually perform regular checks on mattress retailers to ensure that the tag is still attached. As a consumer today it is still important to check for the tag because if it is missing chances are it has been preowned. There are some retailers who might stoop low enough to resell a used mattress. You however are safe to remove the tag now that you own it. So feel free Rip That Tag. You won't go to jail. However some companies require the tag beĀ attached if you have a warranty claim.
-Thomas M.