With the advancement in technology, the use of mail is continually decreasing. However, many occasions still call for mail to pass across messages.
Whether you’re paying your invoices or mailing wedding invitations, using the mailing system is quite reasonable.
If you’ve ever mailed multiple items at once, you know that sealing your envelopes through licking is not ideal. Therefore, it’s time you find a better way to do this.
While you might still count on the mailing system occasionally, licking your envelopes to seal them is old-fashioned.
Luckily, there are various ways to seal envelopes nowadays without licking them shut. Let’s take a look at some of these practices below.
15 Amazing Ways To Seal Envelopes Without Licking Them
1. Use Your Finger
Using your finger is by far the cheapest method to seal an envelope without licking. All you need is a bowl of warm water and a finger (everyone has at least one).
The reason you’re using warm water is that adhesives interact well with liquids at room temperature.
To use this, simply dab your finger in the water and smear it along with the adhesive bands on your envelopes. Avoid using too much water to protect your envelopes from wrinkles.
2. Use an Envelope Moistener
Another excellent method to seal an envelope is through moisteners. Envelope moisteners are typically small bottles of water with a sponge connected to the opening of the bottle.
All you need to do is upturn the bottle with the sponge facing down, compress lightly, and smear it over the adhesive bands on your envelopes.
Remember, you don’t want your envelopes wet, so avoid squeezing them out in excess. Envelope moisteners are available at local craft stores at affordable prices.
3. Use Your Child’s Water Pen
A water pen is a small bottle filled with water and has a tiny brush on end. This method uses the same approach as envelope moisteners – compress lightly, then smear the brush over the adhesive.
You don’t have to buy this water pen when you can quickly find it from your child’s toy box. You can also DIY from the many bottles you have at home and the old toothbrushes.
4. Use a Moistening Wheel
A moistening wheel is a tiny ceramic wheel enclosed in a square container. This container is filled with water, so as the ceramic wheel revolves, it wets the surface of anything passing through it, including the adhesive bands of your envelopes.
Moistening wheels have been around since sliced bread. You can find one from a local vintage shop or opt for a second-hand online. This is an irreplaceable item, so while there are better ways to seal your envelope, it would still help to have one.
5. Use a Glue Stick
You can seal your envelopes using a glue stick, but this time around, you don’t have to visit the store. To use this, smear the glue stick all over the adhesive band, then press gently to seal your envelope shut. It’s as simple as that.
6. Use Tape
Another method that probably won’t require a trip to the store is to use tape. There are many options to seal an envelope using tape. The first approach is to tape the flap to the envelope’s surface by placing the tape on both sides.
The other alternative is to put the tape beneath the flap using double-sided tape. You’re using double-sided tape because you want a more professional look since the tape won’t be visible.
7. Use a Sealing Sticker
One of the simplest methods to seal an envelope is using a sealing sticker. This is a small sticker placed beneath the triangle-shaped flap on the envelope to keep it shut.
For the past few years, sealing stickers have become popular due to their customization. You can opt for the blank sealing stickers online and customize them yourself or buy ones that have been customized already.
The disadvantage of using stickers is that they aren’t effective in sealing the edges of the envelope. You can use stickers are generally used for invitations, with the message printed on them.
And because invitations consume the entire space of an envelope, there’s no point in sealing the whole edge to prevent them from falling out.
8. Use an Embossed Foil Seal
Embossed foil seals work the same way as sealing stickers, which means you can use them interchangeably. These foil seals are embossed for a more professional look. They can come in handy for specific situations, such as traditional wedding invitations, making them a better option than the other methods.
9. Use a Humidifier
If you’re looking for a unique method to seal your envelopes, this option might be your cup of tea. If you have a humidifier at hand, use the moisture initiated by it to close your envelopes. The process is pretty simple – run the edges of your envelopes across the mist created by your humidifier and press firmly to seal.
10. Seal with Wax
Waxing is one of the conventional ways to seal an envelope. This option has been used since sliced bread and gives your envelopes a more professional appearance.
For efficiency, melt some sealing wax (this could be part of a candle or a crayon). Then, place the melted wax in a position where you would want the sticker. As the wax starts to harden, pin a symbol into the wax (optional) to add a personal touch to your envelope.
11. Use Clear Nail Polish
Another unique way to seal your envelopes is to use nail polish. People seem to find new uses for nail polish all the time, and this is one of them that makes a lot of sense.
Simply run your nail polish along the adhesive edge, then close and press to seal. You might want to use clear polish to prevent any color from being visible through the paper on the envelope.
12. Use an Envelope Sealing Machine
If you have many envelopes to seal, your best option might be to get a commercial sealing machine. Sealing machines are regularly used by businesses that periodically send out a lot of mail.
These machines come in two varieties: manual and automatic. The manual version requires each envelope to be fed one by one, while the automatic version can handle a stack of envelopes.
Both versions work by moistening the envelope’s adhesive portion, then lose and press the envelopes to seal them.
13. Buy Press and Seal Envelopes
One of the easiest methods to seal envelopes without licking is to buy and use press and seal envelopes simply. Press and seal envelopes have adhesives on both the flap and body of each envelope. When pressed together, they bond, forming a seal.
You’ll pay a little more for press and seal envelopes over traditional envelopes, but for most, the benefit more than makes up for the additional cost.
14. Buy Peel and Seal Envelopes
A popular variation of the envelopes mentioned above is peel and seal envelopes.
With peel and seal envelopes, the adhesive is only along the flap of the envelope, but it is covered with a piece of material that needs to be removed to activate the adhesive.
After removing the material covering the adhesive, simply close the flap and press it down to create the seal.
15. Try a DIY Method
The last method I’ll mention is that you should pull off with items already at your disposal. All you need is an applicator and a small bowl of water.
For the applicator, use something that can hold a bit of water, such as a cotton swab, small sponge, or small sponge brush. Simply dip your applicator into your bowl of water, then run it along with the adhesive on your envelopes.
Once wet, close the flap, then press to create the bond.
16. Use a Simple Household Sponge
Dampen it with water and seal. This can have quality control problems, just as the envelope sealer may. You could release too much water and have a not-so-neat look on the back of your envelope. If you overdo it and you could even dampen the contents, as well. Note: make sure you use a new, clean sponge to avoid getting your envelope dirty.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can You Tape an Envelope Instead of Licking It?
Yes, you can tape an envelope using ordinary office sticky tape. It’s a quick method of sealing envelopes, but it doesn’t appeal to the eyes. If you’re using envelopes with rubber strips as DIY glue in, consider transferring saliva into your finger, then run your finger along with the adhesive bands on the envelope.
2. How Do You Seal an Envelope With Saliva?
Saliva isn’t effective for sealing envelopes. Instead, close your envelopes by holding the inner edge to the light to find a shiny strip of dried glue that becomes sticky when wet and seals the envelope. A dumb sponge can also come in handy to do the job. Just make sure not it’s not too wet to prevent the envelope from shrinking.
3. Can You Seal an Envelope With Tape?
Yes, you can seal an envelope using tape. Simply fold the envelope downwards and run a strip of ordinary tape at the top. Use double-sided tape or apply glue along with the flaps for perfect sealing for a more professional appearance.
4. How Do You Close an Envelope After Opening It?
There are two options to reseal an envelope: using a glue stick or a wet glue. Because the glue stick is relatively dry, you can use it discreetly to close an envelope. All you need to do is smear the glue to the flap edges and seal the envelope.
As for the second option, you can either use superglue, white school glue, or other types of wet glue to seal your envelopes shut.
5. Do You Have to Seal Envelopes?
Yes, it’s recommended to seal envelopes regardless of the message you’re trying to pass across. The U.S portal processes up to 180 million mails each year, and automated mail systems initiate this process. This means that your mail stands a chance of causing a jam if mailed unsealed.
6. How Do You Seal an Envelope With Candle Wax?
Place the sealing wax tube into a large glue gun and let it heat up adequately. Once the wax has melted, compress a drop of wax onto the envelope and gently seal it. Leave it for a few seconds, then remove the candle wax to unveil the seal.
7. How Do You Seal a Homemade Envelope?
You can use glue to seal a homemade envelope. However, you can get fancy with it by purchasing an envelope gum. Many stores sell envelope gums. Check around to see the best prices different stores are offering.
Final Thoughts
While we still have to use the traditional mailing system in certain situations, we no longer need to use the outdated method of licking the envelopes shut.
When you can go digital, I recommend doing so. But when that isn’t an option, or it simply doesn’t make sense in today’s world (such as event invitations and thank you cards), at least you have better options than licking to seal your envelopes.