When you're in a rush to wrap up your lab day, it may be temping to save a little time and not label a tube, bottle, or component--after all you know what it is. But that is a sure recipe for disaster.

Despite your best efforts, you might not remember what's in the container the next time you come to lab--and you might not be able to find it if a labmate moves it to a different storage location. (This happens frequently in labs.) In addition, unlabeled containers give off a "I've been abandoned" vibe and if there is a cleaning frenzy in the lab, you might return to find that your precious sample was thrown out or your solution was discarded.

It takes only a few seconds to label your containers. If you're ever tempted to skip it, think about how long it would take to remake what's in the unlabeled tube or bottle. Most likely, it will be more than those seconds.