A gym towel, a pair of reading glasses on a café table, a phone charger at the hotel desk, a jacket left after an event. Things get left behind everywhere people come and go, and someone always comes back asking. A box under the counter works until two people ask for "a black umbrella". This guide walks through how to set up a lost and found that's easy to run, then how to log, tag and hand back items with Front Desk Cat, our front desk app for iPhone.
How to set up a lost and found
A good lost and found is boring on purpose: one place, one log, one rule for how long things stay.
- One spot for everything. A shelf, a cupboard or a labelled box behind the desk, out of reach of the public. Keep valuables like wallets, phones, keys and cards somewhere that locks, apart from the rest.
- Log each item when it comes in. Write down what it is, where it was found and when. A photo saves a lot of describing later.
- Give each item a number. Put the number on the item, or on a bag or tag with it, and in the log. Then whoever is on the desk can find it on the shelf in seconds.
- Describe the item, not the owner. If a wallet has a name in it, don't write the name on the tag or anywhere the public can see.
- Ask claimants to describe the item first. Colour, brand, what's inside, where they left it. Don't show them the shelf and ask them to pick. For anything valuable, ask them to tell you something only the owner would know.
- Write down who took it and when. If someone asks later where their thing went, you have an answer.
- Pick how long you hold things, such as 30, 60 or 90 days, and stick to it. Put the rule on a sign near the desk. Then donate, recycle or throw out what's left. Valuables and ID may have their own rules, so check your local rules before you clear anything out.
Open Lost & Found in Front Desk Cat
Front Desk Cat has four jobs: a sign-in book, a waitlist, waivers and a lost and found. The first time you open it, it asks What are you running today? Tap Lost & found ("Log what's handed in, print a tag, and give it back to whoever lost it."). Next time, the app opens straight into it. To get back to the other jobs, tap the grid button at the top left (Front desk jobs).
Before you start, tap More (the ··· button at the top right), then Settings, and type your Place name. It's printed on tags and the front-desk list, and shown on the guest screen. Left empty, it's left off.
Log a found item
- Tap Log a found item at the bottom.
- Tap Take photo to use the camera, or Choose photo to pick one you already took. The app asks for the camera only the first time you tap Take photo.
- Type What was found, such as Black umbrella. This is the only thing you need to save.
- Add Where it turned up, and check When. It starts at the time you open the form.
- Use Note for colour, brand or anything that helps match an owner. The note is for you and isn't printed.
- Tap Save.
The app gives each item a number: 1, 2, 3 and so on. A number is never given out again, even if you delete an item, so an old tag on the shelf can't be mixed up with a new item. On screen and on paper, an item is called by its number, like No. 7.
When you add a photo, Show photo on guest screen is on. Turn it off for wallets, IDs, cards or anything with a name on it. Guests then see the item without its photo.
Print a tag
Open the item and tap Print tag, or Share tag to send the PDF somewhere else. The tag is 4 × 6 inches, a label printer's size, or you can cut it from a sheet. It says FOUND ITEM, the number in big type, what it is, where it was found, the date and time, your place name if you set one, and the photo if there's room. Tape it to the item or its bag, and the number on the shelf matches the number in the log.
Printing labels on other jobs? See how to print labels on iPhone.
Let people see what's been found
Tap the guest screen button at the top left, next to the grid button, and turn the phone around. It says Lost something? and shows what's been found, with a number on each, and "Tell us the number and we'll fetch it." It shows only items still waiting, never anything already claimed and never who claimed anything. To leave, press and hold Done.
For a notice board, tap More, then Print front-desk list or Share front-desk list. It lists what's still waiting, oldest first, with No., What, Where and Found columns, on Letter or A4 paper depending on your region.
Hand it back
When someone comes to claim something, search the log at the top: What, where, or tag number. A search matches what it is, where it was found, your note, who claimed it and the number, so "7", "No. 7" and "umbrella" all work. Use your note to check the details they give you.
Open the item and tap Hand it back. Type Who took it, check When, and tap Claimed. The name is kept with the item on your phone, for when someone asks where it went. It's never printed or shown on the guest screen. Got it wrong? Tap Undo, it's still here.
At the top of the log, switch between Waiting, Claimed and All. Waiting shows how many are still on the shelf. At the end of your holding period, open an old item, tap More, then Delete.
Signing people in too?
The same app keeps a sign-in book for visitors, a class or a volunteer shift. See how to make a sign-in sheet.
What it costs
Lost & Found in Front Desk Cat is free, all of it: log with a photo, print a tag, the guest screen and marking items returned, with no cap on found items. There's no watermark, no ads, no sign-up, no account, no trial and no subscription. Front Desk Cat Pro, a one-time purchase, adds extras for the other jobs. Lost & Found doesn't need it. More on the Front Desk Cat page.
No account. Every item, photo and name is kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share it. Front Desk Cat keeps a list of what was handed in. It isn't a security system, and it doesn't check who anyone is.
Quick answers
How long should a lost and found keep items?
Many places pick 30 to 90 days and put the rule on a sign. Valuables and ID may have their own rules, so check your local rules.
How do I know the person claiming it is the owner?
Ask them to describe it before you show it: colour, brand, what's inside, where they left it. Keep those details in your log so you can check.
What should a lost and found log have?
A number, what the item is, where and when it was found, a photo if you can, and who took it and when.
Try Front Desk Cat
Try Front Desk Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/front-desk-cat