Paper shredders are useful tools for any home or office looking for information safety. However, you can quickly damage your machine if you try to feed in the wrong items. Here are some examples of things you should never put in a paper shredder.
Metal Credit Cards
Some paper shredders offer credit card shredding capabilities. However, certain types of credit cards can be difficult or even dangerous to shred in a standard machine. Avoid shredding credit cards with metal chips or special-edition cards that are completely metal. These metallic materials can cause your shredder to jam or even overheat, potentially causing a fire. Overheating shredders can be extremely dangerous due to the proximity of flammable paper strips. Always reference your machine’s user manual to check what items it can shred.
Electronics and Other Accessories
Never try to force electronic devices and accessories into the standard paper shredder. We often use items like flash drives, CDs, and more in the office, but the standard shredder cannot handle non-paper materials like these. These items are equally as important to destroy before disposal, but there are better ways to do so.
If your office needs a machine that offers more reliable plastic and electronics shredding services, consider adding a different kind of machine to your office. Disintegrator machines, degaussers, and multi-purpose shredders allow you to safely dispose of these items other than paper.
Crucial Personal or Business Documents
Finally, there are some documents that you should never put in a shredder. Some papers, such as your birth certificate, social security cards and information, citizenship papers, and more, are important to hold onto. When it comes to your business, you should also consider keeping documents such as tax returns and other major financial records on file. You never know when you may need to reference these receipts again in the future. Once you lose these documents, they can be exceedingly difficult to recover, so secure them and keep them away from the shredding pile.
Ensure that everyone who uses your home or office equipment knows which items they should never put in a paper shredder. This knowledge will help users avoid causing damage to the machine, ensuring they can keep it running properly for a long time. If you’ve already experienced issues with foreign objects in your equipment or simply need an upgrade, you can browse replacement office shredders right here at Capital Shredder.
