Paper shredders are common tools in many homes and offices, but many shredder owners don’t utilize them properly. This leads to jams and overheating, which can be frustrating and dangerous. One common mistake people make when using paper shredders is trying to shred the wrong materials. Learn which materials to avoid shredding in the standard paper shredder you might have at home or the office.
Too Much Paper at Once
While standard paper shredders can handle small-scale shredding sessions just fine, you might run into an issue if you start to feed too much paper through at once. Standard paper shredders aren’t equipped to handle much more than one or two pieces of paper at a time. Make sure to check the maximum page load capacity for your shredder noted by the manufacturer. Don’t exceed this capacity during your shredding sessions, or you risk jamming your shredder.
Plastic
While the shredder slot might allow for thinner plastic materials like credit cards or plastic folders, don’t run these materials through a standard shredder. The average office shredder is only equipped with blades capable of shredding thin paper materials. Trying to run plastic materials through a standard shredder could result in it overheating or jamming, which pose fire and injury hazards.
Miscellaneous Office Supplies
Like plastic materials, you also shouldn’t try to destroy non-paper office supplies in your shredder. Most shredders can handle files, manilla envelopes, and other paper-based office supplies, but don’t try to shred electronics, metal items like paper clips or staples, and more. You’re better off removing these materials from your paper ones and recycling them.
How To Properly Shred These Items
While you can’t run plastic materials, metals, and office supplies through a standard shredder, you can find compatible shredders that will work with them. In fact, using a high-security multi-media shredder is recommended when it comes to properly disposing of ID cards and office supplies, like electronics. You can even find high-capacity commercial shredders that can handle shredding paper in bulk, so you don’t risk overheating your standard shredder.
When it comes to operating your basic home or office shredder, make sure you use it responsibly. Remember these materials to avoid shredding in your standard paper shredder to avoid causing fire risks and injuring yourself. Instead, make sure to choose the right shredder for the job.
