If you have a paper shredder, it is important to
take good care of it. This is so you'll not only be able to get the
most out of your device, but also keep all of your information under
wraps. One of the most important ways you can maintain your shredder is
regularly oiling it. Here's some information about why oiling your
machine is important as well as a few tips on how to do it successfully.
If you have a paper shredder, it's important
to take good care of it. This is so you'll not only be able to get the
most out of your device, but also keep all of your information under
wraps. One of the most important ways you can maintain your shredder is
regularly oiling it. Here's some information about why oiling your
machine is important as well as a few tips on how to do it successfully.
Why you should do it. Your paper
shredder is like any other machine in that it needs to be maintained in
order to operate properly. Whenever you shred your documents, bits of
paper dust coat the device's blades and cutting mechanism. This can
greatly impact the efficiency of the machine and it can even make the
device age prematurely. The motor can also burn out, which means you'll
have to buy a whole new machine, which is inconvenient and can be
expensive. Think of your shredder like you would a car: you need to
regularly change the oil in your vehicle to keep it in top condition.
If you don't, you're going to experience problems.
When to do it. Basically, the more
you use your device, the more often you're going to need to oil it. A
good rule of thumb is to lubricate it once for every half hour of
shredding if you're using a cross-cut device. If your device is a
strip-cut model, once every hour should be sufficient if you're using
it continuously. Your instruction manual will also give you guidelines
regarding a proper lubrication schedule.
How to do it. There are two ways of
oiling your shredder. First, you can use an automatic oiler, which is a
device that attaches to the machine and does the maintenance for you.
Automatic oilers are usually designed for larger shredders, such as
departmental ones, so this may not be an option for you depending on
the type of machine you have.
Another option is to oil your machine manually. The good news is
that it's extremely easy to do and it only takes a minute or so. All
you need to do is dampen a sheet of paper with oil and and then run it
through the device. Just be sure that you only use shredder oil. If you
use a different type of lubricant (i.e. olive oil), you could damage
the device and possibly even void the warranty.
Regularly oiling your paper shredder is a necessity no matter if
you use a cross-cut or strip-cut model. Doing so ensures that your
machine will shred an optimum amount and that the motor won't burn out
suddenly. The good news is that this act of maintenance is very easy
and doesn't take very long to accomplish. (It takes even less time if
you use an automatic oiler.) If you're not already doing so, start
regularly oiling your shredder today so you can get the most use out of
it.
Jeff McRitchie is the Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com.
He regularly writes articles, reviews and blog posts on topics related
to book binding, laminating, paper shredding and office equipment. With
more than 2,500 articles that have been published in thousands of
locations on the web. If you are looking for a binding machine, report
cover, binder, laminator, lanyard, name badge, paper shredder, whiteboard, paper cutter or paper folding machine his articles are a good place to start.
