Organizing Those Manuals – Find it Friday
February 1, 2008 by Julie Bonner
Filed under Home & Living
![CropperCapture[336]](http://www.blisstree.com/files/207/2008/01/croppercapture336.png)
What do you do with all of those manuals you get? You know the ones I’m talking about. We get manuals with appliances, cars, toys, electronics…you name it.
There are a couple of ways that you can keep these manuals organized in a way where you can find them exactly when you need them.
1. File them in a filing cabinet.
Have a section in your filing cabinet labeled manuals. Every time you buy something and it comes with a manual, file it away.
You can also break down that file into smaller ones by putting manila folders inside labeled toys, electronics, appliances, auto, etc. If you have a bunch of manuals, this will make it easier to find.
2. Put them in a 3 ring binder.
Every time you receive a manual, hold punch it and put it into a 3 ring binder. Keep them labeled and categorized with dividers. You can keep these manuals within arms reach and always know exactly where the dishwasher manual is when you need it.
If you think you don’t need to hold on to those manuals, then just wait until something breaks and you need the manufacturer number or instructions. Sure, you can find a lot of manuals online, but having these at hand and organized will save you loads of time!
I keep mine in a filing crate. I have one file for each letter of the alphabet, and I store them by the name of the manufacturer.
A couple of thoughts:
Do you really need the manual? Plenty of things come with manuals, but not everythign needs one. For example, your microwave. Will you dig out the manual to learn how to use the meat defroster button?
Consider finding an electronic version of the manual right away. You can often find a downloadable version on the manufacturer’s website or at least a link to bookmark.
Heh, I did keep my microwave manual and dug it out to learn how to set it to do two different power settings for two different times without having reset in between cycles.. (yes, I’m weird)
I keep my appliance manuals, power tool manuals and machinery manuals in a binder, but I keep them in page protectors – it never even crossed my mind just to hole punch them. DUH Tink!
Thanks for the idea!
I also photo copy the original receipt (some store receipts fade to nothing in about 6 months) and staple both copies to the manual just in case I need them for warranty purposes. Came in really handy when our LCD big screen tv started showing shadows on the screen 4 DAYS before the warranty expired..whew
I have them organized in ziplock bags in an extra kitchen drawer (I know! No one ever has those, but we don’t have kids yet…) One for large appliances, one for smaller appliances and other household items. Works for us! I like the binder idea, but how do you three hole punch something so thick?
Instead of punch holes in thick manuals you can store manuals in expanding sheet protectors available for 8-1/2 x 11 documents. I got some from Keepfiling . com They worked fine for me.
I keep all of my manuals in an accordion file stashed in the cabinet of our entertainment center. Always very accessible.
I file my in a filing cabinet.
~Amy
Great ideas everyone! I also have referenced my manuals on a number of occasions. yes, even for the microwave.
When we moved into our house, the previous owner saved all the manuals and receipts for the appliances that were left behind. Those have been a life saver. The over was so fancy I had no idea how to use it. But thanks to the manual, I’ve been able to figure it out!
I meant to say the “oven” was so fancy, lol!
My question is this… how to sort these? We have a stack of manuals that’s close to three feet thick (we run a resort and farm). What do people use for different categories?
@Peter – this post might help you out: http://www.declutterit.com/2008/05/23/file-drawer-storage-for-warranty-information/