Peace of Mind Organizing

Shredder lust

4 April 2008

Inspired by this thread on Unclutterer, particularly the great comments, I lingered in the shredder section of Office Depot yesterday. I found one I liked (but don’t need) but it’s not available online, so I can’t show it to you.

But check out this nice-looking Black and Decker shredder-, which was recommended by a commenter in the Unclutterer entry (and called “sexy” by other commenters).

What I like about this shredder is its low profile. I love that it’s stored sideways, so it can be tucked between a desk and something else. I like that the receptacle is a pull-out drawer. I like that it comes in red. What I don’t like about it is that it accepts only five sheets at at time.

The one I saw at Office Depot is a medium-duty shredder quite similar to this one, only in black and with a CD slot. It too is parked sideways and has a drawer. It’s wider, however.

In looking around at shredders, I found an innovation I hadn’t seen before. It’s the under-the-desk shredder, whose mouth is on the front, rather than the top, of the machine. I love that idea. This particular one is heavy-duty (it takes 18 sheets), with a heavy-duty price of $280.

Since I’m all about shredders this morning, I have a couple of shredding-related tips. One is something I do at home to try to make emptying the shredder less messy. I have a light-duty shredder that fits over a mesh wastebasket. To empty it, I lift off the top and empty the basket. That always shreds on the floor I needed to vacuum up. I hate vacuuming, so I bought a pretty wooden tray that my shredder rests on. When I go to empty it, I lift off the top, move the basket and set the top on the tray while I empty the basket. Then I replace the top and tip the tray into a garbage can to get rid of the stray shreds. Sure beats vacuuming!

The other tip comes from a clever client who uses her shreds to start fires in her fireplace. Easier than wadding up newspaper and convenient, since shreds are always available. It’s a belt-and-suspenders approach to preventing identity theft.

Tagged with: shredders

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