Cleaning & Organizing
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How do you store your manuals?
We have a zillion manuals for ceiling fans, dishwasher, washer/dryer, etc. Right now I have them in plastic sleeves in a binder but I wondered it there was another place to keep them. DH and I are currently looking for a 2-drawer file cabinet on Craigslist so we can get our other files organized and put away. Should I find an expandable file folder for these things? Should they be in folders?
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Re: How do you store your manuals?
This. Oftentimes, you can access a PDF of the manual itself on the company's website, or somewhere online.
Also, check your local thrift stores for file cabinets. They're pretty much a staple at any thrift store I've ever been to. I got mine at one for $5.
Great idea! Thanks!
First, ask yourself why you are keeping all of them. Because really, a manual for a ceiling fan? Really? Really? A CEILING FAN? You're going to need to refer to a manual for a ceiling fan? No. You're not. Toss it. Go do it right now, I'll wait.
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Great, now go through it and toss any other manuals that are as pointless as that one. Only keep ones that you might need to refer to. I can see keeping the one for the washer and dryer if you've got a fancy one, and even the lawnmower for when you want to change a spark plug. Not every manual is useful once the item is installed.
Personally I plop them all in one file folder labelled "manuals". Ok, almost all are in that folder. There are a few that actually get referred to that I keep closer to the source. Bread maker manual got stored with the breadmaker because we used the recipes in it.
I agree to some degree with Jen 05/03. And also pp that said look it up online. But I think a manual for any "installed" appliance is a good thing to keep around (excluding ceiling fans and other light fixtures).
The hurricane ripped a vent off of our water heater and it was not "to code." I had to order the part and searched online for the manual to no avail. But the previous owner had put the manual in a plastic sleeve in a binder and there I was - with the 1-800 number, model and part number, etc. that I needed. It was actually a lot faster than my attempts to look the info up online. And it can leak CO2 so it needed to be repaired!!
Other things like dishwashers, wine fridges, fridges, ovens, microwave ovens, washers, dryers, etc. are PITA's to pull out to find the model numbers if you need to order parts. So having them on a list or having the manual around (which is also helpful if you aren't sure what the part is called) is handy.
I keep that binder and have added to it. It lives in my hurricane evacuation box when not in use.
- Paula Deen to 104.1 KRBE's Producer Eric 9/17/2011