• Home
  • ABOUT
    • About Me
    • FEATURED
    • LINK PARTIES
  • Policies
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • DISCLAIMER & TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT
    • DISCLOSURE POLICY
    • COPYRIGHT POLICY
  • CONTACT
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Refined Rooms

Organize | Design | Inspire

  • BLOG
  • Organize
    • Organizing Project Gallery
    • By Space
      • Bathroom
      • Bedroom
      • Closet
      • Command Center
      • Craft Space
      • Dropzone
      • Garage
      • Home Office
      • Kitchen
      • Mudroom
      • Pantry
    • The Process
    • Habits & Routines
    • Organizing Products & Tools
    • Paper
    • Photos
    • Information
    • Kids and Families
    • Holidays
    • Preparedness
  • Decorate
    • Decorating Project Gallery
      • Room Reveals
      • One Room Challenge
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Tools & Inspiration
    • Shopping Guides
    • Home Improvement
    • Home Staging
  • Be Productive
    • Productivity Processes
    • Productivity Tools
  • Challenges
    • The Organize Your Holiday Challenge: Be Prepared This Year!
    • The Organize and Refine Your Home Challenge
    • THE 10-WEEK DIGITAL PHOTO ORGANIZING CHALLENGE
    • THE 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS DECLUTTER CHALLENGE
    • THE ONE PILE AT A TIME PAPER DECLUTTER CHALLENGE
  • SHOP
  • RESOURCES
    • ORGANIZING PRINTABLES VAULT
    • SERVICES I LOVE
    • BLOGGING TOOLS & RESOURCES I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

BECOME A VIP

GET ACCESS TO MY ORGANIZING PRINTABLES VAULT

By opting in, you agree to receive my newsletter and ongoing resources. Unsubscribe at any time.
You are here: Home / Organize / ORGANIZING PRODUCT MANUALS AND WARRANTIES

ORGANIZING PRODUCT MANUALS AND WARRANTIES

Organizing your manuals and warranties @ refinedroomsllc.com

 Paper Refinement Series

Did you know that Paper Management is the number one reason that people hire a professional organizer?  Despite our society’s best efforts to “go paperless”, it has certainly been my experience working as a professional organizer that excess paper clutter is a universal challenge in the homes in which I work.  As such, today I am posting the first in a series of blog posts that will focus on paper management.


Let’s begin with organizing all of the reference paperwork for product purchases.  A common source of paper clutter that I come across in client’s homes is product manuals, warranties, and receipts for big-ticket items.  I have a favorite method for corralling all of these when on the job.  Until recently, however, I had not found the time to properly organize my own set of manuals (ever hear that saying about the cobbler’s children who have no shoes?  Sometimes this holds true for organizers too)!  As you can see from the picture below, these papers were taking up an entire drawer in my filing cabinet.  As part of my recent file cabinet overhaul, my goal was to free up the filing cabinet drawer for storing my business-related files.

As you might have guessed, the first step in the process is to gather all the paper into a central location and begin sorting into categories.  I suggest that you set aside papers for home improvement purchases (i.e., carpeting, plumbing fixtures) and large appliances.  These papers should be placed in a separate binder to be given to the new homeowner in the event that you sell your home.   That leaves you with the papers for items that would go with you in the event of a move.  Depending upon your consumer tendencies, your piles may look something like this:

During the sorting process, have the recycle bin close at hand, as you will invariably come across manuals and warranties for items you no longer own, especially if it’s been a few years since you’ve tended to these files:

My preferred method for containing all of these papers is to use 3-ring binders that use poly binder pockets with Velcro closures for each category of products.  Binder pockets work great for this purpose, and can typically accommodate up to 200 pages per pocket.  I use Post It stick-on filing tabs to label the product categories.

Take a peek at what the binder looks like when fully assembled:

One binder is rarely sufficient for the average household with kids.  In fact, our papers required a total of four binders to contain all of our product manual/warranty information (the three binders for “portable” products below, as well as our binder for stuff that will stay with the house).

The final step is to create a cover sheet and a spine insert for the binder that summarizes the product categories contained within each binder:

Of course, for those who are really on the “paperless” bandwagon, you can often bypass this whole process by searching for the PDF versions of the product manuals online, as most manufacturers are making manuals available electronically now. BT.com offers a comprehensive list of online resources for locating just about any product manual you might be searching for.


Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or with my clients and believe will add value to my readers. 

 

Ready to get epically organized?

Ck image small

Get access to 100+ printable pages to help you organize your home and life!

Welcome, Insider!! Look for a welcome email that includes the password for my free resource library full of organizational printables created just for my subscribers!! ** If you don't see it initially, please check your SPAM folder **

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Organize// Organizing Products & Tools// Paper5 Comments

« TIPS FOR SELECTING EXTERIOR LIGHT FIXTURES
WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU NEED INTERIOR DESIGN INSPIRATION »

Comments

  1. Peter Nelson says

    November 29, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    You must have very thin manuals. Granted, I have lots of manuals, for things like kitchen appliances or garage tools that are just a few pages. But I also have manuals for professional photo, video, audio, or studio equipment that are over 500 pages long. Also sometimes this latter sort of gear has accessories such as lenses, power-packs, etc, which have their own manuals and it would be nice to keep them together.

    Reply
  2. Yvonne says

    September 24, 2018 at 2:05 pm

    What does your binder look like for things that stay with the home? I am trying to organize these things, because our house closes escrow next week.

    Reply
    • Natalie Gallagher says

      September 30, 2018 at 3:15 pm

      Hi Yvonne! Sorry for the late response to your question. My binder is divided up into the following sections: 1. Home Purchase documents 2. Home Improvements (a running list of the updates/improvements we’ve completed since the purchase — including date of improvement, detailed description, vendors used, and receipts). 3. Homeowner’s Association information 4. Manuals for appliances/HVAC etc. (anything that would stay with the home if we move).

      Hope that helps!

      Reply
  3. Amy says

    February 12, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    thanks. what about all the extra pieces/parts that come with fixtures? those will not fit well in a binder and will tear the plastic protectors….

    Reply
    • Natalie Gallagher says

      February 13, 2018 at 9:24 am

      Yes, I agree. They don’t belong in the binders. I store those separately in a small bin that’s located in the basement storage room. Then I place a Post It note on the manual that reminds me where I stored these parts 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

Woman holding a gift

FOLLOW ME ON BLOGLOVIN’

Follow

SEARCH BY CATEGORY

COPYRIGHT

I love it when you share my tips, ideas and inspiration! Please keep in mind that all images and text on this site are the property of Refined Rooms, unless otherwise stated (regardless of whether photos are watermarked or not). Feel free to use one image, provided that a link back to my original post is included. Please do not remove any watermarks, crop, or edit any of my images without first obtaining written permission from me. All free printables are for personal use only. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated! Thank you!

DISCLOSURE

This site contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more). Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © Refined Rooms 2019 · Savory theme by Restored 316 | Site Designed by Courtney Kirkland