Shredders

Tips:

• Oil the cutters regularly with shredder oil then run a couple of sheets of paper through to spread the oil.  Or use the no mess lubricating pouches.  Ideally do this when you empty the bin or once a month.
• Cross-cut shredders not only offer high security over strip-cut but also means you will need to empty the bin less often as the waste lies flat in the bin (when compared to a similar sized strip-cut shredder).  If you are compositing your waste cross-cut will decompose faster.
• Strip-cut (straight-cut) shredders will shred higher volumes of paper per pass and are less expensive than similar sized cross-cut shredders.
• We recommend that the number of sheets that you shred at one time is about half the manufacturers specified number plus 1 or 2.  But the best way to determine this is to put one sheet though and listen to the speed of the motor, then put two sheets through and so on until you can hear a decrease in motor speed.  This helps on the occasions the sheets go though skewed and then you end up with twice the number going through.
• Avoid shredding staples (just tear them off) and particularly paperclips as these will reduce the life of your shredder even on those shredders that say they can shred them.