How to Clean Paper Shredder? (Clean a Sticky Paper Shredder)

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How to Clean Paper Shredder

Paper shredder machine is convenient and straightforward to use because you do not need to clean it too frequently. However, if you have been using it for a while or have not taken care of its conditions carefully, it might be dirty or sticky. In today’s article, we will guide you on how to clean paper shredder safely and quickly.

Keep on reading if you want to make your paper shredder machine shiny again!

What Makes It Sticky?

The most common reason that makes your shredder sticky is that you do not clean often enough. To keep your shredder not sticky and work properly, you need to clean it every week or once every ten days.

If you use your machine for months without clearing it, it would probably be dirty, sticky and even get clogged. Another reason that might cause the stickiness in your machine is that the paper you shred is not clean or it contains dirt, water, or oil.

Paper shredder should be clean oftenly

How to Clean Paper Shredder Step-By-Step?

Step 1: Unplug

Before you do anything else, make sure you unplug the machine. It would be dangerous if there was something wrong with the electricity sources while you are cleaning. And, you will not want to press the button while cleaning and hurt your fingers accidentally.

No matter how easy and fast you think the cleaning process is, you need to unplug it for your own safety.

Step 2: Disassemble Your Machine

When the machine is off, you can open the lid of your shredder to clean the inside. In most cases, it is pretty easy to remove the lid. However, some models are not easy to do so. In this case, it’s advisable to refer to the user guide and follow the instruction to open the shredder.

If you still cannot remove the lid, call the maintainer for support, or simply ask them to do that for you. Forcing the lid to be opened might break it down, and you will need to pay extra money to get it fixed.

Step 3: Dry cleaning

After opening the lid, you can take some dry cloth pieces and run them back and forth to clean the dirt inside the machine. If some dirt or paper jam is too hard to be removed by the cloth, you can use a stick or plastic knives to remove it.

Step 4: Wet Cleaning (If necessary)

You do not have to do this step every time you clean your shredder, but only do it when your machine’s container is too dirty and cannot be cleaned thoroughly with a dry cloth.

What you need to prepare in this step is a small bow, water, cleaning chemical (if you wish), a stick, and some small pieces of cloth.

Mix water and washing chemicals in the bow, then dip the stick or a piece of cloth into it. Begin to run the cloth on the dirty parts until the whole container is clean.

Step 5: Put the Lid Back in

After you are done with all the cleaning steps above, just simply put the lid back. If you encounter some problems with this step, you can reread the user guide or call the product’s support line.

Remember to Change Oil After Using for A While

It is highly recommended that you change or input more oil into your machine after using it for a while. When you change oil, do not pour too much. A few drops are enough. And if you use too much oil already, you can use some pieces of cloth to clean it.

Oil change is necessary for maintaining your paper shredder

Conclusion

Cleaning shredders is a must if you want to keep your devices in the best condition. In this article, we already showed you how to clean paper shredder in the most effective and fastest way. We believe that if you follow these steps correctly, you will have a safe and comfortable time cleaning your paper shredder.

We hope you find it helpful and see you next time for more useful tips.