Have you ever wondered what to do with these? Should you keep them? Should you pitch them? What are the odds that you will need the owners manual warranty, reference information, or assembly instructions? They are never the same size, sometimes contain CDs, and are too thick to put in hanging file folders but aren’t used frequently enough to take up precious kitchen drawer space. What to do?
My Problem:
I have a million and three owners manuals floating around of different sizes for various objects I own which may break and need to be repaired.
Why Keep These at All? You can…
My Solution:
I figured out a very simple binder solution a few years ago after collecting 50+ various owners manuals after multiple baby showers for my first child. I use a 3″ 3-ring binder, label the spine “Owners Manual Instruction Booklets”, and slip each manual into a 3-hole punched plastic pocket. You can also use colored tabs on the edge of the plastic pocket to mark content categories.
You will need:
Owners Manual Binder How To:
1. Label the spine of your binder to indicate its contents.
2. Slip each owners manual into its own 3-hole punched plastic pocket and insert pockets into the binder.
3. Use colored filing labels to mark content categories such as “kitchen appliances”, “baby”, and “electronics” and affix labels as tabs to the plastic pockets.
And voila! – organized owners manuals in a binder you can stick in the back shelf of your storage room because when are you really going to need these?
Another note: Remember to go through your binders every couple of years and remove the manuals for items you no longer own.
Do you have organizing tips you use in your home? Leave a comment for other readers about how you conquered your clutter.
I like your binder idea, Abbie! I’ve had my manuals piling up in the file cabinet and I can never find what I need.
Marci–I do that too with the receipts (I do the various grocery stores, CVS, etc. so I can find what I need for rebates or our FlexPlan program. I just keep it on the main floor near my desk and file the receipts after I write down what I’ve spent each day on our daily budget calendar.
Marci, That is a fantastic organizing idea. Where do you keep the accordion binder during the year when you are filing away receipts? Thanks so much for the tip!
I love the binder idea for manuals! My husband is a homebuilder and has done this for his homeowners’ new manuals for years. They have always appreciated it.
My organizing tip in one I was just using today. We keep lots of receipts for taxes in various categories. I know there are all sorts of systems out there, but an old fashioned accordion binder with the stretchy band around it works great. At the beginning of the year, I mark the tabs for office supplies, food, education… At the end of the year, I just empty one section at a time and tally them up on a spreadsheet for the accountant. The receipts go back into the folder marked with the year and then I throw it into the tax storage in the basement.