I store manuals and warranties for items we've bought by slipping them in a page protector and keeping them in a giant binder. If I think of it, I staple the receipt to the cover of the manual first.
There are dividers in the binder made from pretty scrap booking card stock. These make it easy to find the manual I need when I need it. My sections include: kitchen, laundry, living room, office, yard, tools, kids, and miscellaneous.
[This is day 20 in a 31 day series called 31 Days to an Organized Home. Click here for a list of all the posts in this series so far.]
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Great idea! I never know where my manuals are. Btw, I love your burlap background!
ReplyDeleteAs strange as it may sound I was just thinking about all my manuals today. I've decided that I'm going to see which ones have an online manual and ditch them. No sense in keeping anything that I don't need to. I love your folder thought.
ReplyDeleteawesome! i'm so glad i found your blog and posts about organizing! i'm writing about organizing a little today in my 31 days and have linked to your blog, i hope that's ok! :) thanks! xo!
ReplyDeleteLove this!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am going to use this idea!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea, you should see my mess of manuals and warranties. I totally wanan do this, when I find the time! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI also staple the receipt to the manual, but I thought I'd pass on a tip that I've discovered, the hard way. Make a photocopy of the receipt before stapling it on, then staple both on. The heat sensitive receipt tape that many stores use will fade completely over time. Yes, you may not NEED the receipt years from now for returns or such, but it's helpful to look back at price or location...we've needed to know that and haven't been able to read the info when we wanted to.
ReplyDeleteLove the binder!
Love your system. I have a similar one, but get so frustrated with booklets, warranties etc all being different sizes! Your folder seems to cope better than mine ...
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of the binder for warranties and manuals. Mine are in drawers in appropriate rooms....but I like this idea a LOT more.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!!
I am drowning in these! Thanks for a practical idea on how to manage them! I LOVE this series and have read every day. Thank you so much for sharing your tips on organizing. I have three kids under four and am constantly trying to manage the stuff. I'm curious how you deal with toys. Every time we have a birthday or holiday, I feel like I have to rearrange everything. Any tips would be much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea! We have so many manuals and this would be better than the couple of places they're kept in (or supposed to be anyway) ;-) Never would have thought of stapling the receipt, but that could end up being really important! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI usually check and see if the manual is available online (usually in .pdf format). If so, I download it and ditch the hard copy.
ReplyDeleteI have also scanned mine into PDF format and saved them! Takes up less room than placing them in a binder!!
DeleteLove it that I have found a fellow obsessive organizer - I just found your blog and am now a happy follower (stalker) of yours.
ReplyDeleteLOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea - and will be utilizing it within the week!!
Thanks so much for showing off your fabulous ideas!
Blessings,
Terri
I used to have all my manuals in an expanding file. Then it got filled and manuals got tossed on top of it. Then they were tossed NEAR it...you see where I'm going with this. LOL Now, I have them all neatly filed in three binders. Yes, it took that many. Instead of page protectors, I just used a three hole punch. The small ones are held in special pockets, and the really thick ones get a magazine holder. Now, I can always find them and I'm always happy about that.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I use a similar system just not as pretty as yours. However, I have a seperate binder for things fixed to the house(hot water heater, ceiling fans, dishwasher). Then when I move again, I can leave the binder for the new homeowners and start a new one in my new home.
ReplyDeleteI just started something new b/c we have too many manuals! I go online and find the manual, download it and then store it on my Google Docs. It works great and is searchable too :) I still keep the real manual in a drawer in the basement, but that's mostly just for backup. The online version works way better for me now.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! A friend had a link to your 31 days on Pintrest and I added it and now have a chance to check it out. I think this is something I have needed for a while now!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea - and the idea of a separate binder for household items that stay in the house if you move...
ReplyDeleteOne other addition? I rip the manual apart - yep, I do... I keep only the manual part that is in English! It's amazing how much space was wasted with directions I couldn't read!!
Woohoo! Thanks for this idea, I was gearing up to organize and wasn't sure what to do with all the manuals and warranties. Love reading your blog. Have a great day ☺
ReplyDeleteI need to do this!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip! I store my manuals like Trish and i'm running out of space.
ReplyDeleteI use Microsoft office one note. I have a tab titled appliances. In it is a table with columns for serial number, model number, place purchased, date purchased, cost, and a link to the manual which I have downloaded and saved on an external hard drive.
ReplyDeletegenius! We've been storing all manuals in a drawer and running out of space fast. Now I can keep this on a book shelf, and reclaim a much needed drawer in the kitchen. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteLove the binder idea but debating if it would work for me. Only question do you hang on to toy manuals? I mean like transformer changing instructions or Barbie Camper type things. most I don't keep, but the ones that have info like that mentioned above, what do you do? I have them in a tote labeled for items like that. and want to change it.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I started doing when my husband and I moved in together. I was 18 at the time and had been organizing his things for three years already. At that point I just took over. Which in hind site was not a good idea. Now he tries to get out of putting things away because he doesn't know where they go. Yes, after living together for how many years? you don't know where the manuals are?
ReplyDeleteI am so going to do this!!!! We bought a push mower last spring and quit working 3 months later. Could not find receipt and store could not locate it in their system. We were out a coupe hundred bucks plus have to get a new one.
ReplyDeleteI have just found your blog and LOVE it! I actually did this last week and my husband laughed when he saw it however when he saw the space it saved in the kitchen drawers then he soon came around. I have organised mine into makes (kenwood, indesit, ikea) and then have put down the contents. For example the Ikea wallet has a main heading saying Ikea then under that: Bed, Bookcase, DVD stand etc... It means that it is even quicker when I need to find things.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! With building our addition, I have a huge collection of those kind of things that need a home, somewhere!
ReplyDeleteWere your pretty dividers already made?
ReplyDeleteI plan to do this because our Sauder file cabinet drawers are getting stuck and it's because the weight of the bottom drawer. DH has all these heavy travel books from AAA in there, plus the 2014 book from Medicare and seconary insurance, plus some other heavy booklets. I will be stopping by Staples one day next week to get some more page protectors and will set up our binder. That will get some of the weight out of the bottom file cabinet drawer..I'm going to have to wait till he goes to bed one night and start to weed out stuff out of his desk drawers too that he doesn't need to be keeping, Papers from our investments are going to be put in order by date/year and put in the garage in a file box, out of the way but available if we need them. I did that to 10 years of Income Tax records 2 years ago..Each year I shred the oldest years. Our accountant told us to keep at least 7 years worth..He had saved 20 years worth until I started shredding 2 years ago..Don't want to start this project till next month. Need to get the income tax preparation done and out of the way. That appt. is next week..Guess I had sit down and priortize my projects..
ReplyDelete