We all have them, those piles of appliances, paper warranties, and manuals scattered around the house. Where do you put them all? Do you store them in kitchen drawers or have a collection in the basement? Or do you not have a place to put all of them? After we buy that new appliance, we forget that we need to file away the manual for those times when we need it - later on, years down the road, when that something happens. If you want to organize manuals and warranties, we are sharing four ways below.
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- First Option: Use an accordion file bin with A-Z tabs
- Second Option: Use portable hanging folders with tabs
- Third Option: Use magazine holders and label the fronts of the holders with different areas of the home.
- Option Four: Create a Manuals and Warranties Binder with Sleeves
- Option Five: Digitize your manuals.
- Easy Tips on How to Organize Paper Manuals and Warranties
Organizing Kitchen Manuals Made Easy
First Option: Use an accordion file bin with A-Z tabs
One way is to sort the manuals in an accordion folder (affiliate) labeled A-Z. Then, sort manuals by the manufacturer's name. Since each product has the manufacturer's name printed somewhere on the product, it makes it easy to file and find. Below are the accordion folders I found on Amazon (affiliate).com (affiliate).
If you have a lot of manuals, you will need more pockets.
Expandable File Folder, Letter Size, 19 Pockets, Marble Print
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Accordion File Organizer with Handle,25 Pockets Portable
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Second Option: Use portable hanging folders with tabs
Another option would be to use a smaller organizing bin with use tabs (affiliate) and hanging folders. Label (affiliate) each hanging folder with a generic group name for the products that help you find and retrieve manuals. It can be fireproof or not. It's up to you.
Here are some categories: TVs, Gaming Devices (affiliate), Radios (affiliate), Tablets (affiliate), Tools (affiliate), Small Appliances (affiliate), Large Appliances, Computers (affiliate), and Printers (affiliate). You can also label (affiliate) the bins for A to Z by using large 2-inch hanging folders, so there is plenty of space for the entire home's manuals.
Pick whichever one works best for your home.
Pendaflex Portable File Box with File Rails in black
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Pendaflex Portable File Box with File Rails in gray white
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Third Option: Use magazine holders and label the fronts of the holders with different areas of the home.
The next option is to use magazine organizers and label (affiliate) the bins with a general group or by specific room. Some room names could be basement, living room, master bedroom, kitchen, garage (affiliate), and bedroom #2. Or, you can name them by a general group in each bin, like TVs, gaming consoles, appliances, small appliances, furniture (affiliate), etc.
Below are two options: a plastic and a paper version.
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White Magazine File Holder Organizer Box (Pack of 6)
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Option Four: Create a Manuals and Warranties Binder with Sleeves
Another option is to put the manuals in a binder using sheet protectors (affiliate). This method is effective for small, loose-leaf manuals. This binder can be 2 to 3 inches thick or more. Using self-stick tabs (affiliate), you can create a section for each area of the home. Purchasing heavy-duty sheet protectors (affiliate) will help keep the manuals contained and prevent them from ripping. However, if there are too many to fit in one sheet protector, feel free to use an additional sheet protector.
Below are all the things you will need to create this binder.
Avery 74769 Ultra Tabs, 2.5 x 1 Inch, 2-Side Writable
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Sheet Protectors for 3 Ring Binder, 8.5 x 11 Inch 100 pack
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Option Five: Digitize your manuals.
If you want to digitize your manuals, you can easily find them on the manufacturers' websites. Locate the model number and serial number on your appliance and record them.
Go to the manufacturer's website and download the PDF version of your manual.
If you have a paper copy, ensure it matches the PDF exactly. Many manufacturers are now distributing QR codes so that you can download the PDF.
Use a cloud service to store the manuals.
We found that using a cloud service to store these files works nicely on the go. Google Drive, iOS Cloud, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox are excellent options for managing these digital manufacturers' manuals. Be sure to pick one that you can share with other family members so they can easily find what they are looking for if you are not around.
Name Folders the Rooms in Your Home
You can store these files in folders by room and label (affiliate) each PDF file by the manufacturer's name and date of purchase. By storing these items where they are placed, i.e., in the bedroom, kitchen, etc., you will be able to find the manual you need right away without a lot of searching.
Have two places for these digital files.
The digital files can be stored in two places, one as a backup. Store these digital manuals in a private digital cloud storage space, where only people invited to it can see the files/folders. Sharing this folder with others in your household will allow them to take care of things when you are not home or on vacation.
Then, store a digital file backup on your computer (affiliate) or house server if you have one. A backup of these files will make it easy if your internet is down or you have no power.
Always keeping two copies of these documents is handy when you have digital files.
Get a copy of our FREE DIY Home Management Binder to organize your family and home! It will help you create a peaceful and smooth-running place to live.
Whatever system you use, read the other tips below on organizing the manuals and warranty papers.
Easy Tips on How to Organize Paper Manuals and Warranties
Affordable Sorting Tip:
If you have several computers (affiliate) in your home, divide each computer (affiliate)'s manual and paperwork and place them in a gallon-size food storage bag with a computer (affiliate) name on the front. Standing them up in an open bin makes for easy access.
Appliance Tip:
For appliance manuals, the manual could be on the Internet. Check first before throwing the paper manual out by typing the manufacturer name and the model number in the browser. To keep track of the appliance manual online, make a list with the appliance and the website URL for that appliance manual and keep that list in a safe (affiliate) place for reference. A spreadsheet file works great for this purpose.
Long-term Warranties Tip:
For long-term warranty manuals and paperwork over two years, place them in a separate fire-proof safe (affiliate) filed by the room or by the manufacturer's name. These papers will be protected, and you do not need to sort through all the manuals to get the warranties for a particular item.
Another Warranties Tip:
If you have warranty documents, you should keep track of the purchase date and where you purchased the warranties. Staple the receipt to the front of the manual for easy access. It also gives you additional information if you need it.
Retrieval Tip:
Whatever system you use, stay consistent and keep the system going.
Remember: To keep the organized paper warranties and manuals from overflowing, go through each section and make sure the manuals and warranties are still active and in use. Do this task once every 3-5 years.
Well, that is it. A well-organized manufacturer manual will help you reach them quickly in case of emergencies, and you can take action quickly. Feel free to check out our other paper management posts.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Below are our other kitchen organization (affiliate) posts!
Janet Schiesl says
We use an accordion file. I don't like it much but my husband set up the system many years ago and it works fine for me, so why change it. I've also used zip-lock bags for clients.
Janet Schiesl says
You have several good options. We use an accordion file that my husband set up many years ago. I don't really like accordion files, but go into it for a manual so seldom, it's OK with me. I have rough sorted manuals for clients that we put each category in a large zip-lock bag. The categories I've used are simple like: outdoors, kitchen, storage, electronics, etc.
Julie Bestry says
I never tired of the different approaches to this topic, and I love that you covered so many different options for manual filing. Over the years, I've been writing more about handling this from a digital perspective -- yesterday, my mother complained that her new Roku didn't even have a printed manual, so I had to Google instructions for her. It's great that you covered the gamut! My personal preference is that I have kitchen manuals in a lesser-used drawer in the kitchen, entertainment-area manuals (that darned FireStick!) on vertically-arrayed on the bookshelf next to the DVDs, and everything else in my filing system. (And of course, I toss out manuals for hairdryers and toasters -- if we really need the manuals for those, we've got bigger issues than organizing!)
Melanie says
I use the binder method, myself. I like to keep small extra pieces with manuals too, just in case we need to fix something. All your suggestions are awesome! Thank you.
Linda Samuels says
What great tips for organizing manuals and warranties! I've used all of the above for clients depending on how many manuals they had and their organizing preferences. I don't know if you've noticed this, but more recently, manufacturers no longer include printed manuals, but instead the manual is available online. We recently purchased a new dishwasher and stove. Neither one came with a manual, so when we had a question, my husband had to go online to look it up. Personally, I like having a paper reference, but I get that it's more environmentally friendly to go digital.
Most of our manuals we store in a file cabinet, but I have two exceptions. For the small kitchen appliances, I store those manuals in a folder in the kitchen cabinet. I refer to them more frequently, so I like have quicker access. There are also several manuals for my office equipment (computer, phone, printer, etc.) I store those in a file in my office filing cabinet. Again, I like having them close to where I will refer to them.
Two other thing I suggest. Write the purchase date on the front of the manual. As you suggested, stapling the receipt to it is also handy. Also, periodically review your manuals. Let go of any that you no longer own.
Ronni says
Manuels can get so out of hand. I’ve organized these in several ways for clients. As you suggested, I’ve sorted the manuals in an accordion folder labeled A-Z. Then by the manufacturer's name. I’ve also set up binders. Both are great options!
Thanks for offering so many options!
Janet Barclay says
I have three file folders for manuals in my filing cabinet: Office, Home - Electronic, and Home - Other. The categories are probably too broad though, because sometimes I have to look in more than one to find the one I need.
All my PDF manuals are in one folder on my computer, but I'm careful to rename them to include the brand name and type of device. I started doing that after downloading one I didn't realize I already had due to the obscure file name.
Seana Turner says
I'm trying to download manuals for new appliances I buy and keep them in a folder on my desktop. However, I will say that we set up hanging folders back when we renovated our home. Although I'm not a huge fan of accordion folders, I can see that they would work well for this purpose. Last week I helped client with the binder system. She had set up it and it is working for her, so why not? I think the binder can get pretty heavy, but don't fix what isn't broken! My tip... don't keep the "quick start" and "installation" guides. You just need the main manual.