4 Tips for Picking the Best Shredder for Home Use

4 Tips for Picking the Best Shredder for Home Use

By: Eric Buhlman

Despite their simplicity, shredders are powerful tools for protecting confidential information. While people are familiar with the ones in the office, most don't know which is the best shredder for home use. Moreover, they don't know how to pick the right one for their needs.

Employees understand the importance of following the document destruction procedures for their companies. Yet, somehow, they don't realize a bigger danger lies at home.

Discarding confidential information the wrong way can expose you to identity theft. Criminals check trashcans for documents with people's personal details. This crime brings legal, financial, and emotional problems.

As such, it is important to learn how to get the best shredder for home use. Keep reading to find out the simple procedure.

Choosing the Best Shredder for Home Use

Choosing the best shredder for home use might seem tough at first, but it will be worth the effort. These devices bring peace of mind and protect your identity through secure shredding. They also prevent financial fraud and exploitation.

With such great benefits, it's crucial to buy the right shredder. Here are four tips to help you:

1. Figure Out Your Budget

Like many other products, there's a shredder for the kind of budget you have. You don't have to go for the most expensive shredder. It must be able to do what you need.

Consider if there'll be many people using this shredder at home. You might need to spend more to get one that can handle extended use. Consider also the space you have and buy the appropriate-sized shredder.

2. Security Requirements

Decide the level of security you want for the shredded documents. The most common security type is strip-cut shredding. This turns paper into strips. Cross-cut shredding offers greater security by cutting paper into small pieces.

You can also get a particle shredder or a grinder. As their names suggest, these shredders turn documents into the tiniest pieces. Thus, no one can reassemble them and read the details.

There are also six levels of security. With each level, the shredder cuts papers into tinier pieces. Thus, levels five and six offer military-level shredding capabilities.

3. Useful Shredder Features

Each shredder brand comes with special features. Some have energy-saving capabilities. Others have safety features such as sensors and locks. Some come with anti-jamming technologies to ensure the smooth running of the shredder.

You'll also find shredders offering greater capacities. If you don't want to wait long when shredding, you can buy a shredder which shreds 10 sheets in one go. If you have young children, you can get a shredder with noise-canceling features.

4. Types of Shredding Materials

Choose a shredder that suits the types of materials you want to shred. It won't always be about paper documents. You might also shred credit cards, CDs, and documents with staples.

Learn More About Shredding

If you take the points above into consideration, you'll find it's not that hard to get the best shredder for home use. Be patient, figure out what you need, and go shopping.

Don't be swayed by expensive and fancy-looking shredders. Instead, think about how many times you'll be using the shredder and what you'll be shredding.

Contact us to learn more about our shredding solutions.