Amazon Basics Micro Cut Shredder Sharpening & Lubricant Sheets - Pack of 12, White

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You can put some documents through the shredder afterwards to clean away excess oil. Don’t cover your blades in water, as this can cause rust. DIY Oil Sheets It’s not just expensive or old-fashioned shredders that require regular lubrication. Paper shredders work best when the blades inside can move freely. Taking the time to oil your shredder means that you can keep the blades in better condition. A: The tongs and inner workings of a paper shredder are unique, rendering generic lubricating oil unsuitable and potentially detrimental. Paper shredder oil is engineered to clean and lubricate a shredder's delicate mechanics. Q: Do you need to oil a paper shredder? Keep in mind that micro-cut shredders require maintenance more often than cross-cut and strip-cut shredders. What are lubricant sheets?

Make sure you keep your document shredder clean from the dust and small pieces of paper. Due to paper shredding, dust collects between the cutting blades. Avoid using any shredder oil that’s not recommended by the instructions in your shredders. You don’t want to cause damage or paper jams.You can empty the wastebasket in another trash can, but chances are that your floor ends up with small paper shreds and dust. If you want to prevent this from happening, we recommend using paper shredder bags. A: The most common shredder oils include Solvent Refined Hydrotreated Middle Distillate, Commercial Oleic Acid, Butylated Hydroxy Toluene, Severely Hydrotreated Light Naphthenic Distillate, Canola oil, and some vegetable oil derivatives. You must never use commercial lubricants, like WD40, on a shredder because this can do a lot of damage.

It all depends on the quality of the shredder and how the operator uses the shredder machine. Always follow the guidelines on using the shredder, which you can find in the manufacturer’s instruction manual.

Turn on the return function or reverse function and let the shredder run for another half a minute so that the blades are well lubricated. But, how often and when do you need to lubricate your paper shredder with oil or lubricant and sharpening sheets? Let’s find out below. How often should you oil and clean your paper shredder Grab the bottle you’re using for application and hold the reverse button on the shredder to keep it running for about ten seconds. At that point, turn off your shredders and pour the lubricant into the paper input area. Follow left to right smooth motion with your lubricants, thoroughly oiling the blades. Remove any shredded documents from the bin, and avoid shredding any A4 paper (besides shredder sheet options) while you’re maintaining the device. Applicator Bottle Lubricant sheets are the easiest way to oil a shredder, and many varieties will sharpen the blades at the same time. These paper shredder oil sheets come with the correct amount of oil already applied, and they look much like a thin envelope with the lubricated sheet in the middle. All you need to do is feed the sheet through the shredder and then switch it into reverse for a few moments to distribute the oil.

If using a bottle application of oil doesn’t appeal to you, there are other ways to improve the life of your shredder. If you don’t have shredder oil sheets, you can make your own with two sheets of A4 paper. Apply a thin amount of oil from left to right in the sheet without completely soaking the paper. Allow the oil to settle for a few seconds and follow the same instructions above. Paper shredder oil isn’t just a generic oil. The oil is specially designed to use as a lubricant for paper shredders. But what is the oil made out of that makes it so ‘special’. According to research by Keith Barlow, from ABCoffice.com, the composition of shredder oil goes as following:

The 3 ways of oiling a shredder

Please also refer to the manual for instructions on how to oil your shredder. Some shredders come with an ‘auto-oil functionality.’ These shredders take care of the oiling process all by themselves. The only thing you need to do is making sure there is enough oil in the compartment. The type of shredder that you have makes a difference as well. A micro-cut shredder produces finer particles of paper and has more blades, making it more prone to clogs and therefore requiring more preventative maintenance than a cross-cut shredder. Lubricant sheets are envelopes that help to extend the life of the machine by applying lubrication on the cutting blades, this helps to reduce friction and keeps the blades sharp and clean. Simply feed the sheet inside the feed opening of your shredder to lubricate the blades. In addition to shredder oil, you can also use oil sheets. A lubricant sheet looks like a thin envelope with an already oiled sheet of paper in it. The only thing you have to do is shred the lubricant sheet. It looks quite similar to the ‘sandwich’ as we described above.

With this method, you apply the official oil in a cross shape to a sheet of white A4 paper. Let it soak in for a bit and place another sheet of paper on top of it. Now you’ve created a ‘sandwich’.Take another A4 sheet of paper and place it on the oiled side of the other sheet of A4 paper. You have now made a ‘sandwich’.