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Organizing Home Manuals Like a Boss!

Looking for ideas and inspiration for organizing your home manuals? I’ll show you how to organize home manuals in a way that will keep you feeling on top of things and like a home organization boss. 

Keep your important papers in order with these Organizing Home Manuals tips and tricks!

Organizing Home Manuals Like a Boss!

When it comes to home organization, sometimes things can get too complicated.

I’ve developed a pretty simple method for organizing home manuals so I thought I would share that with you today in the event that you, like me, are hoping to stay organized in the new year.

One of the few areas that I seem to have figured out is our home file system, including our organization of important papers and documents.

As your family grows, so will your collection of appliances and products that have warranties, instruction manuals, etc. Hopefully this simple “how to” article will help you to find a simple way to keep all of your home manuals stored effectively and efficiently. So simple in fact, that it might seem too simple, but trust me.

Less is more when it comes to something like this and I have found that this system works really well for us.

What You’ll Need to Organize Home Manuals

Pile of Home Manuals and a large work space (I prefer the floor)
Colored paper, 8.5″ x 11″, cut into thirds
Small Binder Clips (more than you think you’ll need)
Pen
Scissors
Hanging File Folder Box or file cabinet
 

How to Organize Home Manuals

  1. Start at the top of your pile and grab the first manual. Write down what it is for on the colored sheet of paper. Fold it over the top and attach with a binder clip.

Include any additional information you may know about this appliance or fixture. Such as, model and serial number, any improvements, or repairs that were done. Don’t forget the date.

2. Continue through the pile, one at a time and clip all of the manual items together including receipts and any repair receipts you may have.

3. Now you need to organize your manuals into piles so that you can put the piles into file folders.

Home Manual Categories

I used the following categories and cut small pieces of paper for my plastic holders:

Alarm System/Security Cameras

-includes alarm system manual, security camera manual, keyless/keypad entry door manuals

Basement Utilities

-this includes everything in the basement: sump pump, furnace, air conditioner, water softener, humidifier, water filtration system

Garage

-includes garage door manual, exterior light outside of garage door

Kitchen Appliances

-things like refrigerator, range, dish washer, microwave and garbage disposal manuals

Landscaping

-includes sample layouts of where things were planted and when, as well as how many bags of mulch were used and where, landscaping receipts.

Laundry

-washer and dryer manual

Plumbing/Toilets/Tub

-Plumbing repairs, toilet information, tub and faucets

Water/Well/Septic

-water tests, well and septic papers

Windows & Doors

-skylights and windows in home as well as doors

Other categories that can be very useful:
Lights & Ceiling Fans
Interior Paint & Carpet

You may also want to organize by room, for example:

Kitchen
Dining
Master Bedroom & Bath
Bathroom 1
Bedroom 1, 2, 3, etc
Office
Exterior of Home
Front Yard
Back Yard
Driveway & Garage

My tips for organizing home manuals: 

I like to use colored paper so that I can quickly and easily find the manual I need.
Next, I line up all of my file folder plastic tabs in a row so I’m not searching the entire box for them and I prefer to line them up in alphabetical order.
I like the binder clip idea since it makes it easy for me to just pull the entire pile of paperwork out in order to handle things like calling for a repair or researching an issue I might have on my appliance. And this gives me the model number, serial number and receipt in seconds.
And probably my best tip: get into the habit of filing things immediately after your receive them. It really is the best way to clear the clutter and save yourself the stress of frantically looking for that receipt or warranty when you need it most. Happy organizing!
 


Meet the author – Keri Lyn

The creative and frugal mind behind She Saved for over 12 years now, Keri Lyn shares her adventures in parenting along with her love for family travel, country living and brand marketing. A self-proclaimed “brand loyalist”, Keri Lyn is known for her strong and enthusiastic voice when it comes to the products and brands that she loves. She Saved has become a community for like-minded consumers who appreciate saving money, time and sanity by getting the best deals on quality products and experiences.

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2 Comments

  1. Paper organizing is something I really need to get in order this year. We’ve got manuals all over the house – I love this idea to finally get them collected into one spot. Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday; I’ll be featuring your organizing idea at our upcoming party. I hope you’ll stop by and link up again!

  2. This is a great idea! I have chosen to throw all of mine away because I hate paper. Most manuals can be found online.

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