BEST WAY TO OIL YOUR SHREDDER

How to Oil Paper Shredders

PLEASE OIL YOUR PAPER SHREDDER

 

DETERMINE SHREDDER TYPE

Find out what type of paper shredder you have to oil. If you are troubleshooting a problem, please note that cross cut shredders require more frequent oiling versus the straight strip shredders. The more paper you shred and the more you use it, the more oil it requires. A good rule of thumb is to oil the machine each time you change the bag. For heavy use, oil at the end of each day.

 

USE PAPER SHREDDER OIL

Use only shredder oil designed for the specific brand of paper shredder you have. Manufacturers design paper shredder oils to be heat tolerant for the cylinders and blades, and they formulate them specifically for their machines.

 

APPLY OIL TO BLADES

Spray, squirt or run a bead of oil across the blade opening. It shouldn’t take more than a second or two to reach from one end to the other. Any more than that may result in too much oil applied. Quicker than that means there isn’t enough oil to adequately lubricate the machine.

 

FORWARD AND REVERSE LUBRICATION

Turn the paper shredder to “Manual” and run the gears in reverse for a few seconds, then turn the shredder on “Forward” or “Standard” mode. This ensures that you distribute the oil throughout the machine, and going in reverse first forces some of the dripping oil back up, and then the forward moving blades push it back through the gears.

 

OIL WITH LUBRICATED SHEET

Another option is to oil a sheet of paper rather than the machine. Don’t just run a bead of oil across the bottom of the sheet because the paper soaks up the oil and the oil may not reach all of the necessary parts. Instead, spray the whole sheet, or run a zigzag line across the top of the paper and immediately send it through the shredder to oil it.

 

 OIL FREQUENTLY FOR BEST PERFORMANCE

With frequent lubrication and shredder maintenance,  your paper shredder should last many years. These machines are engineered to last a long time with proper care. You also could upgrade to a larger shredder.