Whether you’re examining your files at home or in the office, it can be difficult to know what pieces of information you can securely throw away. It’s important to know what documents need shredding so that you can effectively protect your personal and confidential information. Keep reading to learn exactly which types of documents to shred and when.
Junk Mail
Not only is junk mail annoying to receive, but it can also put your information at risk. Junk mail, such as insurance or credit card offers, may include information such as your name, address, and other identifiers. It’s critical to run these documents through your shredder before disposing of them. For junk mail containing ID cards or credit cards, make sure to use a suitable multimedia shredder.
Passwords
We all jot down passwords and file them away to remember in some way or another. If you have a collection of passwords on scratch paper or notes, these can accidentally wind up in the trash. It’s best to keep a file of passwords locked up in a secure space so that no one mistakes them for recycling. If you do have a collection of passwords written on paper scraps, it’s crucial to shred these to keep your online accounts safe and secure.
Paid Bills & Banking Statements
In this era of online banking, many bank services provide digital statements and bills that you can access online. Digital statements make keeping paper copies unnecessary, so if your bank mails paper copies of this information as well, keeping these on hand only puts your information at risk. It’s best to shred paid bills and banking statements as soon as possible. If you don’t have an electronic backup of banking records, hold onto these for six months to a year, then shred them as necessary.
Expired Warranties
After a specific date, warranties will become useless and expire. File your product receipts with their warranties for future shredding. Once the warranty expires and you have no issues with the product, make sure to shred both the receipt and warranty. These could contain owner information or even purchase information such as your credit card number. Once you know you’re happy with the product and the warranty has expired, shred these materials for safe disposal.
Business Information
Certain businesses and organizations must stay on top of document shredding by law. Businesses and offices must protect employee information by shredding their old files and any outdated copies. For example, shredding is also vital in medical facilities as a way to protect patient data. These facilities must keep detailed records of a patient’s personal and billing information safe, which means disposing of these documents after a certain time as well.
The next time you’re organizing your files at home or in the office, remember these guidelines for what documents you should shred. Shredding these documents is important to protecting your identity and keeping personal and confidential information safe.
