Tis the Season: Instruction Manuals Keep or Toss?

[RootAnn]

As I'm obtaining Christmas presents & cleaning so we have room for new items, I wonder if it is worth keeping all these instruction manuals. We've usually kept them in file folders but hardly ever refer to them there. The (newish) microwave one is near the micro if we want to check it.

I'm just wanting to pitch them as I open boxes. But then I think I'll regret it because what if I want to see how to do the recommended cleaning? Or troubleshoot something or refer to the parts page? Then I remember how many manuals are online now.

Pitch or keep? What says the Hive?

[Ali in OR]

We have two fat file folders in the filing cabinet full of manuals and warranties. Every once in awhile one is needed. We went through the file a year or two ago and at least cleaned out the manuals of things we don't have anymore!

[klmama]

I keep the small kichen appliance manuals that include troubleshooting info in the cupboard with the cookbooks. 

[marbel]

I have a folder which I go through every couple of years to pitch outdated things.  Mostly I haven't needed them, but there have been a few times I've been really happy to have them.

You could also see if you can dowload and save a .pdf from the mfgr's website.  

[Pawz4me]

We keep most instruction manuals in file folders. We have a few different folders--appliances, lawn/garden equipment, etc. For relatively simple/small things like a new coffee pot I'll stick the manual in a drawer for awhile. After I'm confident I know how to operate it, how to clean it, etc., then I either put the manual in the appropriate file or trash it. I do try to go through the folders every year or two and toss manuals for things we no longer own.

Edited November 28, 2020 by Pawz4me

[sassenach]

We toss. Everything is google-able. 

[rebcoola]

We toss they are all available online now.

[cintinative]

For major appliances I keep them with the receipt stapled inside in case there is ever a problem.  Same with electronics.  For small appliances, I am leaning toward the toss category.  Presently I have several binders full of instruction manuals. 

[Shoeless]

I will keep them for a little while if the product has specific maintenance instructions, but otherwise I pitch them. 

[Arcadia]

I don’t keep but my husband keeps them in the original box.

[HS Mom in NC]

Look it up online and toss the physical instruction manual.

[Hyacinth]

I used to keep them in a file cabinet in the garage. I’d Sharpie the date of purchase or installation on the front. It was a decent system, but this summer I had a particularly intense bout of cleaning/decluttering and I tossed them all. As others have said, everything is online now anyway. And the number of times I actually opened that file over the years was....I think maybe zero. 

[elegantlion]

At my other house I had a drawer in the kitchen for everything that was kitchen/laundry/HVAC related. For electronics I had a folder in my office. The date of purchase is written on the front - my dad's habit. 

I kept most of them, I hate looking up things like that online, plus for appliances and HVAC that would stay with the house, it was easier to just leave books. 

I got rid of most things that were self explanatory - like a waffle iron or a blender - but for microwave on up - there are sometimes specific things I need to look up. 

[katilac]

I keep them, all together in a designated spot. Grabbing the physical manual is just way quicker for me, even before allowing for the possibility of getting sidetracked by going online.