Paper shredding has become a popular and necessary thing to do because of privacy concerns. It’s easy to shred regular paper, but what about laminated paper? Can you shred laminate paper or documents?
First of all, what is lamination? Lamination is a type of plastic that is placed over a piece of paper. Then, the paper and the plastic are placed in a machine called a laminator. The laminator heats up the plastic and binds it to the paper.
Documents that are coated with lamination are not able to be recycled like regular paper. This is because laminated paper is actually coated with a plastic that melts into the paper. This creates a product that is a paper/plastic mixture. Ironically, laminated items in the garbage may be easier for thieves to find, thus making them a risky way to handle sensitive information; they can’t be shredded and they are obvious in the trash.
In the case that you do need to get rid of laminated documents, the best bet is to safely burn the laminated document. You could also use the services of a company like Shred Confidential to shred laminate paper. If you do decide to burn the laminated document, make sure to have fire extinguishers on hand. Burn the documents according to the laws and codes in your area, or call a professional company like Shred Confidential for assistance.
Should I Laminate Important Documents?
Some people think that laminating important documents like birth certificates, social security cards, identification cards, and marriage certificates is a good idea. This is not always the case. While you think that laminating these documents will make them harder to be crumpled, ripped, or damaged, the laminating process can also damage them. In some cases, altering or laminating the documents is viewed by agencies as damaging the document and this can alter the validity of the document, or it may mean that you might have to order another document. For this reason, it’s best not to laminate your important documents. Instead, keep them in a safe, dry place. If they become damaged, crumpled, or lost, replace them as soon as possible.
You should never laminate your bank card or credit cards. This can cause problems with the magnetic strip on the back of the card or make it difficult to read the numbers on the front of the card. Once the cards have been laminated, they will no longer be able to be used at money access machines. If by chance you have laminated your bank cards or your credit cards, you may want to ask for replacement cards at your bank or credit card provider.
Your driver’s license is probably one of the few documents that is laminated. However, this will be laminated at the DMV and will be sent to you laminated. If the lamination on your license becomes chipped or wrinkled, you may want to consider getting a replacement license. Depending upon the state where you live, it may be as simple as going online to order a replacement. In other states, you may need to visit a DMV office.
Why Use A Shredder?
There are a few reasons why people use shredders. One of the most unique reasons is to create bedding materials for animals. I’ve seen others use shredded paper to start bonfires or campfires. However most people use a shredder to keep documents confidential. This is important nowadays, when many people are working from home and need a way of handling their confidential business documents.
The most common reason for paper shredding is to protect the information contained on a certain document. This might be a document from a home business or a document needed for a personal reason. Shredding papers for security reasons is becoming more and more popular. While some people shred the papers at home, others hire companies to shred their documents for them. This is especially true for those who own businesses. If you would like to shred your highly sensitive documents yourself, you might want to use a cross-cut or a micro-shredder instead of a normal strip shredder. Experts say that these two types of shredders are likely to shred your documents completely and safely.
Exactly what is a cross shredder? cross shredders are also called confetti shredders. They cut documents into lots of small strips. The cross cut refers to the way that the blades are set up in the shredder. It appears that they cross each other as they shred the paper.
Before you buy any type of shredder, check its security rating to make sure that it meets your needs. The standard of the industry is a P level rating. What does this mean? P refers to the amount of pieces that are created when a piece of paper is cut. In other words, the higher the number, the greater the number of pieces are created. If a lot of pieces are created, this means that it’s very difficult to put the pieces together to create the original document. In other words, it has a very high security rating. Shredders with a high security rating would be perfect for your business while a lower P level rating might meet your personal needs.
When Should I Use A Professional Service?
Shredding large amounts of paper can cause problems with your shredder over time. Blades can get weakened or dulled and blades might even break or get jammed with paper. This can happen with even the most sturdiest shredder.
For this reason, if you have a lot of documents that you need to have shredded, if you have a home business, or if you know that you’ll have many documents to shred over a long period of time, you might want to consider the services of Shred Confidential, located in Riverside, California. If you have questions about our services, please give us a call so that we can answer your questions or so that we can schedule a service call at your business.