As someone who enjoys maintaining what I own as well as I can before replacing things, I keep up with the various manuals that come with the products that I purchase. Anytime I get a new kitchen appliance or an item above a certain amount of money, or something that I see myself needing for a long time and needing to do maintenance on, I put the manual to the side. For a while it was fine to just have a stack of them in a gallon ziplock bag, but I wanted a better system. I chose to use a binder with sheet protectors and dividers to get some more order and to be able to more easily find what I need when I need it.
I find it really useful for my small kitchen appliances. I also have other sections of the binder for things like my vehicle emergency unit, etc.
One tip I have for those who would like to implement something like this who may be thinking that it is too late to start is simply to search for the manuals online. Most manufacturers have downloadable PDF versions, and if you are particularly motivated to find one that’s hard to source, give their customer service line a call. I’m sure the agent would appreciate a simple request of a manual rather than another angry customer. You might just brighten their day!
