The Paper Shredder

The Paper Shredder:

No longer just for The Office

In the Age of High Tech Identity Theft, shredding your paper can be your least expensive and an almost totally brainless defense. Ask your primary-school aged child to feed the Bot, ask your mate for a Shred Date, or do a Shred the Weight (Fitness Shredfest) to your Favorite Music CD. The point is, whether home or office, private documentation including any sort of Tax-ID, S.S., and Work-Visa Info must be Shredded and money, time, or space will no longer be an issue!

As a young person in Southern California… I turned to a hand-crank, manually operated (non-electric shredder). Therefore, whatever your financial status and locale in the world, chances are you can afford some sort of shredder to fit your needs. What you will need to keep in mind is this simple rule: the less expense, the least number of papers and the least amount of (shredding) time you will be able to utilize.

Motor and bits will determine how many sheets of paper and the number of minutes a shredder can do it’s shredding. Unless you are a Government and know of no price or destination limiting your ability for the highest technologic advances, home/typical office shredders do get hot/overheat with use. If the average number of papers you force into your machine is three and rarely have a Credit Card, you will find your choices seemingly endless, for a modestly priced Paper Shredder.


If you truly on an unyielding budget as a undergraduate or young parent, perhaps purchasing a Paper Shredder for only paper (not over endowed for CD destruction and plastic charge cards) would be your best option. So, you will want to remove the metal staples and certainly any paper clips prior to shredding yet having any automated, machine shredder is safer than none.

As you await your purchase, slice all papers listing your Social Security Number, Name, Address, and Age, and Birth date and Birthplace into tiny strips of paper. You may always place these in a bag or box inside your filing cabinet or metal safe until they can be properly shredded, if in doubt.

Businesses outside the home or of high revenue should really consult their Insurance Carrier since many companies will have information on Identity Theft and current product lines.

Unfortunately, I cannot list any one specific Brand or Model number due to the discontinuance of products, high turnover, or marketing/model name changes.

Here are a few tips for the Professional/Business User:



An Industrial Shredder will cost half or more of the price that you would pay for an automobile! Amazingly, Industrial shredders are not only efficient with time, yet are infinitely helpful for those not so detail oriented. These shredders will list the sheet (number) Capacity, Speed (sheet feet per minute), and Horse Power, aside from physical dimensions. Many look like little robots hungry for your rubbish to be tossed in.

The highest tier in protection will not necessarily be as fast as the Industrial Shredders although the High Security Shredder may be less expensive and offer immeasurable piece of mind. In the United States, these High Security Shredders are classified by Security Levels. A reputable dealer will not try to sell anything under the term High Security if it does not meet with N.S.A./National Security Agency current standards. An example is the destruction of a Classified or Top Secret (8 ½ x 11) paper document into 15,500 minuscule particles, something unmistakably outside the realm of a desktop paper shredder from your corner stationary shop. These incredible machines will be listed and sold under warrantee as long as serviced per manufacturer instruction as an automobile, with regular tune-ups and yearly maintenance. Cross Cut, Micro Cut, and Super Micro Cut are descriptions of cut assortment. And, the security rating will fall under Level 5, to Level 6 your highest-level standard.


Clearly, I am as fascinated with Security as I am with Technology and the choice offered in modern shredders delivers both. Shredder Residue Dispersion Systems will advance the highest level of security from here.




by Europa Pirate

Dusting

Dusting Pricey Wood and Pianos



For Dusting I again chose to utilize a natural fiber rag/dust cloth. Diaper Services will sell their older, cloth Diapers, which make nearly perfect dust cloths. If you have any hesitation, recall the times you have paid for your Auto’s Washing/Detailing. These professional automobile detailers are the #1 clients for Diaper Services, when selling their slightly worn cloths.

If your Porsche, Volvo, or Olds shimmers to satisfaction, than the idea of home use with diaper rags, as a prime cleaning tool, is surely applicable.




DUSTING DRY


For fine wood, such as a piano, I recommend dry dusting with cotton or cotton flannel. Dust all antique or pricey woods following the grain of the (natural) wood. Newer/Modern pianos and their technological advances on finishing’s should require much less care. Older, expensive models with basic finishes, therefore, will require more external care. Always dust prior to polishing your prized possession.



CLEANING KEYS:

The “key” to cleaning your Piano’s keys is cleaning one to two keys at a time. Again, your soft cotton dust rags will be used. Slightly dampened the cloth with water and a drop of natural dish/hand friendly soap. Very little soap is to be used. I recommend METHOD, ECOVER, or SEVENTH GENERATION. Have an additional dry cloth adjacent, drying each key precisely after cleaning.



The interior of the piano/case should be professionally cleaned every few years, or more if you are in a high humidity or severely dusty/windy locale. Once clean, “Wool String cover kits” can be purchased for longer-term storage or homes that again see high humidity or dust.


TUNING:

A new piano, during its first year of life, should be meticulously tuned four times, in ideal environmental settings, by a piano specialist only!

Remember:
For all wood cleaning, lightly dry dust
prior to polishing wood to avoid ingraining the dirt.

by Europa Pirate

The Cleaning of Rugs and Carpets Part 1

Rugs and Carpets:


A Broom may be used in a variety of ways, depending upon the type of broom and construction. Again, keep shop/garage brooms separate from indoor and interior wall brooms.

A stiff, clean broom can even sweep out dirt in carpets as well as beat the dust from rugs. When remembering your new broom, also purchase a dustpan to collect the unwanted particles.

Dustpans:
Plastic Dustpans are available produced from 80-100% post consumer material or otherwise used material- RCP’s!

Metal Dustpans are better for the environment if you cannot locate recycled plastic/material dustpans. There are even metal car License Plates fashioned into useable dustpans!

A Note of Caution:

Do Not use metal dustpans on wood floors!




Rugs:

Many rugs may be cleaned on delicate cycle of your washing machine. The rug will most certainly bleed or fade it’s color upon initial washing depending on it’s material and whether or not natural or synthetic dyes were used in the construction. Always assume your rug is not colorfast, and wash with another like colored rug. And, becareful of the surface that your rug touches when damp or wet.

A Natural Rug’s material may be from silk, cotton, abaca, hemp, nettle, or wool.
Peasant style sprayable rugs (non-washer friendly) may be closer to that of twine or twigs, than fabric.



Carpet:
Even though there is the old story of the flying carpet, a carpet is not very similar to rug. Carpet in most Western Countries has been mass-produced from synthetic fibers and is tacked to the carpet padding. Unfortunately, carpet padding is almost always very Toxic!

I.A.Q. stands for
Indoor Air Quality

As weather and work draws us more and more indoors, the quality of this air indoors should be of prime concern.

Carpet can be made from natural fibers and certain “seals” of environmental safety do exists, even if the average salesperson wishes not to divulge such information. Green Label and Green Label Plug are examples. Higher-End retailers will carry wool and wool blends. Ask about the backing of the carpet, the avoidance of chemical so-called “stain protection” and moth guard. Jute, a natural option, has been around for much longer than synthetic materials and is now a good option for backing. Natural adhesives, such as those from the rubber tree should be used over toxic, non-degradable substances.