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Paper shredders get jammed and don’t sometimes work like every other machine. But paper shredders are useful for an office every time. Official documents and confidential papers need to get destroyed immediately after the usage. But often a paper shredder doesn’t work, and you have to shred papers urgently. In those cases, what can you do?

Paper shredders stop working due to some reason. Mainly the reasons are-

• Insertion of numerous papers in a single time.
• Poor maintenance of the machine. If you don’t oil the machine regularly, it may get jammed.
• Sometimes the wastebasket gets fulfilled, and there is no space to gather the shredded papers.

These are basic reasons behind a paper shredder jam. Although it’s a troublesome condition, there are some quick steps you can take to clear the jam. In this article, you are going to know about those points.

Step to clear the jam of jammed paper shredder

Often the reason for the jam is very common. In those cases, the below-mentioned steps can sort out the problem-

• First of all, make sure your office shredder machine is not connected to the plug point. Because, while examining the machine can start working anytime and the blades can cut your finger. You surely don’t want that cut. So unplug it first.
• Clean the wastebasket. Sometimes, only doing this can sort out the jam. A full wastebasket often causes a jam due to a lack of space for new wastes.
• Try running the machine in reverse. This is one of the simple steps that can help you.
• Don’t insert a lot of papers that exceed the maximum capacity.

It’s serious if your machine is still not working after following these steps. If so, try the following steps to clear the jam-

• Disconnect the machine for plug points for your security.
• Gently open up the machine and remove the upper section of the machine.
• Clean the blades well. You might see that uncountable paper threads are sticking to the blades. Clean the blade properly.
• Apply a little amount of shredder oil to make the blades smoother and lubricated.
• Use a screwdriver and try to fix the jam. Try opening the blade first and then rearrange those.
• Set the setting of the shredder in the reverse mode. You can see the shredding settings there. Just operate the settings and set it in reverse.
• Connect the machine to the electric connection and try to run it.
• This should be your trial shredding. So insert one paper. Check if the machine is working or not.

Your machine is supposed to work after applying all these steps. If it’s still not working, don’t try doing anything yourself. Just call the local mechanic or the local shredder repairing service. Doing anything by yourself may cause more damage to the shredder machine. Although, before paying a good amount of money to the repairing service, follow the steps. If the issue is not severe, the jam will get cleared with those simple steps.

Make sure that the shredder’s power is off and start to disassemble it. Start by removing the shredding head from the wastebasket. This depends on the type of model you are using. Then take a clean cloth to wipe the residue of the cleaning solution and leave the blades to dry. You can also use cotton swabs to clean sharp areas. cleaning at least once a week or month, and sometimes you need to do it daily. This can prevent paper jams from occurring and gives enough space for the shreds in the bin.