Shredding At Home: It’s Real Not a Dream

It’s amazing how many times a day we get a call from customers that ask us if we do Residential Shredding.  When we tell them yes you can sense the feeling of relief they have when they learn that a company will actually come to their home to shred their personal papers.

Some Shredding Companies Don’t Offer Home Shredding

We can’t explain it but many document destruction companies don’t provide or don’t want to service residential customers.  Some just say they don’t offer it and others have such a high minimum charge that it does not make sense for an individual to pay that much money to destroy documents.

Call a Number of Companies and Ask Questions

A shredding service should be delighted you have contacted them, they should happily answer all your questions, and explain how their service works.  You should also be able to get a quote right over the phone.  If you have any trouble with getting any information or you get a bad feeling about the way they are responding to you, consider calling another company.  Most residential customers don’t need to shred that often so here are some questions that will help you choose the best document destruction company to shred your personal files.

1. Do you come to people’s homes to shred their documents?
2. Do you shred the documents onsite before you leave?
3. Can I see the papers being shredded?
4. Is there a minimum cost?
5. Do you charge any extra fees or surcharges?
6. If my documents are in the basement or on the second floor will they carry them down and is there a fee for that?
7. Do you offer appointments Monday through Saturday?
8. Can I choose the day I want my shredding service?
9. How much advanced notice do you require?
10. What payment forms do you accept?

Information the Shredding Service Needs

To get a more accurate cost, have information about what you need shredded.  This should help;

1. For documents in boxes, know the size of the carton. There are two standard boxes for files: the small file box that is 15” x 12” x 10 ½” or the legal box that is 24” x 15” x 10 ½”.  If you are using different boxes provide all three dimensions.
2. If you are using garbage bags to separate the files for destruction, know the gallon capacity of the Also let them know how full they are.  Most people don’t fill the garbage bags because of the weight.
3. If your papers are in plastic containers provide the dimensions.
4. If your papers are in file cabinets provide the number of drawers they are in and the width of the drawers.
5. If your files are stacked one on top of the other, provide the linear inches of the files. The linear inches are measured from the base to the top of each stack of paper.

The more information you can provide the more accurate a quote will be and the better prepared the shredding service will be to perform the right residential service for you.

Special Requirements

Let the shredding service know about any special requirements you have.  If you are helping a family member and on a tight schedule let them know.  The more they know the better they can assist you.

Time Shred Services is a local onsite shredding service that provides document destruction to the businesses and residents located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester and New Jersey.  For more information give us a call or visit www.timeshred.com.