How to Archive Documents in Boxes: From Clutter to Clarity
Sometimes, documents and even personal items just pile up, and it can be hard to keep on top of it all. Especially when it comes to valuable family heirlooms, you don’t want to forget where you have put them! That’s where archive boxes come in handy.
These specially designed boxes are perfect for organising anything from valuable items to important documents. So whether you are a business looking for a better way of organising your piles of paper or you want a safe place to store your family’s valuables, archiving could be the answer for you!
We will discuss the best way to start archiving and why you should archive your documents and personal items. So, stick around to learn more.
- The Process of Archiving Documents and Valuables
- Our Top Tips for Archiving Important Items
- Archive Your Valuables with Schott Packaging
The Process of Archiving Documents and Valuables
Archiving documents and personal belongings can be a great way to organise your items. Nobody wants to spend hours searching for lost paperwork or family heirlooms; it only brings about stress and worry. With archiving, you can avoid this! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get started archiving your most valued items, no matter what they are.
1. Conduct an Audit
The first step is to review all the belongings or documents you want to archive. This can be a tedious task, but you’ll thank yourself in the end! Knowing what documents or items you want to keep and what can be thrown away can make all the difference. There’s no point in organising items that don’t need to be stored away.
If you are organising documents, you should also think about retention periods. This is the length of time a document should be kept before throwing it away. For example, bank statements should be kept for about six years before you can put them in the bin.
2. Bin the Unnecessary Stuff
Once you have sorted through everything you want to organise, it’s time to purge. Anything you don’t need to store away can be thrown away. Especially if you are dealing with important documents, if they are no longer needed, there’s no need to keep them. You don’t want to be swimming in paper piles!
Remember to use a paper shredder if you have any important documents to throw away or find a company that disposes of sensitive documents for you. Of course, recycling your paper waste is a great way of doing your bit for the environment, too!
3. Take Your Time to Go Through Everything
Before you can start putting things in boxes, make sure you go through all your belongings again to ensure nothing has slipped through the cracks. Check retention timeframes again so you are only keeping the necessary documents.
It is also a good idea to note the retention timeframe of each document so you can keep track of your important information and easily throw away expired sensitive documents when the time comes.
4. Have You Considered Digitising Documents?
If you need to frequently access documents, it could be a good idea to digitise your important documents. This makes accessing them easier as you won’t have to search through hundreds of cardboard boxes each time you need to view the document.
5. Start Placing Your Items in Archive Boxes
Now that you have organised everything you want to archive, it is time to start putting things in boxes. Using strong archive boxes can make all the difference when it comes to storing items, as these cardboard boxes are designed to hold large amounts of paper and files and are sturdy enough to protect your valuable items.
6. Organisation is Key
Labelling is crucial if you ever want to find your documents again! Clearly label each box with what the archive box contains and the retention period of the documents inside, if applicable. The labels on these boxes should coincide with a file management system or catalogue so you can easily locate your archive box when you put it in storage.
Why not try using unique numbers or barcodes to differentiate between your archive boxes? Although labelling and organising each box can seem like a lot of work, you will thank yourself in the future when you need to locate a specific document or item!
7. Find a Place for All Your Boxes
You don’t want lots of cardboard boxes to be sitting around in your office or home. If you are a small business, you could find a small section of your workplace to put a few cardboard boxes so they are out of the way but still safe and secure. For larger businesses, it could be a good idea to outsource your document storage. You will need to think about data protection and security if this is the route you decide to go down.
If you are storing family heirlooms or personal items, you could store them somewhere in your home. Whether that be in the loft or a spare room, you can have peace of mind that your items are secure and that you can access them whenever you like.
8. Make Sure You Can Access Your Items
Organisation doesn’t just end at labels. You should also use your filing system or catalogue to note down where you have stored the archive box. By keeping track of where the box is located, you can easily access your items and won’t have to spend hours searching for them.
You should also consider how you place your archive boxes. Remember to leave enough space to access every box without moving too many items. You could also use shelves to prevent heavy cardboard boxes from falling on you.
Our Top Tips for Archiving Important Items
Organising and archiving your items is pretty straightforward, but you also need to consider where you are storing your archive boxes and how to pack your items effectively. Don’t forget to:
- Store Documents in a Stable Environment: Paper can deteriorate if not stored properly, so make sure you store any paper items in a dry and cool place.
- Using an External Storage Facility? Think About Security: Security is important to prevent the theft of your sensitive documents and to ensure that you abide by data protection laws.
- Keep Away From Fire: This probably goes without saying, but you should store your items away from fire hazards. For example, you should avoid storing cardboard boxes in direct sunlight.
- Avoid Consuming Food and Drink Near Your Items: Accidents happen! However, you could avoid food-related accidents by making sure no food or drink is consumed near your sensitive documents or valuables.
- Don’t Overfill Your Archive Boxes: Although archive boxes are strong and sturdy, they still have their limits. Avoid overfilling your boxes to ensure they don’t break due to the weight of your items.
- Protect Your Items from Impact: If you are archiving personal items, especially delicate items, you need to add some extra protection to ensure they are not damaged in storage. From bubble wrap to void fill, there are many different types of protection you can use.
- Need Extra Protection? Why Not Use Heat Shrink Wrap?: Sometimes, an added layer of protection can give you peace of mind that your items or documents are safe. Heat shrink wrap is one way to shield your items from external damage.
Archive Your Valuables with Schott Packaging
Securely storing your valuables starts with strong and sturdy archive boxes. At Schott Packaging, we offer archive boxes, which are perfect for storing sensitive documents, files, and more. But our range doesn’t end there! We also supply cardboard boxes in all shapes and sizes so you can find the perfect fit for your items. Don’t forget to protect any delicate items from damage during storage with our protective packaging! Order everything you need to archive your personal items and sensitive documents today from Schott Packaging.
Archiving Documents FAQs
What is the best way to archive documents?
The process of archiving documents is simple but time-consuming. A few steps should be taken to ensure your documents are organised and easily located.
- Conduct an Audit.
- Bin the Unnecessary Stuff.
- Take Your Time to Go Through Everything
- Digitise Any Frequently Needed Documents
- Start Placing Your Documents Into Archive Boxes
- Organise Your Documents Thoroughly
- Find a Safe and Secure Place to Store Your Documents
- Make Sure You Can Easily Access Your Items
Why use boxes to store archival documents?
Archive boxes and cardboard boxes are commonly used to store documents. They are strong and sturdy enough to keep documents safe and protected while also being a cost-effective solution. Take a look at our range of archive and cardboard boxes to find the right one for your storage needs!
How do I archive documents at home?
You can easily archive documents at home by sorting through your documents to weed out any that can be thrown away, organising your items into different categories and filing each document in archive boxes. These boxes should then be stored in a safe and secure location, whether that be at your home or in an offsite location.