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5 safe ways to unjam a paper shredder
Joel has spent six years testing pizza ovens, camping gear, binoculars and more. He’s cooked a criminal amount of pizza, and swallowed the evidence.
From letting the motor cool down to using shredder lubricant, our tips will help you get your jammed shredder back up and running.
Whether it's jammed full of too many pages, overheated or drying out, an unexpected shredder jam can turn a straightforward task into a major headache. We've come across a variety of ways to solve the problem – find out which we recommend below.
Read our guide to the best paper shredders to find out which models will shred your documents quickly and securely
1. Let it cool down
If you're shredding lots of paper and not giving your machine enough rest between batches, then the motor can overheat and stop working.
Overheating doesn't happen as often as blockages, but it's common enough.
Try unplugging the shredder and letting it cool down before attempting to clear the blockage again. Some machines have a light to indicate that the overheat function has kicked in, and you can't start shredding again until it's turned off.
Check the instructions provided with your shredder to see how long you should leave it for. Many shredders can only run for a few minutes before needing a cool-down period of around 30-40 minutes.
2. Cycle between reverse and go functions
Most shredders have the option to reverse, which is designed to help avoid blockages. Our tests have found that the best shredders at clearing blockages have a reverse function that works automatically once a jam has been detected.
If you need to clear the blockage manually, constantly alternating between the reverse and forward functions can be helpful.
Don't do this for too long, or too quickly, though, as it can be quite demanding on the machine and may run the risk of it overheating.
Often, you're left with a clump of paper which you'll need to carefully remove in order to effectively clear the machine. Sometimes, this will take quite a bit of manual force if the shredder simply won't let go. Make sure it's unplugged before getting anywhere near the teeth, though.
3. Empty the bin
A full bin could be the cause of the blockage, as there isn't anywhere for the paper to go once it's shredded.
Even if it doesn't look completely full, try switching off your shredder and emptying the bin.
Shredded paper can be recycled as long as you put it in a paper envelope or bag to stop it from clogging the machines at the recycling sorting facility. You can also add it to your home compost heap.
To avoid having to empty your shredder so often, you could opt for a larger machine. Most tend to be between 13 and 17 litres, although we've tested one as large as 23 litres.
Emptying a shredder bin can be messy, especially when it shreds into tiny pieces, so keep one of our Best Buy vacuum cleaners close by.
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4. Use card to push through a jam
If the solutions above haven't worked, it may be worth trying to use a piece of card to remove the blockage. Avoid using tools such as tweezers or needle-nose pliers, as these could end up harming the motor, the blades or your fingers.
For this to work, you'll need a stiff and tough bit of card, similar to that of a cereal box. Take care not to use card that's too thick, or you could make the problem worse.
While the shredder is on and running, carefully push the card between the teeth with some pressure to help squeeze out the blockage. You could also try folding the card into a point, so it's easier to position near the area that's blocked.
Once the stubborn pieces are removed, feeding through more paper can then help to clear the rest of the jam.
5. Use a shredder lubricant to prevent paper jams
Lubricating your shredder should help to prevent jams and make it easier for paper to pass through smoothly.
Leading manufacturers such as Fellowes advise that you lubricate your shredder every time you empty the bin, or at least twice a month.
When selecting a lubricant, make sure you use vegetable-based oils instead of aerosol oils, as the latter are petroleum-based and can pose a fire risk.
One of the cheapest we've found is a 335ml bottle of Fellowes shredder oil for £11.59.
If you don't want to use a bottle in case of spillage, you can get lubricant sheets instead. You feed these into the machine like a normal sheet of paper. The cheapest we've found is an own-brand pack of 12 on Amazon for around £7.
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Things we've learned testing shredders
- Don't use your bare hands to try to unpick the jam - especially when it's plugged in. Even though most shredders don't have a throat big enough for fingers, it's a potential safety risk to get your hands near the blades.
- Avoid loading the shredder beyond the maximum pages per feed we calculated in our testing. This tends to be slightly more than the manufacturer recommends. Try any more than this, however, and the shredder is at serious risk of jamming up.
- Some shredders have a much more effective reverse function, so read our shredder reviews and opt for one of these if you're on the hunt for a new machine that's less likely to get blocked.
Best paper shredders
We've tested strip cut, micro-cut and cross-cut shredders. Strip-cut shredders are gradually becoming a thing of the past, as they only cut paper into long, thin strips which can be put back together without too much difficulty. We don't recommend them.
The vast majority of the shredders you'll see in the shops will be cross-cut and micro-cut. We've tested plenty of both, and recommend micro-cut and cross-cut models that breezed through our tests and make light work of securely disposing of sensitive documents.
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