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Um...as a technical writer, I keep ALL my owner's manuals and assembly instructions.

I guess I don't care if you keep the paper copies as long as you actually read them somewhere.

I say...definitely save the manuals...I have some old electronic equipment and sometimes those manuals are not produced.

I agree with putting in binders. I do something I read. I place them in a binder in clear sleeves and I put the warrenty and receipt with them. Its been very helpful and easy to do

Well as a designer I’d say if you need the instructions it probably just wasn’t well designed. Even the complex process of defibrillation has been broken down to clear simple steps that don’t require any prier training.

They fit in my junk drawer. I don't see this as a problem.

They would fit much better in a pdf in a folder on your system (backed up, of course). The other unspoken value of a pdf is that you can search for key words. Much easier to find things than thumbing thru the table of contents or index.

Ahm jes sayin'

I really hate them. They are hard to find when you need one. I did find my rice cooker one in PDF on the web which has come in handy.

Three ring binder, with sleeves for the larger manuals. How much room do these really take up?

You're insane to toss them, hoping that the company will provide them on the internet, for free. What if they don't? What if your computer crashes or power surge or whatever? Frankly, I'd rather have more space on my hard drive than in a filing cabinet.

And if you want to sell something later, you get a better price if you have the manuals--esp. electronics.

These organizational posts are pretty weak.

I keep mine in files. I also staple the receipt inside the front cover (inside, so it won't get caught on something else and tear off). And I write the date of purchase on the front cover, just to remind myself and in case the receipt fades.

Often it's nice to have the manual in paper form so you can read it at the point of use - while gazing into a washing machine that won't spin, for example.

I have lost track of how many times I pulled out my owners manual to help me adjust the digital thermostat for daylight savings, etc. I drop them into a folder in my filing cabinet and like knowing that they're available when I need them. It may be true that many are available online... but what if I don't have access? or the company goes under, taking its website with it? Like taxes and car maintenance receipts -- it's always been worthwhile to save manuals.

For those I save, I only save the English version.

Interesting topic. Since I've NEVER referred to an owner's manual, I'm wonder why I'm still keeping them? Must be nuts.

When you buy something you're supposed to read the manual and LEARN how to use whatever it is. Why would you need to store it?

I hate manuals cause I never know where to put them, they're just such a hassle!

I agree that if you want to throw 'em away, you should look them up first online and if you do find them in pdf then go ahead and throw away the hard copy.

If your computer crashes one day, you'll know that whatever electronic manuals you had actually do exist and you can look 'em up online again. Easy.

Funny, I pulled out a folder groaning with manuals just an hour ago to purge. Decided to ditch the ones that accompanied really simple stuff, like a portable radio -- and to keep manuals for more complicated or expensive items like computer peripherals.

I was able to reduce the bulk of those I'm hanging onto by ripping out foreign-language sections. My VestFrost fridge manual was 135 pages eight languages ago. Now it's just 15.

I've been doing the binder w/ clear sleeves thing for years - it makes it so easy to find what I need, and when it comes repair time or time to pass it along, it's great having complete documentation.

I toss all of mine because nearly all manuals can be downloaded from a manufacturer's website these days.

The only one I have ever looked at was for my vacuum cleaner when the belt had to be replaced. I guess I could toss the rest of them, but they don't take up a lot of room.

I have them in two folders in my filing cabinet. They don't really take up that much space.

I like the idea of stapling the receipt in the front and writing the date of purchase.

I prefer to keep the paper versions. It seems inconvenient to me to go to the computer, find the file, search keywords, maybe even print the relevant info, when I can just grab the paper version from the file and get down to business. I have used some of the manuals pretty frequently, and as has been pointed out, they really don't take up that much room (especially if you discard the foreign language sections and purge the file once or twice a year).

The other day I found some that referred to equipment that I had long since replaced. I do keep hard copies of manuals, but am trying to get the PDF's into a nice neat folder on my desktop. But seriously? The ones to the TV-related ones go under the sofa cushion where I can find it easily.

As long as you keep only the ones you need (ie, the ones for crap you still have) I feel you SHOULD keep them. Who knows when you need to reprogram your television set? I keep them in oversized zip-lock bags.

I finally found something to do with those zippered plastic bags you get curtains and pillowcases in ~ that's where I keep my manuals. I really do have to go back to them every once in awhile and it helps when you're selling something on Craigslist to have the manual to give to the new owner and just nice to include it when you're giving something to Goodwill.

I guess manuals are a bit like umbrellas: When you have them, you never need them, but as soon as you don't, it starts raining (metaphorically - or, in the case of our recent bathroom sink exchange, quite literally).

Related story: Last January, we had a narrow vote in favour of keeping the brick of a phone catalogue that comes through the door once a year. We didn't use it in 11 months, because looking numbers up on the internet is so much more convenient. But then, in week 3 of the 11th month, the electricity went and we could only call our provider to complain because we could look their number up "old style" in the paper version. Hmmmmm.

Unless you are buying new gadgets every week how many of these things do you have? If you have too many books and other possessions take them your nearest charity shop but you are bound to need your manuals if you dump them

my wife saved all of the manuals to the appliances and the like (@ our former, new-construction condo) in a 3-ring binder. come selling time, this organization and other little touches that showed we actually cared for the place (freshly painted baseboards... like the "look at a man's shoes" idea) really helped to set our place apart from the others (and we managed to sell at the beginning of the real-estate free-fall). sometimes, keeping things like this isn't for you, but for the net person who might enjoy the 2nd life of your stuff... keeping a dust-devil manual, doubtful? paperwork from a furnace (or a harman-miller chair)... yep!

We keep all our manuals in a box. We've been robbed a couple of times, and our insurance company used the manuals to determine the value of our reimbursement.

Manuals are also handy when you re-sell things on Craigslist. The next owners are always happy to get them and I think it helps to sell your stuff faster when you mention in the ad that the manual is included. In fact, I once sold a four-year-old Palm Pilot for almost the same price I paid for it, because I still had all the original packaging and materials.

Yup! In a binder in clear plastic sleeves. All the ones for my house fit in one binder (house appliances, garage door opener, and small appliances) all with a label in the upper right hand corner.

I did this in my previous house too and left the binder with all the things the new owners were keeping. They were so happy to have everything in one place - I guess some people don't think to leave manuals when they move.

I keep my manuals in a small box on a bookshelf. I attach the receipt to the inside and make sure to write down serial numbers and the like.

I download the manual online and then recycle the paper copy. If it's not online, I usually don't toss it.

Depends on the manual. We always keep manuals for electronics, anything that might need replacement parts (filters, hoses, etc.) and things we use seldom enough that we might forget the details (like the carpet shampooer.) (We have pets.)

But I will trash the manuals and instructions for assembly of furniture I don't expect to disassemble, fixtures that get installed, things like that.

I usually have a file folder for manuals and warranties. Receipts for warrantied things are kept there too.

Y'all are silly-- we need to throw away the manuals for things we actually use so that we can make room for more cutesy decorative objects! Don't you know that? ;-P