Fixing Your Jammed Paper Shredder

How to fix your jammed paper shredder:

WARNING! Never attempt to remove paper manually from a jammed shredder plugged into power. ALWAYS unplug the shredder before attempting any manual maintenance.

If your shredder just shuts down without any apparent jamming, make sure the circuit breaker for the shredder outlet is on. If the shredder has power and there’s no apparent jam, it probably overheated. Turn it off and let it sit idle for about an hour. This should cure an overheating problem.

If the shredder doesn’t appear to be jammed with paper, it may be seizing up because the cutting cylinder blades need oiling. 

If you suspect the blades need oiling, refer to the owner’s manual for instructions on how to oil them. NEVER use WD40, a petroleum-based oil, or otherwise flammable oil on cutting blades. Use vegetable-based oil like Canola or corn oil.

• Hold down the reverse button and squirt oil into the paper entry area in a sweeping motion from one side to the other and back.
• Place the shredder in the FORWARD position and allow the shredder to run for three to five seconds.
• Do the same in the REVERSE position.
• Repeat these last two steps about three times.

NOTE:
Continually attempting to run the shredder motor with the shredder in a jammed state can burn out the motor. Cease to apply power to the motor the instant you are fairly certain the jam will not clear up, and then proceed to a manual approach. 

If the shredder is obviously jammed, turn it off, study the situation for a moment, and refer to your owner’s manual for instructions on how to proceed. 

Short of that, turn the shredder back on and move the control switch to the REVERSE position to see if the paper backs out. This step usually solves the problem. If it doesn’t, slowly alternate the control switch between REVERSE and FORWARD a few times for about five seconds each. If this doesn’t work, do the same with the manual feed button in alternating REVERSE and FORWARD positions by holding the manual button down in each position for about five seconds. Repeat this process, as few times as possible, until you are reasonably certain this procedure will not clear the jam.

Turn the shredder off, unplug it from power, and let it cool for a while before you touch any internal parts. Being careful to not cut yourself on the shredder’s blades, manually try to pull as much of the jammed paper as you can from the shredder and try the alternating REVERSE/FORWARD process again. Use a pair of tweezers to remove any small bits of paper if necessary. 

After allowing the shredder to cool, you may be able to pull the paper out while manually turning the motor by hand. Make sure the shredder is off, unplugged from power, and cool to the touch before trying this. 

If everything else fails, you can also soak the jammed paper in shredder oil for fifteen minutes and try the REVERSE/FORDARD alternating procedure again. 

If you’re not comfortable with these two last-ditch efforts, have the shredder serviced by a qualified service technician.