Did you know that over 35 thousand residential fires happened in the US in 2019? If not stored properly, these fires can also damage your documents.
To prevent this, you need to have important document storage in hand to help protect your records. Usually, your documents contain essential and confidential information. Because of this, you need to store them well for safety and security purposes.
Many personal documents are paper recorded and are vulnerable to damage. These tips for document storage will help you keep your information safe.
1. Bank Safe Deposit Box
Safe deposit boxes store items you don’t want anywhere else. Having a safe deposit box means you won’t have concerns about damaging your documents. It’s one of the best options because banks will most definitely keep your papers safe.
Bank boxes are for documents that are usually not needed on short notice. The list includes real estate deeds and stock certificates. You can also put car titles and personal identification documents.
The bank presents a lease agreement that states how long you can access the box. The lease agreement includes how much the storage costs and what you can put inside.
The cost of a safe deposit box varies according to size. The rent for the smallest box cost around 40 dollars a year. Larger deposit safe boxes could cost you around 300 dollars a year.
2. Paper Sleeves and File Folders
Store paper documents at home by using paper sleeves or archival-quality file folders. This method is a neat option for storing similar-sized documents in one place.
Using file folders allows you to store documents by year. Doing this is an easy way to locate a specific document that you might need straight away.
Sometimes, documents stored at home get damaged by the elements. Documents like old high school diplomas might need restoration or even replacement.
Nowadays, you can restore or replace damaged certificates. Getting a fake high school diploma and replacement certificate is a great option. This option is open for people whose papers encountered fire or flood damage.
3. Fireproof File Cabinets
You can buy a fireproof cabinet as an extra step in having safe document storage. These fireproof cabinets can withstand the impact of extreme heat. They can prevent internal temperatures from reaching a point where paper could ignite.
Fireproof cabinets can keep the contents safe from fire damage for two hours. This timeframe is much longer than the average fire response time from firefighters.
4. Create Digital Copies
Another step to do is to scan your documents and create digital copies.
Digital copies stored in the cloud ensure you have access to your documents. If an extreme disaster occurs, cloud storage can act as a backup. It’s also helpful when your computer’s hard drives malfunction.
Cloud storage provides an extra layer of security to confidential document storage. Cloud storage companies ensure their client’s files don’t get accessed by other people.
Apply These Important Document Storage Tips
These important document storage tips will be handy for everyone with precious files. Follow these tips to protect your important documents from damage.
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