Every month you get a document with sensitive information.This could be anything from a bank statement to a credit card statement.Maybe you work for a company that deals with secret information.Throwing the papers in the trash is not enough to keep them safe.A more complete destruction is needed to protect against illegal use of your information.
Step 1: The documents should be put in a trashcan.
You will want a container large enough to hold all of the documents and liquids you are handling.When in contact with bleach and water, the material needs to be strong so that it won't degrade or lose its form.Pick a trashcan that is greater than or equal to 30L since you will be using 22L of liquid.This will give you enough room to work on the documents.The effects of bleach can be mitigated by plastic trashcans.Large plastic trashcans are available at home improvement and construction stores, as well as general commodity stores like Kmart, Target and Walmart.They can also be found online.The documents should be removed from the envelopes or packages.
Step 2: Put in 2 liters of bleach.
Bleach is going to help break down the paper, which is perfect for your purpose.It is used in the recycling of paper and will destroy the ink colorants.The more complete destruction of secure information in your documents will be guaranteed by this.Bleach can cause serious illness if not used safely.Do not touch your eyes or skin with bleach.Do not mix bleach with water.Toxic fumes can be produced by combining ammonia or toilet bowl cleaners.It is recommended to wear long sleeve clothing, pants, close toed shoes and an eye cover when working with bleach.Immediately drink a small glass of water or milk if you accidentally swallow any solution.Call poison control at 1-800-222-1222.
Step 3: 5 gallons of water.
Simple water is doing a lot of the work in this mixture.Once the paper is completely saturated, you can cut it in half.
Step 4: The documents should be pushed into the bleach water.
The documents need to be submerged so they can be broken down.If you have more documents that are liquids, you can either work in smaller batches or with a larger container.Make sure you increase your proportions of water and bleach if you choose the latter.Don't push the documents down with your bare hands.This can cause a lot of damage to your skin.Wear rubber gloves if you use the paint turbine mixer.Assume you have a plastic bin with 22 liters of liquid.If you purchase a 90L bin and have too many documents, you should use 6L of bleach and 57 liters of water.
Step 5: The documents should be sitting for 24 hours.
It is possible to break down sensitive documents by sitting in a solution of bleach-water for 24 hours.If this is an emergency situation and/or the documents need to be destroyed more quickly, consider the other methods listed here.
Step 6: The documents should be blend with a paint turbine mixer.
The documents should be soft and discolored after 24 hours.Use an electric mixer to blend the paper.If you reach into the pulp to check the contents, always wear rubber or nitrile gloves.Tools like broomsticks, canes, staffs and other long handled tools work as well.Anything that can reach deep into the container to break apart the paper will succeed.Look for large clumps.If there are pieces where you can still identify them, break them apart by hand.
Step 7: To dry, lay out in the sun.
It is possible that the garbage men will reject the bags if the pulp is put directly into them.Put a tarp on top of the surface and pour the pulp over it.Before disposing of the pulp, allow it to dry completely.Some people decide to use this as mulch.It is advised to not use bleach during the process.
Step 8: Dispose of the tissue.
Place the dried remains in garbage bags.Identity thieves will find it hard to learn anything from your documents when they dig through your garbage.It can be composted.
Step 9: An outdoor fire pit can be set up.
Fire pits with top covers are ideal for burning documents.This leads to a more complete burn of your documents.It prevents the escape of document fragments from the fire.Most of the time it is illegal to burn trash in residential areas and cities.You will need a permit in some cases.Search for your state's name and "open burn regulations" if you want to check your city specific regulations.Professional burn cages are an excellent option.These metal cages are used as outdoor incinerators.Another option is burn barrels.Steel drum barrels of 55 gallons are the most common and will do a better job of keeping document fragments within.It is not recommended to use as they produce harmful toxins, and their use is illegal in some states.It is possible to burn the individual piece inside of a cast-iron bathtub.There should be no plastic foot grips in the bottom.If it manages to get out of control, you have a tub with a ready supply of water.
Step 10: A fire can be started.
It is easier to start a fire with paper and kindling.The sensitive documents can be used as a fire starter.Once you have a stable burn, add larger pieces of wood.There should be no shrubbery, paper, or material around the perimeter of the fire.Sand is poured around the perimeter to make sure fires don't start outside the fire pit.It's a good idea to place stones around the firepit.Lighter fluid is the best way to get the fire strong.Don't drop the bottle in the fire or spray too much at once.Large explosions and bursts of flame can hurt you.If you want to avoid singing your face, chest, and arms, stand further away from the flame.
Step 11: The documents should be placed in the fire.
Small pieces of information could fall by the side if you dump them all at once.To burn individual pieces, hold them with metal tongs.The fire may have a stable heart once it has been burning for a while.If you have a stable heart, you can place more of the documents in at once and allow them to burn.Ensuring a full and proper burn and avoiding smoke inhalation are both important when burning.The open grate of the fire pit allows for a lot of air to come in.Don't let document fragments get blown from the fire.The exact pieces other people want could be found in small amounts of information.The scrap paper should be burned along with the sensitive documents.The remains of the scrap paper mixed in will confuse anyone who tries to read it.
Step 12: The ashes should be checked.
When the fire is out, shift through the ashes and look for any unburned paper.The paper with a white sheen is the easiest to spot.There are pieces that have turned grey, but still have legible text.These must be completely burnt.
Step 13: Any remaining pieces should be burned.
If you have the fire burning again, store the sensitive debris in a closed compartment.Place the document fragments in the center of the fire using protective fire gloves or tongs.
Step 14: The ashes should be scattered.
The fire should go out and the ashes should cool to a safe temperature.They can be gathered in a bag that won't rip.If you have a yard, scatter the ashes evenly.If you did not use lighter fluid to make the fire, it is possible to use a small amount of ash in composting units.The ash spread around the plants discourages the slugs and snails.Ash can be poured around the base of hardwood trees.
Step 15: Gain access to a shredder.
Crosscut shredders are better for shredding sensitive documents because they produce thinner strips of paper.This prevents would-be thieves from reconstructing the complete pages from the strips.You can choose a machine that creates strips less than 1/32nd of an inch with a 12 inch crosscut.The security levels of paper shredders are based on the thickness of the cut.Six is the thinnest and approved for Top Secret government documents.It's not a good idea for anything less than a 4 to be used for sensitive documents.Most offices have shredders.Check with your office manager to see if you can destroy your own documents.
Step 16: .
Send all of your documents through the shredder once you have one.Continue until all of your documents are done.If you have more documents than the machine can hold, you should take the ribbons of paper out.Don't put your hand in the shredder's mouth.There is a distance between you and the document.The documents should be released once the shredder has the paper in its grip.Don't forget to protect the safety of your hands.A shredder that cuts paper into strips won't prevent someone from putting it back together.It takes 2 centimeters to find out a person's Social Security Number, so hand ripping is not a good idea.
Step 17: The pieces should be separated into separate bags.
This is one more security measure after reducing them to small pieces.Take a portion of the document and put it in separate bags.Thieves won't be able to find matches in the same bag if they have to sort through everything.
Step 18: On the scheduled day, dispose of them.
Don't put this out on a Wednesday if the garbage is picked up on Tuesday.Between when the garbage goes out and when it is collected, you want to leave as little time as possible.You should keep it inside until the day of collection, and bring it down when the city employees arrive.
Step 19: The documents should be deleted.
You can find sensitive data on your hard drive.Send them to the trash.You should empty your trash.This is an acceptable and simple method if there is no risk of someone using more advanced techniques to retrieve your data.There are a number of file recovery programs that can be used to recover deleted files.If there is a chance that others will attempt to recover sensitive information, do not use this method.If sensitive information can be used to cause harm or distress, do not use this method.
Step 20: Write the hard drive off.
The information on your hard drive is represented in two numbers.The computer has a language.You can use an online writing program to replace all the information on your hard drive with random strings.It may be impossible to recover the data in question if you choose this method.There are a lot of overwriting programs that do multiple passes of your data.Three passes are considered standard by the U.S. government.It's a good idea to back up your information on an external hard drive.There are programs that can be used to manually change files.
Step 21: Degauss has a hard drive.
Exposure of magnet-based technology is called degaussing.The data is destroyed by a magnetic field.It should get rid of the device's magnetic charge and make it impossible to use.It can cost up to $4000 to purchase your own degausser.It is possible to pay for the professional services of IT companies.The degaussing process can cause permanent damage and no data can be recovered.You should back up anything you want to keep on an external hard drive or cloud storage.If you have a pace maker, you should not operate a degausser.
Step 22: The hard drive should be destroyed.
Physical destruction is the most complete method available.Hammering, high heat, and drilling are all acceptable methods.First, remove the hard drive from the outer framework.If hammering, apply extreme force to the hard drive.If you are drilling, make sure you punch several holes through the drive.If using heat.The hard drive will completely melt through the blow torch.Wear heat resistant gloves and a protective face shield when using a blowtorch.Fires or explosions can be prevented by working over dirt or sand.Wear protective gloves and a face shield while working with a hammer or drill.It is possible to shoot through the hard drive with a gun.Unless you have a license to do so, do not operate a firearm.
Step 23: Emails should be permanently deleted.
If you want to remove sensitive information from the emails, select all of them and then select "delete" or "trash" depending on the program.Gmail will hold onto deleted files for 30 days before rendering them unrecoverable.If there are any recovered versions of your email, go to the deleted messages and trash sections.These should also be deleted if that is the case.
Step 24: It is clear.
It is possible that you want to prevent others from knowing what websites you are visiting.This option is available in many browsers.If you want to locate your history, go through the menu option.