Do you read your appliance manuals?

[DMerry]

Depends. Sometimes I read the manuals, somtimes I just leaf through them. I do have a file where I keep all the kitchen stuff together and a file for the rest of the stuff. I don't know if the new owners appreciate it or not, but before I move out of a house I collect all the manuals for the stuff that we're leaving on the kitchen counter.

 

[danbuter]

What's a manual?

 

[chopper]

The manuals for office stuff are...somewhere in the office. The manuals for the stuff in the family room are...somewhere in the family room or the office. The manuals for the cars are in the cars. The manuals for kitchen stuff are in the kitchen: some in the junk drawer, and some in the little pocket on the side of the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer cover. I can perhaps find them if I need them. NOT in alphabetic order.

 

[Luca Lazzari]

Never.
I've been producing computer manuals for 20 years, so I cannot stand them anymore...
But I keep them all in the same place, safely stored, so when I need something I just need to dig like a madman, cursing all the time, until I found what I need (usually, the last of the pile).

 

[CWS4322]

All the manuals are in a file folder in the file cabinet. As a writer, I am very critical of the manuals. I have returned products because the manual was so poorly written or did not include standard safety statements. If it is poorly written in English, chances are the French is worse. And, if you get rid of the appliance, being able to include the manual is helpful.

 

[Andy M.]

You read the standard safety statements? That's a first. After reading a few, I learned not to use the microwave in the shower, or to wash the coffee maker in the dishwasher, etc.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

You read the standard safety statements? That's a first. After reading a few, I learned not to use the microwave in the shower, or to wash the coffee maker in the dishwasher, etc.

You're not supposed to wash the coffeemaker in the dishwasher? That explains a lot!

 

[Katie H]

An instruction book that came with an iron I had once, cautioned not to wear clothes while ironing. Well, duh!!!! However, I will have to admit to flipping the bottom edge of a skirt I had on to press the hem a bit.

Okay, done.

As for the reality of user's guides, I do read them and keep them, like PF, in alphabetical order in a large 3-ring binder where they're stored in plastic protective sleeves so I can see each one and access them easily.

I do go through the binder on a regular basis and remove the manuals that pertain to items that I no longer have. And, as someone else already mentioned, when I get rid of something, the manual goes with it.

When I purchase appliances, electronics, etc. at yard sales/thrift stores and such, and there's no manual, I usually go to the Internet to download a manual if available.

I'm pretty good at taking care of my stuff and still have my original Oster blender I purchased in 1968, along with its user's manual. It's still working like a champ. As are a number of other appliances I bought in the late '60s and early '70s, also all with their attendant manuals. You can probably guess that the pages in the guides aren't pristine white anymore. Just a bit yellowed with age.

 

[CharlieD]

I wish i did. I have a bread making machine seating in the garage for 5-6 years now, waiting for my wife to read instruction so she would just explain to me how to use it. I'm bad.

 

[joesfolk]

I usually read them twice. Once to learn to operate the thing and then again a few weeks later to figure out the extra features that aren't obvious. I am always amazed at the things I learn on that second reading, lots of features there that I didn't consider important on first blush.

 

[FrankZ]

Just remember, all those safety warnings are there because someone did something stupid and cost the manufacturer money because of it.

Manuals I use more than at setup I grab online so I can search them easier. We keep them in a couple places, depending on what they are for. I generally cull them when looking for a manual.

 

[spork]

An instruction book that came with an iron I had once, cautioned not to wear clothes while ironing.

That was not a safety precaution, Katie. That was just the manufacturer's suggestion of how to make the ironing chore more sexy.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That was not a safety precaution, Katie. That was just the manufacturer's suggestion of how to make the ironing chore more sexy.

That's what I was thinking, Naked Ironing!

 

[Aunt Bea]

In my house I only use permanent press, for the neighbors sake

 

[Katie H]

That was not a safety precaution, Katie. That was just the manufacturer's suggestion of how to make the ironing chore more sexy.

Is that anything like, "I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know!"?

Come to think of it naked ironing would make the job more, um, interesting. Don't forget I'm still a newlywed.

 

[chopper]

An instruction book that came with an iron I had once, cautioned not to wear clothes while ironing. Well, duh!!!! However, I will have to admit to flipping the bottom edge of a skirt I had on to press the hem a bit.

I just use the curling iron for those quick little presses while wearing.
That manual says nothing about ironing clothes or about wearing clothes or not.

 

[Timothy]

That's what I was thinking, Naked Ironing!

In my house I only use permanent press, for the neighbors sake

Me too! I'm afraid I'd get arrested for eye-ball abuse!

 

[Andy M.]

People! It's OK to close the blinds. Think of the children!

 

[spork]

The manual for my clothes iron cautions in its safety instructions that "men should wear pants while ironing."

 

[Timothy]

The manual for my clothes iron cautions in its safety instructions that "men should wear pants while ironing."

In some cases, hot is ok, but flat is not!