4 Ways to Destroy Sensitive Documents

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 10:50

Every month you must receive some kind of document with sensitive information. This can be a bank statement, credit card bill, pay slip, or receipt. Maybe you work for a government agency or company that handles classified information. Throwing the letters in the trash isn't enough to keep them safe from curious people. To protect your proprietary information from illegal or unethical use, more thorough destruction is required.

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Method 1 of 4: Converting a Sensitive Document Into Pulp

Step 1. Put the document in the large trash can

You'll need a container that's tall and wide enough to easily hold all the documents and liquids you're pulping. The material must also be strong enough not to break or lose shape when exposed to bleach and water. Since you will be using approximately 22 L of water to dissolve the document, choose a trash can with a volume greater than or equal to 30 L. This will give you enough room to mix the document properly. Plastic bins can be used and are resistant to the effects of diluted bleach.

Large plastic trash cans are available at home supply stores and building stores, as well as general goods stores such as Carrefour, Giant, and Hypermart. These bins can also be purchased online.
Remove the document from the envelope or package.

Step 2. Pour 2 L of bleach

Many stores sell both branded and generic bleach in concentrations of 8.25%; this bleach is just right for your purposes. Bleach will help break down the paper. Besides being commonly used for recycling used paper, bleach will also remove the color of the ink. This will ensure a more complete destruction of any confidential information in your documents.

Bleach is a dangerous chemical and can cause serious illness if not used safely. Avoid contact with your skin and eyes; do not ingest bleach. Mix bleach only with plain water. Mixing it with other chemicals-such as ammonia or toilet bowl cleaner-can produce potentially deadly toxic fumes.
It is recommended to wear long-sleeved clothes, long pants, closed-toed shoes and blindfolds when working with bleach.
If you accidentally swallow the solution, drink a glass of water or milk immediately. Call the poisoning information center at (021) 4250767 or (021) 4227875.

Step 3. Add 19 L of water

Although bleach is the more chemically harmful (and harsher) part of this mixture, plain plain water works very effectively. Once the paper is completely wet, you will be able to shrink it into a shapeless pulp.

Step 4. Push the document down into the bleach water

All documents need to be soaked so that they are completely wet and biodegradable. If there are more documents than liquids, you can do one of two things: work in smaller sections, or work in larger containers. If you choose the second method, make sure you increase the water to bleach ratio to suit it.

Do not use bare hands to press the document inwards. This can be very harmful to your skin. Instead, use a turbine stirrer, a broom stick, or otherwise, wear long rubber gloves.
For example, suppose you have a 30 L plastic trash can containing 22 L of liquid. If there are too many documents for this, and then you buy a 90 L trash can, you should use 6 L of bleach and 57 L of water.

Step 5. Leave the document for 24 hours

Soaking them in a solution of bleach and plain water for 24 hours will effectively decompose sensitive documents and make them easier to pulp. If this is an emergency situation, and/or the document needs to be destroyed more quickly, consider the other methods listed here.

Step 6. Stir the document using a turbine stirrer

After waiting for 24 hours, the document will be soft and colorless. Using an electric stirrer, mix the paper until it becomes a smooth, lumpy mixture.

If at any point you want to touch the pulp to check its contents, always wear rubber or nitrile gloves to prevent skin exposure.
Brooms, sticks, poles and other long-handled tools work well. Anything that can reach into the container to shuffle and untangle the paper will work.
Strain the pulp to look for lumps that are still large. If there are pieces of information that can still be read, crush them by hand and then continue to mix.

Step 7. Place it in the sun to dry

Putting the pulp directly into the bag may cause leakage and may not be acceptable to the garbage collector. Instead, spread out a large plastic sheet and spread the pulp evenly over the surface. Allow the pulp to dry completely before throwing it away.

Some people decide to use this dry pulp as mulch for their yard. However, if you choose this method, it is recommended not to use bleach in the pulping process

Step 8. Discard the pulp

Put the remaining dried pulp in a garbage bag and leave it outside with the usual garbage bag. Anyone who rummages through your trash-such as an identity thief-will have a hard time figuring out anything from your pulped documents.

Method 2 of 4: Burn Sensitive Documents

Step 1. Make an outdoor fireplace

Standard fireplaces are great for burning documents because they don't stick to the ground and have a top lid. This allows for better airflow, which ultimately results in a more thorough burn of your document. In addition, this method also prevents debris from escaping from the fireplace.

Be aware that in most circumstances, it is illegal to openly burn waste in residential and urban areas. In some circumstances, you will need permission. Find out the specific rules in your city by searching for the name of your area and the open burning rules.
Another good option is a special burner. This is a metal container that functions as an outdoor incinerator.
The combustion tube is another option. Steel drum tubes with a volume of 208 L are the most common size, and will be more suitable for holding document fragments inside. However, it is not recommended for use because it produces a dangerous toxin, and its use is illegal in some areas, such as Illinois, United States.
It may also be safer to burn a piece of document in a cast iron bath tub. Make sure there are no objects underneath, such as plastic foot mats. This way, if it turns out that the fire gets out of control, there is a bath tub with a water supply ready for use.

Step 2. Turn on the fire

In general, it's easier to start a fire if you start with smaller, easier-to-burn pieces of wood and paper. You can even use sensitive documents as fire triggers. Once the fire in the firewood is lit, add larger pieces of wood gradually until you get a steady burn.

For your safety, do not place bushes, paper, or any other flammable material in the vicinity of the fire. To make sure the fire doesn't start and spread through the hearth by accident, pour some sand around the fire. It is also recommended to place stones around the fireplace.
If you are having trouble producing a very strong fire, use fuel oil. Be careful not to drop the bottle into the fire or spray too much at once. Explosions and large bursts of fire that can cause injury to you are possible. Stand far enough away from the flames while spraying the fuel to avoid burning your face, chest and arms.

Step 3. Place the sensitive document in the fire

Don't throw them all at once; this can cause small pieces of information to fall to the side of the fireplace. Burn the documents one by one, holding them with metal tongs, to make sure the paper is completely burned. After the fire has been burning long enough, there may be hot coals in the center. With hot coals, you can place more documents at once and let them burn, protected by the wood.

When burning, good ventilation is important, not only to avoid inhalation of smoke but also to ensure thorough and proper combustion. Open slits in the fireplace allow for such ventilation; as well as limiting the number of papers loaded at one time.
Watch to make sure no bits of documents are blown out of the fire. Even a small amount of information can be the exact valuable piece that someone else wants.
Burn sensitive documents along with other pieces of paper scraps. If one part of the document turns out to be unburned, the remaining pieces of paper mixed up will confuse anyone who tries to read your information.

Step 4. Check the ashes

Once you think each part has caught fire and the fire has died down, sift through the ashes and check for unburned paper. The easiest way to see this is to look for paper that still has a white sheen. However, always pay attention to the sections that are grayed out, but still have legible writing. Even this part must burn thoroughly.

Step 5. Burn any remaining pieces

Collect any debris that is still sensitive and place it in a safe and closed compartment until the fire re-ignites. With protective gloves, or long metal tongs, place the piece of document securely in the middle of the fire.

Step 6. Spread the ashes

Wait for the fire to subside and the ashes to cool to a safe temperature. Using a shovel, collect them into a bag that will not tear. If you have a lawn, spread the ash evenly across your lawn.

It's also possible to use small amounts of ash for composting (as long as you don't use fuel oil to light the fire).
Ash scattered around the plants in the garden will prevent snails and snails from coming.
Pouring ashes around the base of a hardwood trunk is also beneficial.

Method 3 of 4: Shredding Sensitive Documents

Step 1. Purchase a paper shredder with a cross cut

When destroying sensitive documents, it is important to use a crosscut shredder (rather than a more standard shredder), as this will result in thinner pieces of paper. This will protect you from people stealing information by reassembling complete pages from fragments. Choose a machine that produces cuts less than or equal to 1/32 of an inch with inch cross cuts.

Shredders can be purchased at office supply stores and have six levels of security based on the thinness of the cut. Size one is the crusher with the largest pieces; six are the thinnest shredders and have been approved for Top Secret government documents. Anything less than 4 (1/16 x 5/8 inch) is not recommended for sensitive documents.
Most offices have a paper shredder or archive shredding service. Check with your office manager and see if you can bring your own documents to destroy.

Step 2. Destroy the document

Once you have a satisfactory paper shredder, start loading all the documents through the mouth of the machine. Continue until all documents are used up. If you have more documents than the machine can handle at one time, be sure to remove the cutouts before continuing.

Do not place your hands or fingers directly in the mouth of the shredder. Hold the end of the document so that there is some space between your body part and the mouth of the shredder. Once the paper is caught by the shredder, remove the document. Most importantly, protect the safety of your hands.
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Not such high security. A standard shredder (which crushes paper into striped strips) will not prevent someone from putting it back together. Tearing by hand is also not a good idea, especially for small documents (it only takes 2cm of paper to find out someone's social security number).

Step 3. Separate the pieces into different bags

Apart from reducing them to unrecognizable small pieces, this is a further security measure. Take one section of each document and place it in a separate bag. In this way, all those who would steal would not be able to find a suitable paper joint in the same bag; they will have to sort each piece.

Step 4. Dispose of the document on the scheduled day

If trash is picked up from your home/office on Tuesday, don't put it away on Wednesday. There should be as little time as possible between when garbage is taken out of the house and when it is picked up. Ideally, you should keep it indoors until the day you pick up your trash, and take it out right before the garbage man arrives.

Method 4 of 4: Shredding Digital Documents

Step 1. Delete the document

Locate all files on the hard drive that contain sensitive data. Right click and move it into the trash. Empty the trash. If there is no risk that someone will use more sophisticated techniques to retrieve your data, this is an acceptable simple method. Basically, though, it's pretty easy to recover “deleted” files, as there are a number of file recovery programs on the market.

Do not use this method if there is a risk that someone else will attempt to recover the sensitive information.
Do not use this method if the sensitive information could be used to cause harm or trouble to you.

Step 2. Overwrite the contents of the hard drive

All information on your hard drive is represented by binary numbers: 1 and 0. This is computer language. Overwriting a program-available online-will bypass and replace all the information on your hard drive with a random string of 1s and 0s. If you decide to use this method, be aware that it is semi-permanent and it may be impossible to recover the data.

Most programs to overwrite will “skip” the data many times. Passing three times is considered the standard by the United States government.
Back up any information you want to store on an external hard drive.
There are also programs like Eraser that allow you to overwrite certain files manually.

Step 3. Degauss the hard drive

Degauss refers to the act of exposing magnet-based technology (eg hard drives) to a strong magnetic field thereby destroying data. Ideally, this would demagnetize the device and render it impossible to use. Buying a degausser yourself can cost up to $4000. But it's possible to hire one or pay for the professional services of an IT company like Securis.

While the overwrite may be reversible, the degauss process will cause permanent damage, and no data can be recovered. Be sure to back up any data you want to store on an external hard drive or cloud storage.
Do not operate the degausser if you have a pacemaker, as this may cause damage to this important medical device.

Step 4. Physically destroy the hard drive

The most thorough method there is to physically destroy it. Crushing with a hammer, high-temperature heat, and a drill is an acceptable method. Whichever method is chosen, first of all, remove the hard drive from its exoskeleton. If you are going to smash with a hammer, apply your strongest force directly to the top of the hard drive. If you're going to be drilling, be sure to make some holes by going straight through the hard drive. If using heat (eg using a flamethrower), melt the hard drive thoroughly.

When using a flamethrower, wear heat-resistant gloves and a face shield. This method is safest to do on the ground or sand to prevent fire or explosion.
When working with a hammer or drill, wear protective gloves and a face shield to protect yourself from flying debris.
Punching a hard drive with a gun is also possible. Do not operate a firearm unless you are licensed to do so.

Step 5. Permanently delete the email containing the information

Select all emails that contain sensitive information, then select “delete” or “trash” depending on the program. Many online email services-such as Gmail-will retain deleted files for 30 days before rendering them unrecoverable for the user. After deleting an email, go directly to the “Deleted Messages” and “Trash” sections to see if there is a recoverable version of the email. If there is, delete this as well.

Step 6. Clear browsing history in your browser

It is possible to prevent others from knowing what websites you have visited. Many browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer have this option. Look at the “menu” option to find your history and delete any history that is important information.

Tips

If you destroy sensitive documents frequently, consider purchasing a cross-cut paper shredder. They are more expensive, but will save you time.
It will take two people to do this, but you can also burn the paper in the barbecue grill. The fire will always be there if you keep it on every 10-15 minutes and if you keep adding paper. It will take 15-25 minutes to burn a whole garbage bag of paper. Use a metal stick to move the paper, otherwise it won't burn all the paper. If something else catches fire, get a water hose ready, and ask a second person to spray it with water. When you're done, have a second person spray it heavily until it has a black, sticky texture.
Another option is to store the document in a safe place and burn it annually or find a community demolition event that can be free or for a small fee. Sometimes the earnings are donated. The great thing about these community programs is that they can destroy CDs, cassettes, and sometimes even hard drives.