Using File Cabinets To Get Organized
By: Katerina Mitrou

The best way to organize your office and run it more efficiently is to set up a good filing system - file cabinets can help you do this, but simply running out to your local office supply store to pick up some cabinets isn’t necessarily going to solve all your filing dilemmas. It’s important to make a selection based on more than just the number of drawers - there are other factors to consider, such as office space, size of your documents, and quality of construction.

The filing cabinet you are probably most familiar with is the vertical file cabinet. This type of cabinet usually has 2 to 5 drawers and can house letter or legal size documents facing the front of the drawers.

For an office that lacks wall space, vertical file cabinets are most likely the ideal choice. Vertical file cabinets don’t hold as many files, but they don’t take up as much wall space and offer drawer sizes between 15 and 28 inches.

The lateral file cabinet is another choice. With more width than traditional filing cabinets, they give you the option of storing files front to back or side to side in the drawers. Because they’re not as deep as vertical cabinets, you can also use them as wall partitions or credenzas.

This type of filing system offers more flexibility because you can store legal and letter size files in the cabinet at the same time - vertical file cabinets only hold one or the other. Overall, lateral cabinets have room for more documents.

What to look for
To find quality file cabinets that will last a long time, you have to look for a few specific features. In the first place, take a look at the drawers’ suspension system. Make sure that the drawers can open and close smoothly even when filled with the weight of many files.

Safety is also a concern when it comes to choosing high quality file cabinets. Cabinets with a mechanism designed to discourage tipping when all the drawers are open is an example - look for counterweighted drawers and internal locking devices that only let you open one drawer at a time.

If you plan on making good use of your file cabinets, it’s better to spend a little more money up front for durable cabinets than to keep dishing out every time you have to replace a damaged unit. Higher grades of steel are thicker and more durable, which means cabinets constructed out of this material will be able to endure more usage over a longer period of time.

File cabinets are essential if you want to organize your office and improve time management - they are definitely a worthwhile purchase.