Short answer: keep a warranty, and the receipt that goes with it, until the coverage ends. For major appliances, keep both for as long as you own the thing. Once a warranty has expired and nothing is pending, it can go in the shredder. Manuals have no official rule at all, so keep the ones you actually open.
The receipt is the part people throw away, and it's the part that matters. A warranty says what's covered. The receipt proves when the clock started and that the product is yours.
How long to keep each piece
| Document | Keep for | Why / source |
|---|---|---|
| Written warranty | Until the coverage ends | FTC: "Save a copy of the warranty." |
| Receipt or order confirmation for a covered item | As long as the warranty | FTC: it proves the purchase date and that you're the original owner |
| Receipts and warranty info for major appliances | While you own the appliance | FTC 2025 list: "Keep While You Own" |
| Receipt for an item with no written warranty | In the US, generally a few years for big purchases | Implied warranties depend on state law and "last as long as four years in some states" (FTC) |
| Car repair and maintenance records | While a vehicle warranty or service contract runs | FTC: they show you maintained the vehicle if you use the warranty |
| Everyday sales receipts | Shred, unless tied to a warranty, taxes or insurance | FTC pack-rat guide |
| Expired warranties | Shred once no claim is open | FTC 2025 list of documents to shred |
| Product manuals | No official rule; common practice is while you own it | Not covered by the FTC pages |
For everything else in the filing cabinet, the master chart of what to keep and for how long has the full list.
Why the receipt matters as much as the warranty
The FTC's warranty advice is short and practical: save a copy of the warranty, and save your product receipt with it. "The receipt proves the date you bought the product and that you're the original product owner." Without it, a three-year warranty on a two-year-old dishwasher is a hard conversation.
Two more things from the same FTC page are worth knowing:
- You can read the warranty before you buy. Whenever there's a warranty, the law says it must be available to read before purchase, in a store or online. If you shop online, the FTC suggests printing or downloading a copy for your records. The checkout page is the easiest moment to grab it.
- Report problems inside the warranty period. If you report a defect while the warranty is active and the repair doesn't fix it, the company must correct the problem even if the warranty expires before the product is fixed. That makes the date you reported the problem worth keeping too. A common practice is to save the email or claim number with the receipt.
No written warranty? Keep the receipt a little longer
Some products come with no written warranty, and many come with one that's shorter than you'd hope. In the US there are also implied warranties, which come from state law rather than the box. The FTC notes they "last as long as four years in some states." The rules vary by state, so if a big purchase fails early, check your state's consumer protection office. Either way, the receipt is what dates the purchase, so keeping it for a few years on anything expensive costs you nothing. Bought it abroad, or moving? The legal warranty period by country table shows how long the law covers a purchase elsewhere, from 2 years across the EU to 6 years to claim in England.
Cars: the service records count too
Vehicle warranties add one more pile. The FTC's advice is to "keep records of repairs and maintenance like oil changes, tire rotations, belt replacement, new brake pads, and inspections," because they show you maintained the car if you need the warranty. The same goes for a service contract: keep the service records and receipts. An oil-change receipt feels like trash. Under a powertrain warranty, it's evidence.
Manuals: there's no rule, so keep what earns its space
No official source sets a retention period for product manuals. A sensible practice: keep manuals while you own the item, and only the ones with something you'll need later, like a reset procedure, a filter part number or the maintenance schedule. If you can find the same manual on the maker's website, the paper copy is optional. The manual for the TV you sold in 2019 is not.
When to let go
The FTC's 2025 list puts "Expired warranties" among the documents to shred, and its pack-rat guide says to shred sales receipts "unless related to warranties, taxes, or insurance." So the routine is simple: once a warranty has run out and you have no claim open, shred the warranty. Keep the receipt only if it still matters for taxes or insurance, or while you still own a major appliance.
Where to keep them on your iPhone
Paper warranties get filed in a kitchen drawer with takeout menus and dead batteries. A scan you can find is better than a paper you can't.
The manual way (free, built in):
- Open the Files app, tap the More button, then Scan Documents.
- Place the receipt or warranty in view of the camera. In Auto mode it scans on its own; otherwise tap the shutter or press a volume button.
- Choose a location, such as a folder called "Warranties", then tap Save.
- Name the file with the item and the end date, for example "Dishwasher, warranty ends 2029-03". For online orders, save the order confirmation PDF to the same folder.
- Add a Calendar event a month before the warranty ends, so you hear about it while you can still use it.
If you like keeping it all on one page, the home appliance record kit has a checklist and spreadsheet with the purchase date, model, serial number, receipt location and warranty end for each appliance. And for the habits that make claims painless, see how to keep track of warranties.
The automatic way: Paperlock reads the receipt or warranty when you save it, notes the store, the date, the amount and any expiry date it finds, and gives it a clear title. Once you turn reminders on, it reminds you 30 days and 7 days before something expires. Later you can just ask, "when did I buy the dishwasher?", and get the answer with the receipt attached. It's how the app works, and the manual folder above works fine too, as long as you keep it up.