Your apartment is not organized if your cables are in a tangled pile. It is imperative to keep your cables contained so you don’t trip over a cord and cause your technology to come crashing down to the floor. Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to contain your cables, it just takes a little time when the right strategies are applied.
Dispose Unneeded Cables
Cables accumulate quickly and tend to stick around even when the technology they go to has been thrown out. Any cord sitting unused is clutter taking up valuable space in your apartment that could be home to something you do use. All outdated and damaged cables should be disposed of, as they do not serve a purpose. When you don’t have any unused cables around, it will make organizing the cables you do use much easier. A drawer divider is an excellent way to decipher between cords you use every day, such as your phone or laptop charger, and cords you use ever-so-often, like your camera’s battery charger, for example. If you have more technology than most people, invest in clear storage containers for quick reference.
Electrical Dangers
Electricity has its hazards, so you need to be careful with your cords and know what not to do. Two things you should never do is staple or nail cords into your wall or baseboard. Nails and staples conduct electricity which could end up shocking yourself or others. If you’re lucky enough to avoid getting shocked, you may not be so lucky the second time and have an electrical fire on your hands. Likewise, be sure to make sure none of your cords are frayed or broken, which can also lead to shock and fire. Minor frays and breaks can be fixed with electrical tape, but large frays and breaks deem the cord trash-worthy. Keep your eyes peeled for torn wallpaper or any other flammable material near an electrical outlet, as they can be the cause for any electrical fire, too.
Identify Cords
Label your cords for easy identification. There are several ways to go about this to do this. The simplest way would be to color-coordinate your cord to the piece of technology it goes, such as putting a piece of green tape on your TV’s power cord and another piece of green tape where it plugs into your TV. Otherwise, should you own a label maker, print off a sticker and slap it on the cord, like “Lightning to USB” for quick reference. You could even use different types of tape, like office, masking, painter’s, and duct tape, to identify different cords. Whatever works for you will do, as long as it makes sense to you!
Wrap and Hang
Perhaps you have two or three monitors. These all have a power cord and a HDMI to link them altogether. But you also have a keyboard and a mouse, so now you have eight cords that need to be arranged neatly. An easy way to keep these cords from tangling is to wrap them with Velcro straps or zip ties. Once wrapped, they can be placed on hooks to keep them off the floor. Mount these hooks on the wall or even underneath your desk to keep from stepping and tripping on your cords, which will lead to damage. It’s significantly easier to maneuver and clean your desk when all your cables are wrapped up, hung up, and off the floor.
For Work and Home
If the cords at your office are looking ship-shape, it’s time to get your apartment on the same level. While lamp and fan cords are pretty easy to keep safe and out of the way, the cords for your TV, speakers, and console manage to get tied up relatively fast. Make us of any of the advice stated above or think outside the box and come up with your own ways to keep yourself organized. With many cordless products hitting the market all the time, you can free yourself of all your cords to do away the need to organize them in the first place!
