Collaborative post by another author.  Many of us rely heavily on electronics and our homes can often end up being full of wires and cables. If you’re not careful, these wires and cables can start to get messy. 

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There are a few big downsides to messy cables:

• -They are an eyesore. Nobody wants a giant mass of wires on their living room floor.
• -Finding the right plug or having to untangle wires can be a hassle. You could find yourself regularly wasting huge amounts of time tracing back cables or pulling knots out of headphones.
• -Messy wires and cables could be a safety hazard. If they’re in the wrong place, somebody may trip over them. If you’ve got a puppy or young kids, they could even be a choking hazard or electrical hazard. Having too many electronics plugged into a single socket could also be a fire hazard due to the electrical current demand.

All in all, messy cables are something that should be dealt with. But just how should you organise your wires and cables? This post offers a few handy tips. 

Go wireless

Many modern devices don’t have to be constantly plugged in. Many run of replaceable and rechargeable batteries and may be able to connect to other devices via bluetooth. Examples include bluetooth speakers, solar lights and rechargeable vacuum cleaners. These devices can all help reduce the need for cables.

It’s worth understanding the issues with technologies like bluetooth (such as compatibility issues) before you start using these devices. Wireless technology can be less messy, but may not always be the most practical choice. 

Use cable ties

Cable ties have so many uses that many of us forget their original use, which is to tie together cables and keep them organised. When it comes to masses of wires behind TVs or computer desks, cable ties can be a great way to keep these wires neat.

Clip cables to walls

Rather than having cables trailing across floors or hanging from ceilings, consider keeping them tidy by clipping them to walls with cable clips. This is useful for long cables running between rooms such as ethernet cables.

There are many different cable clips that you can buy - some can be glued on, while others can be screwed into the wall. Some can hold a single cable while others can hold multiple cables. Work out which are the best cable clips for your needs.

Wrap cables correctly

Wrapping up charger cables and wrapping cables around appliances (such as hairdryers) is a popular way to keep these cables neat and tidy. However, you need to be careful how you wrap cables so as not to damage them. 

This guide offers a few tips on how to correctly wrap cables in order to keep them neat without damaging the wire inside. 

Use retractable cables/wires

Some long cables have retractable reels, which can help you to keep them tidy. Look out for these options when buying new extension cables as they can prevent the need for long trailing cables. 

Organise electronics into individual compartments

Keeping lots of wired electronics in a single pocket or draw is likely to result in them getting tangled. Consider looking for organisers that have lots of small compartments so that you can separate cables and wires. 

For example, there are many laptop bags you can buy that have multiple separate compartments for things like charging cables, external hard-drives, mice and USB cables. In a bag where such items are likely to move around, it can be worth separating them into different pockets.

Label cables

If you have lots of different cables leading towards a plug socket and you’re not sure which one to keep in and which to unplug, consider labelling them all near the plug using a tie-on or stick-on label. This prevents you having to trace each cable back to its origin to find out which one is which. 

Unplug/store away electronics not in use

When it comes to fire safety, it’s important to limit how many appliances are running off a single socket. Rather than using multiple multi-plug adaptors and power strips, get into a habit of unplugging and storing away appliances that aren’t in use. This is particularly important in areas such as the kitchen where appliances can use a lot of power - you don’t want to be running a toaster, a kettle and a microwave off the same socket at the same time as this will almost certainly cause problems.