Get Organized with 21 Cable Management Ideas, Tools & Tips
Cable and wire chaos inspires messy desks, unsafe work environments and curious kids and pets. Cut the clutter with our list of 21 cable management ideas, tips and tools for both the home and office!
12 Cable Management Ideas & Tools
1. Group & Organize Wires with Cable Ties
As the foundation of every cord management solution, cable ties are always an affordable organization technique. Available in nearly any size, material and color you can imagine, there’s no limit to the types of cables you can bundle.
2. Secure Bundles of Wires with Cable Tie Mounts
Once you have your wires bundled with your cable ties, cable tie mounts make it easy to secure them to walls, panels and other anchor points.
Mounts are available in adhesive, metal detachable, screw, anchor and low profile forms. Not sure which type of cable tie mount to use? Check out our cable tie mounts selection guide here.
3. Group Cords Together with Identification Cable Ties
ID cable ties have a label area where you can imprint or hand write notes that help you quickly identify the wires’ purpose. These can be extremely useful when organizing groups of cables in server rooms.
4. Color Coordinate with Electrical Tape
Electrical tape is used to insulate cords, but it can also be used to color coordinate your wires.
If you’re limited on cord hiding options, you can also cover cables with a tape color that will seamlessly blend into the background.
5. Protect & Conceal with Cable Raceways
Cable raceways provide a full enclosure around wires, which helps protect them from heat, moisture, dust and light. Your wires will have a surface-mounted pathway that keeps them out of sight and out of mind.
See our guide about choosing the right cable raceway here.
6. Adhere Wires with Cable Clamps
Typically seen in automotive and industrial use, cable clamps can be mounted to easily secure your wires to a wall, floor or beam.
7. Install Fabric Cord Covers
Do you have wires that run across the floor, posing a tripping hazard? Fabric cord covers create an overlay to enclose your wires and blend into your floor. These can help prevent tripping, making them a great option for enhanced safety.
8. Set Up Cable Trays
If you have a bundle of wires in an industrial setting, you’ll get great use out of a cable tray system.
Cable trays can be used under the floor and overhead, as another ideal out of sight, out of mind technique. These are available in several different materials and styles that will work for just about any type of cord.
9. Invest in a Curved Power Strip
You’ll find a power strip in pretty much every home and office, but did you know there are different types of this accessory?
Curved power strips can bend around desk legs, TV stands and walls. You won’t have to worry about plugs not fitting into every outlet, and you can manipulate the power strip for easy access to each wire.
10. Install a Wire Loom Solution
Wire looming protects groups of wires while providing route flexibility. These are ideal for the wires behind a computer in a home or office setting.
11. Bundle Multiple Wires with Spinal Wraps
Spinal wraps let you keep multiple wires organized while enabling them to be separated as necessary. With the coils, you can choose where wires enter and exit the spinal wrap.
12. Group Cables with VELCRO® Organizers
Gentle enough to avoid wire damage but durable enough to keep cables organized, VELCRO hook and loop cable ties are a reliable, reusable option.
They’re incredibly flexible, too: Anything from thin computer wires to bulky cables can be easily bundled.
9 DIY Cable Management Tips
1. Mount Cords on the Wall
With your handy dandy cable ties and cable tie mounts, set up cords you aren’t actively using on a wall in your garage.
2. Disguise Unsightly Wires
A cluster of wires behind your computer or entertainment system can throw off your décor. Using hollowed-out books, wooden storage containers or decorative storage boxes, you can both hide and protect your cords.
3. Use an Under-the-Shelf Basket
Cable chaos on the floor can be a hazardous, unpleasant sight. And if you have pets or small children, curiosity can lead to wire damage or an accident.
Instead, secure a basket underneath a desk or TV stand to catch the wires. You can use a light wooden basket, pantry basket or any other type of container that can be installed underneath your furniture.
4. Magnetic Loop Organizers
Are there cords scattered around your refrigerator or magnetic calendar board? You can wrangle them together by using cable ties that are supported by magnetic loop organizers.
5. Set Up Charging Stations
Charging your laptop on your bed, your phone on your nightstand and your tablet in the kitchen just leaves a mess in multiple rooms.
You can easily keep everything together by creating a charging station in one room. One of the most popular ways to do so is by cutting wire holes in the back of the top drawer of a nightstand or desk drawer. Then, everything will be out of sight but conveniently placed together.
6. Use Binder Clips to Catch Plugs
What’s more annoying than a cord falling behind your desk? Prevent frustration by using binder clips to keep cables situated in place. These are likely plentiful around your home or office!
7. Install a Pegboard to Mount Your Wires
Using cable ties and cable tie mounts, you can set up a technology hub that keeps your wires secure and organized. As an added benefit, you can store the pegboard in a closet, behind a door or anywhere else that will keep it out of sight.
8. Use a Storage Strap to Carry Cords Around the House
When you’re in the midst of a home project, the last thing you might be thinking about is how to properly carry cords around the house. But when extension cords, power tool wires and the like get messy, so can your project.
Thick cable ties and storage straps will keep your wires contained while creating a handle that enables you to easily move around the house with your tools.
9. Use a Paper Towel Roll as a Protective Tube
In dire times, never underestimate the power of your recyclables! Paper towel and toilet paper rolls will keep your cables together and prevent tangling. If you’re traveling, these will easily fit in your carry-on luggage.
With the right products and a plan in place, you can organize your home or office cables in no time! Let us know if you need help finding the right tools to get started.
