Aug
26
Here is a great article from Real Simple Magazine on how to organize all those computer wires around your desk…
“The promise of the paperless office may have given way to the promise of a wireless one, but chances are cables are still twining around your office like ivy. Thankfully, there are ways to untangle the cord mess. Here’s a roundup of what you need to know and buy to keep it all under wraps.
Install a power strip on the underside of the desktop.
Plugging your electronics into a strip right at hand (yet hidden) reduces the number of wires that need to run to the outlet and keeps the floor clear of cable clutter.
RS Pick: The Belkin 7-Outlet SurgeMaster Home Series ($23, www.belkin.com for stores). Comes with a lifetime warranty and up to $75,000 insurance coverage for any equipment it fails to protect from an electrical surge. The seven outlets should handle all your needs. Built-in safety covers keep curious little fingers from harm. The extra-long 12-foot cord (available at the same price as the six-foot version) helps make mobile setups work.
If you don’t want to (or can’t) screw the strip into your furniture, use Velcro-like 3M Command Adhesive Picture Hanging Strips ($2.25 for three medium, www.containerstore.com). Four of them will keep a plastic power strip firmly hanging on.
Route cords neatly away from the desktop.
Most “computer furniture” features some elaborate system for this, but you can do it simply with cable clips that attach to the underside of your desk, eliminating cord droop.
RS Pick: 3M Command Adhesive Cord Clips ($2.25 for two large, www.containerstore.com). They come in three sizes, but opt for large — cables are thicker and heavier than you think. The plastic holder sticks to any smooth finish and comes off without leaving a sticky mess.
Reel in excess cords.
Extra lengths of wire are not only an eyesore but also a guarantee of future hours spent untangling them. Save yourself the frustration by getting any cable you don’t need right now tidily wrapped up.
RS Picks: Cable Turtle ($6 for small, $8 for large in black or gray, $10 for large in other colors: www.cableorganizer.com). This is a practical, attractive way to wrap excess cords. Just wind them around the rubberlike spool’s center, then flip the ends back over the wires, forming a doughnut (or turtle-shell) shape. The small version holds about 51/2 feet of phone or other thin wire, less of a fatter cable; the large size is great for a few thick power cables. Cable Turtles come in nine colors, so you can match the cable you’re wrapping or inject a burst of primary color. If you have small amounts of excess cable or you want to be able to release a cable easily when shifting a mobile setup, loop the wire and hold the loop in place with easy-on, easy-off Velcro One-Wrap Straps ($3 for five, www.velcro.com for store locations). Then attach the loop to the edge of the desk with cable clips (see “Route cords neatly away from the desktop.”).
Bundle multiple wires.
A single thick tube looks better than a dozen scraggly cords, so bundle cables wherever possible.
RS Picks: For lots of thick cords, nothing beats the Cable Zipper ($15, www.containerstore.com), a kit that includes everything you need to wrap cables, apply identifying labels, and affix the eight-foot-long black or white plastic tube to the wall. The tube itself is not so different from others out there, but the ingenious Zip Clip makes stuffing the cables inside quick work instead of pure tedium.
If you’re wrapping only a few wires, pick up some plastic spiral cable wrap for a few dollars in the electrical section of most any hardware store. The 3/8-inch-diameter size is perfect for thin wires, like keyboard and mouse cords.
Conceal wires running along walls or baseboards.
For situations where your desk can’t sit next to an outlet. (Remember, though: It may be possible and worthwhile to have an electrician install one wherever you like. Cost: $100 and up.)
RS Picks: Wiremold 5-Foot CordMate ($13.25 for five feet, www.wiremold.com for store locations). This semicircular plastic tube for small-diameter wires is backed with self-adhesive tape to stick to walls. It can be painted or stained to match your decor and cut to fit with an X-Acto knife.
For more or fatter wires, go with the Belkin Hideaway Cord Concealer ($20 for eight feet, www.belkin.com for stores), boxy plastic tubing that cuts easily with scissors, is self-adhesive, and can be painted.
Run wiring across a floor to an outlet.
When your desk isn’t adjacent to a wall with an outlet — or a wall you can run cords along — you need a way to keep office-equipment wires from tripping you up.
RS Pick: First of all, as tempting as it may be, never run a cord under a rug — it’s a major fire hazard. But you shouldn’t leave a wire loose, either: Besides sending you sprawling, it could be frayed by traffic and again be a fire hazard. To be safe (especially in a bedroom office), plug all your office equipment’s cords into a power strip, then cover its cable with the Wiremold Corduct ($12 for five feet; $32.50 for 15 feet: www.wiremold.com for store locations). This flat, rubbery strip adheres to bare floors and the top of all but the shaggiest carpets with double-sided tape (included). If you’re lucky, your floor or rug will blend with one of the cord protector’s three available colors: ivory, brown, and gray. If not, at least you’re safe.”
