Wire Monsters Are Lurking Behind Your TV: It’s Time to Fight Back
5 Simple Ways to Clean Up the Cable Clutter that Continues to Haunt You
Do you have a mess of wires at home that’s secretly been haunting you for months? Are you finally ready to face the situation head on, but don’t know where to start? If your home theater or office is starting to resemble a creepy monster or a bird’s nest rather than what it’s intended to be, it’s definitely time to tame that beast. Fighting the wire monsters behind your TVs, computers, and desk can seem scary if you’re not equipped with right weapons to get the job done. The time you take to organize your cables now will actually save you loads of time and stress in the future.
Learn how to face your fears head on by using the tools and tips below:
1. Group your power cords together and keep them in a separate spot.
If you’re starting with a giant cable monster, this might take some rewiring and time. But it will also save you oodles of time and energy in the future. Connect all your power cords to surge protectors and keep them together. You can even have a separate surge protector for devices that can be turned off each night. This way you can easily turn off all your devices by flipping the switch at night or if you’re going out of town for a few days. Separating the cords that need to be on all the time from the ones that can be powered off at night can actually end up saving some energy and money on your next electric bill.
2. Label each and every wire
If you ever need to unplug cords or change your wiring, it can be really irritating and time consuming trying to figure out which cord goes to which device. For this reason alone, labeling is one of the most important parts to home theater or desk cable management. Put labels on all of your wires and power cords. This will save you an incredible amount of time when it comes time to unplug or adjust your wires. Use a write-on cable label dispenser if you don’t own a label printer. This little tool can be your new best friend for all types of labeling! It provides a flat surface to write on, and automatically starts to peel the label off once you start to pull the backing. Use a permanent marker or felt tip pen to write on the label. Then place the label on your wire and wrap the clear laminate tail over your writing to preserve it
Watch the video above to see how Tom from Tom Builds Stuff uses this neat dispenser!
3. Keep wires off the floor
If you don’t want you cables lying around on your floor, or if you have small children at home, using a cable mount can be helpful. Adhesive cable mounts can be easily applied with the adhesive backing, screws, or both for extra security. Simply thread a zip tie through the base, which will hold up your your wires and keep them off the floor.
4. Wrap your cables to their desired length
This step will also help keep your cables off the floor, along with providing a clean, tidy look behind your television or computer. Wrap your cable until is the exact length it needs to be between the two devices and then tie it off with a zip tie or Velcro wrap.
5. Group similar cables together
If you have multiple cables that serve similar functions, for example audio cables, group them together with some cable ties. This will reduce the monster effect behind your home theater system or computer. You can also use write-on flag cable tie markers, which are cable ties that double as labels to make it easier to identify your bundles.
Tada! Now that you’ve been equipped with the right tools, go tackle that cable monster! With these easy tips, it won’t be as scary as you think. We’d love to see how cable management has helped you at home or at work.
Comment below to show us before and after shots of your amazing cable monster feats!