10 Essential Tricks for Clutter-free Cable Management

There's nothing worse than having a cable-sized Cthulu living beneath your desk. Keyboard, mice and speaker cords all have a tendency to tangle, and there will come a time when you need to sort things out. So why not stop the madness before it begins? No one likes a messy desk, and if there's one thing we've taught you, your cables might not either. A tangled mess of cables on your desk is a ticking time bomb. The heat around your electronics draws dust close, which tends to get caught around cables. Over time, as you add more power and data cables for your new peripherals, phones, and external hard drives, your desk transforms into something that looks like a filthy snake pit. Visualize that for a second. Worse yet, when it's time to swap out your devices, unraveling this intertwined mess is an absolute nightmare.

But with a few simple tips, we're going to show you how to tame those unruly wires, and turn you into a king of cable management.

Cut the fat with zip ties

You've probably got a bunch of these lying around your house with little else to do. Why not put them to work keeping your cables in check? Long, thin wires — like those found with speakers — are the most frequent mess offenders, and often benefit the most from a good bundling. Round up excess cable length and tie it together to shorten those cords. Even better, zip tie multiple groups for improved organization — keep display cables, speaker wires and printer cords in their own separate bundles. 

Give your shoebox a second life

Power strips are classic choke points for cable buildup, also known as the hub where messes are born. While there's lots you can do to the cords themselves, power strips leave you with only one option: hide them. This is more of an aesthetic tip, but a slightly modified shoe box is perfect for keeping power strips and adapters under wraps. Cut a small notch in the side for the cables to run out, a few holes for ventilation, and place it over top for instant invisibility

Group smart

Wires are great. Unshielded wires are not. The latter can often be susceptible to interference from all sorts of places — something you want to try and minimize. Speaker cables are most notorious for this sort of thing, making placement all-important. Try and avoid grouping audio and power wires together, as this can often create undesired effects. Same goes for antennas and other power-transmitting devices which could play havoc with your PC's sound.

Label, label, label

If you've got a lot of cables, nothing beats the tried and true method of labeling. Fold Post-it notes or tape together to create makeshift labels, and place them around your wires. Color coding is also a useful, though a little less obvious. Using markers like these can make it easy to identify commonly used gadgets, and keep important wires in their place. And in the event your cables do get tangled, labels are a godsend when trying to figure out what goes where.  

Charge the battery, not the device

Many devices have removable batteries, so why not remove them? Instead of charging your digital camera or game controller via USB, remove the battery and use an external charger when possible. Most units plug right into the wall or outlet, meaning there's no wires to worry about, and less mess to clean. You can keep your devices off the desk too, freeing up precious workspace.

Grand Central Station

Most laptops have a small number of USB ports on their sides. Desktop's suffer a similar front-panel space crisis. So instead of loading up your precious few ports with plugs, try investing in a USB hub. Not only can you plug all your devices into one central spot, it helps keep things tidy as well. Some hubs can even double as charging stations, which means you can divert a few gadgets from your power strip too.

Size does matter

Sometimes longer cables can be handy. The more slack a cable has, the easier it is to hide away, either through creative routing, zip ties, or gutter bins. However, a cable too short can sometimes be hard to maneuver, and difficult to arrange. Plan ahead and substitute longer cords where possible. As we explained earlier, you can always hide the extra length with a zip tie should you find there's too much to handle.

Racks, gutters and bins

No one ever said you had to keep your cables on the floor. so reduce all that clutter with a mix of wall-mounted racks or gutter bins. Racks work great in conjunction with cable ties and bundling, as you can see in this Instructables build. Small devices like routers or dongles can even be mounted with ease. Gutter bins, meanwhile, are perfect for keeping power strips and cords off the floor, providing precious leg-space where stretching may be at a minimum.

Make docks, not mess

You've got lots of devices to plug in, but why leave them lying on your desk? Space is a precious commodity, and makeshift docks are a great way to take your space back. Old product boxes, cassette cases and even CDs can be turned into make shift holders that can free up space, and organize your stuff. It keeps your devices on the desk, but with less the mess. 

Cut the cord and go wireless

Finally, one of the best ways to manage your cables is to have no cables at all. Wireless products are fantastic ways to keep your workspace mess-free, with everything from mice to keyboards and even displays cutting the cord. You might still have adapters and dongles to worry about, however, though a cable rack or gutter should hide things nicely.

Taking care of your cables isn't just great for organization, but it extends the life of your toys as well. Combine these tips together, and we're positive you'll have the cleanest desk around — that's a Tested guarantee.      
 
Images via Flickr users Chris_Carter, evoque, Think Geek and Lifehacker.