4 ways to tidy up electrical wires in your office
The ugly afterthought of many home offices is their wires and cables. The floor of your office looks like a rat’s nest when you’ve wired your network, connected your lighting, phones, computer equipment, and attached drives and devices. Your desk is cluttered with wires and cables that cross the floor, creating an unsightly dust trap.
When I decorated my home office, the last thing I wanted was unattractive wires everywhere. So, I’ve provided you with four tips to help you keep your home looking cleaner and more organized by controlling the cable and wire madness.
A tidy workspace really does make a difference to productivity and helps your office feel so much calmer.
1. Wrap those wires
There’s no escaping it, it looks bad when wires are loose. Bundling cords and cables together is a quick and easy way to spruce up your office. You can clean up the mess quickly and easily with a twist tie, which is plentiful in many electronics packages.
Tying off cables allows you to gather unsightly slack or secure wires together. Even the thickest power cables can be bundled using Velcro cable ties and Q-Knot rubber cable ties for larger jobs. Similarly, you can use plastic zip ties that are cheap and effective, but they can’t be adjusted for cable routing changes.
If you prefer something more flexible, reusable silicone cable ties are great because they can be added or removed without damaging your wires. You can also run several wrapped cables inside a cord sleeve for an even cleaner, more professional finish.
2. Use wireless technology
Thanks to advancements in technology, there are now many options for wireless tech. If you want to minimise the number of wires making your home look clutter and untidy you should start investing in some of these items such as those found on the guide from liGo. From radios to wireless charging, you can minimise your wires a lot by this. You don’t need to swap everything all at once, just do it bit by bit.
Wireless keyboards, mice, speakers, printers and even HDMI transmitters can dramatically reduce cable chaos. Modern devices hold their charge well and connect instantly, so you no longer need to be tied (literally!) to your desk.
Start by replacing the items you use most often, and gradually upgrade the rest when your budget allows. Your workspace will look noticeably cleaner with every step.
3. Label those cables
Many desks are covered in all sorts of cable clutter, including power cables, USB cables and ethernet cables. Sound familiar?
In order to keep your office’s cables and wires straight, it is a good idea to label the end of each one. There are also writable markers available. If you want to make your own solution, wrap a bit of masking tape around the cord, leaving a folded over tab to place the cord’s name on.
It is much easier to access information on the cable end of a USB hard drive or find the power cord of a scanner than to have to trace the cable back to its source if you need to connect it to a second PC.
Proper labelling also saves loads of time when unplugging equipment for cleaning or when you’re switching everything to a new desk. You can get colour-coded cable labels too, which make it even easier to spot what’s what at a glance.
4. Keep the cables off the floor
There are people who think organising is simply pushing cords against the wall, like pushing cords against a wall. You can’t have it that way.
You might want to think about something that fits on the underside of a desk to keep cords off the floor and out of sight. This would make it easier to keep any cables out of sight. The solution is not only going to eliminate an eyesore, but it will also make vacuuming the space that much easier.
Cable trays, adhesive cable clips and under-desk baskets are all brilliant for this. They lift everything up, keep the wires neat and stop plugs dangling everywhere. If you’ve got a sit-stand desk, look for a flexible cable spine that moves with the desk to keep everything tidy at every height.
This guide should keep your home office from looking clutter and messy. Do you have any other tips that could help? Please share them in the comments below. And if you’re updating your office soon, tackling cable management first can make the whole space feel instantly refreshed.
