Bid goodbye to frustrating binds

Four ways to de-clutter your space from untamed cables

Let's face it, cables are prone to getting tangled. No matter how many times you pick at them, they magically bind themselves into a mess that's out there to test your patience. While thicker cables may be easier to untangle, the skinnier ones are more of a challenge that may have you pinching your fingernails off.

Besides leaving an unappealing clutter, a home or office full of cables can also pose a hazard to others in its surroundings. People may trip over it or walk over often, which can cause cable damage in the long run and risk exposing its internal wires that may result in electric shocks. 
Here are a few ways to de-clutter your space from untamed cables:

Use a twist-wrap: These are light and flexible but sturdy black, white or coloured pieces of thin wires in plastic casing that can hold the cables of your newly purchased products. Simply bundle up your cables, place the tie string in the centre of the wrap and twist it around. Usually three or four twists would suffice.

Label them: Homes may not have hundreds of cables running across rooms but offices tend to do. In a busy workplace, the eco-conscious or shock-cautious among us still prefer to unplug a recently used electrical device from the wall socket. Sometimes finding the right end of a device can be a tedious process, and tracing the cable's trail in a professional environment just doesn't sound like a good idea. Mark your cables with tags or opt for an inexpensive roll of masking tape to tag accordingly for easy identification.

Get it off the floor: As mentioned earlier, your enormous collection of links can pose as a death trap for a wandering soul - be it at home or in the office. Choose to take the cable off the floor and defy gravity for the sake of security. A simple set of holders such as a cable corral can provide the perfect framework to organise cables and keep them out of sight. That means no more kicking cables to the corner under your desk.

Paper binder clips: If it can hold a thick pile of papers, why not use it to sort and hold your nest cables? Paper binder clips is one versatile item, regardless of its size. Besides neatly sealing your well-coiled cables, you can clip the binders to the edge of a table and run a cord through the metal hoop. Problem solved!

- farhana@khaleejtimes.com