Office Cord Management Hacks | 5 Ways to Tame Your Unruly Computer Wires

Modern life is run by technology and technology is run by cords, cables and wires. 

Not only is a massive tangle of cords sticking out around your entertainment center or home office space unsightly, but it can cause safety hazards for yourself, your family, your pets and your expensive technology. Children and pets love nothing more than to nosh on a tasty bit of electrical wiring and everyone has come close to face planting or ripping a computer off a table by tripping over an errant cord.

Not to mention the woes of trying to figure out how to safely and effectively get everything plugged into your power outlets. It can be overwhelming, frustrating, and usually hopeless to try and hide cords by stuffing them behind furniture or stapling them to the walls. 

The solution? Let someone else solve the problem for you with useful and aesthetically pleasing cord management products.

1. Office Cool Cable Management Box Set of 3

This kit covers all your cable chaos control needs in one purchase. The cable cover boxes come in three sizes: Large (16.0 x 6.2 x 5.3 Inches), Medium (12.6 x 5.4 x 5.0 Inches), and Small (9.1 x 4.3 x 4.7 Inches). The cable boxes can sit inconspicuously under your desk thanks to their minimalist design. Their simple appearance will also make them appear boring to both pets and children. A boring cord is a safe cord. 

You also get seven cord ties, seven stick-on cable clips and a fabric sleeve to help organize and debulk the various cords you need regular access to such as your charging cables. The stick-on cable clips are particularly useful for keeping the cords you need on your desk in their place for quick, consistent access. Stick it where you want it, thread the cord through and presto! No more cords sliding off your desk and onto the floor. Having your cords packed away in these boxes will keep your workspace looking clean and your family and technology out of harms way.

2. EchoGear Rotating Surge Protector Power Strip

Eight outlets, six that rotate! Do you really need more information?

This innovative power strip features a flat plug (harder for little fingers to pull out of the wall and space saving!), 8-inch cord, holes for mounting, and cable hooks at the end to keep your cords from splaying out all over the place. If that isn’t enough for you it also comes with six rotating outlets and two stationary ones.

Why is rotation good? Ever tried to fit two large adapter plugs into side-by-side outlets? Many of our electronics come with bulky adapters that will never fit within a reasonable space. With rotating outlets on your power strip, you can plug in a chunky adapter and then rotate it out of the way to make room for the next one. All eight outlets have 2160J surge protection, which means the Echogear can protect your power tools, entertainment and home office technology and has a 5-year UL safety certified warranty to back it up. No more struggling to cram all your plugs into one place and your technology stays safe!

This rotating Surge Power Strip didn't make my list of Products That Make Working From Home More Enjoyable but if I wrote that article today this would be the 8th product in the list.

3. Soulwit Cable Holder Clips

These unassuming little strips will be invaluable for saving desk space and keeping your quick-access cables organized and off the floor. They come in packs of three which include large (5.0in), medium (3.7in), and small (2.5in) sized strips. You also have four color options to match your office or living space aesthetic: black, white, pink, or grey. 

Each silicone strip adheres to smooth surfaces (including plastic, glass and rubber) with a double-faced adhesive. Simply stick it to your desk, slot your cords in place and fumble no more for phone chargers and other cords which always end up slipping into the most inconvenient places.

4. EchoGear In-Wall Power Cable Management Kit

If you really want to get into advanced cord management techniques and manage the mess like a professional, look into picking up one of these kits. Most kits come with two grommets (the pieces that slot into the hole and keep it from looking like your wall lost a fight with your HDMI cables) with locking mechanisms that will keep them in place, a hole saw drill attachment, and an online video tutorial or two to help guide you along. 

The Echogear kit has power adapters in the two grommets as well. It may seem intimidating to start cutting into your wall to hide your cords, but so long as you remember to measure twice, cut once you should have no trouble stashing all those pesky cords behind the wall, keeping your aesthetic sleek and your environment safe for all ages and species.

5. Budget and DIY Fun!

So, what if you don’t want to spend a bunch of money dealing with the chaos? There are countless ways to DIY your cord control. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- Zip Ties: You can find these cheap in just about any hardware section. They usually come in black, but other colors are available for color coordination or helping to identify a cable. Bundle your cords up, sinch the tie closed and walk away. When you need to un-bundle your cords you simply snip the tie open and replace with a new one whenever you’re ready.

- Paper and Binder Clips: We all have paper clips laying around, and most of us have their cousins the binder clip as well. Unwind a paper clip and wrap it around your smaller cords for quick and easy bundles. You can clip a binder clip to your desk and run your charging cords through the tab holes to keep your quick access cords off the floor as well.

-Cardboard Boxes: Having Amazon means we all have an excess of cardboard boxes running around our homes. Put them to use by DIYing your own cover box. Cut a hole in one end (or both) for the cords to run through, plop them in, tape it closed, and you’re done. You can always get creative and paint it if you really want to, but don’t forget to keep it boring if you’ve kids or pets attracted to pretty colors and patterns.

-Creativity: Ultimately you can make use of many everyday items, from hair scrunchies to duct tape in order to help get those cords under control and out of sight. Creative thinking and innovation can help rescue your wallet, your aesthetic, and provide the satisfaction of having solved a problem for yourself.

Looking for more ways to improve your work space at home or in the office? See our other article for 8 Ways To Hack Your Work Space For Optimal Productivity!