The Best Cable Cord Organizer

Buying Guide

As much as technology has improved consumers’ lives, it’s also created a new challenge. All those devices require cables, which can become cumbersome when you’re trying to sit at your desk or unplug a device behind your entertainment center.

One of the best ways to get control of the clutter is through the use of cable management tools. Whether you have one cable or dozens, if you can tie them down, you can keep them out of the way. But there are so many cable management options available, it can be tough to narrow it down.

The first thing to determine is whether you need cable management for one cord or multiple ones. If you just have a smartphone to charge on a desk, for instance, a single-cord option may work best. But if you have an entertainment center or desktop computer with multiple components, you may find that you need a way to bundle multiple cables and hold them out of the way.

Once you’ve narrowed down the number of cables you need to constrain, you can start deciding the type of management you prefer. There are neoprene sleeves that you simply wrap around your cables, then zip up. You can also get adhesive clips that attach to your table or desktop, allowing you to slide the cable in and out as needed. You can instead choose Velcro straps that you simply tie around your bundles to hold everything together.

If you have a power strip or surge protectors, cable management becomes a matter of safety. Those strips can become tripping hazards when set on the floor. You can buy cable managers that are set up as a box to keep your strips safely contained inside. The best thing about these boxes is that they have rubber feet to keep them in place if someone does accidentally kick or step on it.

• Small cable clips can be multipurpose. Since they come in multiples, if you don’t use them all, you may want to consider using them to hold household items like pens or toothbrushes.
• If you choose a cable organizer with adhesive backing, wipe down the surface with alcohol and dry it thoroughly before attaching your organizer to it.
• If you’re bundling multiple cords at once, try to keep your bundles to five cords. If too many cables are tightly squeezed together, they can become a fire hazard.
• Keep safety in mind as you choose a place for your cables. Try to keep them out of the way of young children and pets, and always keep foot traffic in mind if wires or power strips aren’t safely behind furniture. Dogs and young children can bite down on cables, potentially causing injury.
• One issue with bundling your cables is that it can be tough to trace a power plug from its source to the wall without unraveling everything. If you have an entertainment center, for instance, and you need to unplug your cable box, you may have to unbundle everything to trace the cord from the device to the wall. One way to prevent this inconvenience is to label your power outlets.
• If you are bundling cables for an item that never moves, you can afford to bundle everything using cable ties. However, if it’s an item like a smartphone charger that you take with you as you go from work to home every day, you may prefer an adhesive cord manager that lets you easily remove and reinsert the cable.
• One additional benefit of a box that secures your power strips and surge protectors is that some are made with fireproof material. This could help reduce damage if your surge protector catches fire. But the best way to avoid a fire from a power strip is to use them as recommended. The biggest hazard comes when consumers “daisy chain” surge protectors or power strips together.