At CableOrganizer.com, we get calls and e-mails every day from people who ask the same basic question: "How do I keep my cables tidy?" While there isn't a universal answer that will work for everyone, we do find ourselves recommending certain cable management products time and time again. To help you find your ideal cable management solution, we've listed a dozen of our tried-and-true classics below, each of which is practical, affordable, and user-friendly.
J CHANNEL
If you'd rather have your cables routed neatly along or below your desk instead of spilling over the side in waterfall formation, then self-adhesive J Channel is right up your alley. This unique raceway wraps around to enclose cables on 3 sides, with a 1/2" gap left on top so you can easily insert, remove, and breakout cables as needed. Pre-applied adhesive backing holds tight to furniture, baseboards or walls, and makes this a terrific cable management tool for renters - the no-drill, hardware-free design installs without leaving holes in your walls.
CABLE TURTLE
Have you held off on taming extra-long cables until a truly stylish cable tidy came along? Your wait is over. The sleek and sophisticated Cable Turtle not only winds up and hides extra cord length in seconds, but also holds a place in the Museum of Modern Art's (MoMA) Design Collection. Perfect for use at home or in the office, the Cable Turtle organizes everything from computer cables to window treatment cords — just flip open the flexible shell, wrap excess length around the center core, then snap it closed again.
RETRACTABLE ETHERNET CORD
There's no good reason to waste the prime real estate better known as Your Laptop Case on schlepping around a bulky Ethernet cord. You know, the one that could double as a lasso, and hogs as much space as your notebook even when it's coiled up. Stay connected (and space-efficient) on the go with a retractable Ethernet cord —it will bridge the gaps between most laptops and data ports, and when you're ready to pack up, it retracts into a small case. Come to think of it, forget about tossing the cord into your laptop bag — this one's small enough to slide into a pocket.
FLOOR CORD COVER KIT
No good ever comes of cables snaking across a floor. They look messy, get damaged when they're trampled on, and worst of all, they're just waiting to trip you when you least expect it. But there may be hope yet, in the form of our Floor Cord Cover Kit . This flexible cord cover has a clean, low-profile design, is slit along the bottom for easy cable insertion, and comes with double-sided tape to keep it securely in place. Transform your floor from tripping hazard to tidy in just a few minutes.
KABLEFLAGS®
You'd be amazed at how far labels go toward keeping cables neat and orderly. When it comes to multiple-cord situations like home theaters and computer workstations, just knowing which cable corresponds to which device wins you half the battle. One of our favorite labeling products is the Kableflag® , an adhesive-free PVC tag that wraps around cords to let you know at a glance which cable you're dealing with. Kableflags® are available blank, so that you can create your own custom labels with a permanent marker, or in pre-printed packs of 10 for Computer, Home Theater, and Entertainment applications.
CABLE-SAFE™ COMPLETE CABLE MANAGER
If having your feet tangled in the jumble of cords under your desk is keeping you from getting work done, then it's probably time to install a Cable-Safe™ . The Cable-Safe™ is a wire management system that mounts out of sight under your desk, giving you a convenient place to stow both your power strip and bundled-up cable slack. And it works with just about any desk — you can either clamp it onto surfaces up to an inch thick or suspend it from a desktop grommet.
WIREMATE™ CORD ORGANIZER
Prevent office tripping hazards while sparing yourself the sight of snarled computer and peripheral cords with the WireMate™ , a double-edged cord organizer that not only keeps cable slack neatly wound, but also conceals it with an unobtrusive snap on cover. WireMate™ mounts onto walls or office furniture with double-sided tape and allows you to easily manage your cables without interfering with equipment configuration.
WIRE LOOM
One quick and inexpensive way to tidy up cables is to bundle them together with Wire Loom , a type of flexible plastic tubing that's split down the side so that cords can be easily inserted and removed. Because it acts a moderately protective "armor," wire loom is an especially good cable management choice for people who have pets or small children that are likely to chew on household cords.
BRAIDED SLEEVING
In addition to wire loom, there's another great solution for bundling wires and cords neatly together: braided sleeving from Techflex® . An extremely flexible woven overlay, braided sleeving expands to fit over cables, and then contracts to fit to the exact shape of the cable bundle it's covering. Even though it's generally woven of plastic filaments, braided sleeving is essentially a fabric, and presents a softer, less-harsh appearance than wire loom. Techflex® sleeving can be used for any application you can think of. A range of materials are implemented into sleeving, with metals in cable sleeves for shielding, as one example. Advanced engineering sleeves are made with Kevlar® and other materials to make them flame retardant.
