It's easy for the average adult to be oblivious to household cables, but small children and pets often find them fascinating enough to chew on, tug at or wrap around their necks. At CableOrganizer®, we receive a lot of inquiries from customers who want to know how they can child and pet proof household cables, in order to prevent them from becoming electrocution and strangling hazards. With a little creativity and a few smart products, CableOrganizer® would like to help you take some preventive measures that will protect your kids, pets, and your cables.
PROJECT CHECKLIST
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| Experience Level: Beginner |
| Time Required: 1/2 hour - 2 hours |
| Steps: 4 |
| Supplies: Wire Loom or Spiral Wrap; wire loom tool, cord clips, Cable Turtles |
STEP 1: COVER YOUR CABLES
It may seem like common sense to you, but crawling, teething babies and rambunctious pets don't know that it's bad news for those who sink their teeth into electrical cords. One of the best ways to protect chewers and chewed-on alike is to make a small investment in some wire loom like Flexo® F6® or spiral wrap, which will provide your cables with a protective shield. We've had feedback from customers who say that wire loom is perfect for use with kids, as well as with cats and other small animals. One gentleman we know had wonderful results when he purchased spiral wrap to keep cables from being gnawed by his rabbits. Techflex® also makes Flexo® Rodent Resistant, which is designed to keep wires and cables safe from chewing critters. CableOrganizer® has created the Child Safety Kit for children specifically, among our Curated Kits selection. The kit offers a cost savings when all the items are purchased together. There is also a Pet Safety Kit, with various solutions to protect both pets and wires.
STEP 2: LIFT CORDS OFF THE FLOOR
An easy way to protect your cables from the unwanted advances of kids and pets is to raise them off the floor and affix them to surfaces. Adhesive-backed cord clips are an inexpensive and versatile solution…they can be placed on the underside of desks and tabletops, along shelving, or around doorways to route cords upward and keep them flat against surfaces. Putting these lifting and fastening measures into effect can help prevent small children and pets from yanking on slack lengths of cable and pulling appliances like lamps, telephones and computer monitors over onto themselves.
STEP 3: HIDE EXCESS LENGTH
If you have blinds on your windows or sliding glass doors, please consider that the long, dangling cords used to adjust them can be dangerous to any young child or pet who might decide to wrap one around their neck. The best way to prevent strangulation hazards is to shorten cords to the point that they are out of reach. The perfect products for doing this are mini and small-sized Cable Turtles. These are compact, lightweight and easy to use…simply flip them open, wind extra cording up until it's out of range, and then snap the Turtle shut. Problem solved!
STEP 4: CAMOUFLAGE
When you're selecting wire management products for your child and pet-proofing projects, opt for solutions that will blend in with the surroundings you'll be putting them in. For example, if your walls and flooring are neutral-colored, using neon-green wire loom probably isn't the greatest idea…nothing says “play with me” like a bright color! If cables are disguised and made less noticeable, there's a better chance that your children or pets won't take an interest in them in the first place. The Child Safety Kit, for example, has all its components in black to downplay wires, as well as the cable management products to cover them.
Looking for more pet safety solutions? Check out the Child Safety Kit and Pet Safety Kit.
