Are there any suggestions for organizing all the USB cables and AC adapters that have been collected from ipods, phones, cameras, etc? I need a way to keep them from getting all tangled up.
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Posted 2 years ago #
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I've seen the larger ones folded up in a loop and threaded through toilet paper inner tubes.
If you use them regualrly there are some great unclutterer articles on minimising cable clutter by creating a charging station.
Smaller cables wind up fine into labelled ziploc bags
H is in charge of our cables so ours are in a big tangled pile!
Posted 2 years ago # -
as a family of six with nine computers, ten ipods, six cameras, etc. we have dozens and dozens of cords and cables. i use inexpensive velcro cable ties (http://bit.ly/ceWebD) to tame each cord then store them in labelled plastic shoe boxes. the ipod box also contains audio splitters, extra earbuds and other ipod paraphernalia. the camera box contains spare compact flash and sd cards and readers, rarely used lenses, camera cleaning supplies and such. i usually toss user manuals and installation cds in there too so everything is stashed in one spot.
Posted 2 years ago # -
For items that I don't use very often (such as extra cables, travel chargers, etc.), I put similar cables in a plastic ziploc bag and label it. Then all the bags go into one bin. So whenever I need an extension cord, or a USB cable, or the travel charger for my iPod, I know exactly where to look. The bags keep the cables from getting tangled up and identifies cables that look very similar (so I can tell the difference between the charger for my GPS and the charger for my camera.)
Posted 2 years ago # -
The first thing I do when I purchase a new item is make a label for the cords with the product's name and the use; "Nikon L20 Camera, video cable" for instance. If I have a dedicated place to plug the cable into, I maintain the excess length by binding it up with a cable tie.
Someone on another thread suggested using an over-the-door shoe hanger with the clear pockets for sorting the masses of cables. I thought that was brilliant! They are big enough to hold the device as well sometimes and you could place a photgraph of the item on the pocket to help kids sort them back in.
Posted 2 years ago # -
you guys are brilliant.
the clear pocket thing is pure genius...it could also be hung in a wardrobe.when i decluttered and renovated my home office last year, i found an ENORMOUS box of cables and plugs and heaven knows what all. all dusty. all saved from years of computers and cameras and gizmos.
i took the whole lot down to my computer shop guy in the local village....1. he knows what they all are and 2. he can give/sell/donate them a lot more efficiently than i can.now i have one small zipped bag, about the size of a laptop, but a bit thicker, and it contains everything for home and for traveling.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I usually don't worry too much about tangling, but I do have separate plastic bins for different kinds of cables (USB, ethernet, coax). I've seen the toilet paper roll ida before, but I'd forgotten it...may have to try that.
One thing I do is whenever I get a new device that has a wall wart plug, I write the name of the device in black sharpie on the plug side of the wart. It works great - you can't see it normally, but whenever I get into a situation where several power cables have become mixed up, I can easily figure out what goes with what.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I use rubber bands to hold a coiled cable together, and use a sticky label folded around onto itself to label the cable if it's for a particular item. We have a basket in a bookshelf that is used for frequently used phone chargers, the others are away in a box.
Liking the shoe-store hanger idea actually - normally I'm not a fan of over-the-door storage but that could work well.
I do have some stackable, divided flat storage boxes, intended for fishing tackle I think, that I had used for small items like this (rechargers, headphones etc) but they got hijacked for use as wargames storage.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hope I am not pulling up a thread that is too old, but for cables I use a lot, specifically my Zune, Camera, and USB Extension (really handy) cables I bought some Command Strips and put them on the back of my monitor. I know this won't work for people with laptops but if you have a desktop and a monitor just put the hook on the back of it and then hang the cables from there when not in use. Obviously the holding capacity is limited but for cables that are used often it is a great way to keep them out of sight while still being in reach.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@Kamakazi - that's a great idea! I may have to try that one at work, because right now my various cables are just rubber banded together and stashed in a drawer.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@nws2002: That is exactly how I figured this out, I got really tired of hunting down the proper cable in my big bag o' cables and I became equally tired of me being too lazy to put the cables up (spawned from the hassle of getting them back out).
Here is a picture where you can kind of see the hook. I did find out one thing, the cables still need to be wrapped in some way or they fall off the hook, or maybe there are just better hooks I could get, I pretty much just got the cheapest I could find.
Posted 2 years ago #
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