You have a beautiful flat screen TV mounted on your wall like a piece of art. There is a perfect lighting scheme. You've got a cordless phone so you can easily roam the room. What could be wrong with this picture? Cords!
You have a beautiful flat screen TV mounted on your wall like a piece of art. There is a perfect lighting scheme. You've got a cordless phone so you can easily roam the room. What could be wrong with this picture? Cords! Black, grey, and white lines drawing the attention away from your home to the loopy tangle stuffed behind your media center, lines running along the walls and across the floors. Ugh! Unsightly and dangerous--how to deal with all of these cords? Here are some methods of cord containment and camouflage.
Tying. Create a quick solution for cords that easily tangle or are too long. You can use twist ties, zip ties, or special color coded Velcro ties. Untangle the cords one by one, looping ones that are too long. This is a good time to label them as well.
Tubing. For entertainment centers and computer stations where there are a lot of cords, try to start fresh by untangling the cords and smoothing them out. Then use pipe cover (foam insulator or flexible plastic) that has been sliced lengthwise to allow the cords to be hidden inside all the way from the device to the wall. This is also a good time to plug the cords into a power bar to prevent power surges and fires. For flat screen TVs, you can purchase special plastic molding that will contain the cords and can be painted to match your walls.
Masking. If you can't find another way to run the cords, try to blend them in. Use colored electrical tape (such as white) to cover cords that stand out. Use special tacks to run the cord along the baseboards of the room. If the room is carpeted, try to nest it in the pile of the carpet where it meets the baseboard.
Minimizing. Go cordless whenever possible and hide chargers and docking ports out of sight. Create a charger box by threading charger cords through holes in a shoe box. Plug the electronics into a power bar in the box. The plug for the power bar will go out a hole in the box and be plugged into an outlet.
Unplug any devices that are seldom used and only plug them in when needed. Any room will look larger and more inviting with less electronics. This will save you energy too! When something is not in use (such as a toaster or hair dryer) get in the habit of tucking it away. This will also mean fewer cords to trip on, making your home safer.
What a difference tidy cords will make in your home!
Colette Robicheau, President of Organize Anything, is a consultant, coach, and public speaker offering corporate, residential, and personal organizing services. For more information contact Colette Robicheau, Organizing Consultant and Coach visit her website http://www.organizeanything.com/ or email info@organizeanything.com.
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