Here are a few handy tips for keeping your cords organized and safe:
Regularly use extension cords? If you find that they keep unplugging due to tension or foot traffic, tie the ends of the cords together in a loose knot.
Use lots of charging cables and cords? Keep seldom-used cords and cables safe and organized by storing them in toilet paper tubes sitting vertically inside a sturdy box.
Have a jumble of connected cables on your computer desk? Use bag clips from old loaves of bread to identify each cable so you don’t have to trace it back to its source.
Have other cables that you use all the time? Slide the connectors through the levers on some alligator clips and fasten them to the edge of your desk, so they’re always handy when you need them.
Prevent Damage From Power Surges
Most computer users know that they should use surge protectors to prevent electrical damage to their machines. But did you know that electrical surges can damage anything that’s plugged into your outlets, even major appliances and simple items like lamps? Electronics, like those in your entertainment center or computer room, are most vulnerable.
Electrical surges are common. Major surges can happen due to events like lightning strikes, transformer explosions and serious malfunctions within your home’s electrical system, and these surges can fry your valuable electronics in an instant. But small surges occur more often for more innocuous reasons, like when your HVAC system cycles on. Over time, these small surges can cause cumulative damage to your devices that may cause them to fail months or years before they otherwise would.