Keep Cords Organized And Clutter-Free By Using An Old Shoe Box

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Cord clutter is an ever-present problem in a world where our homes are full of any number of computers, televisions, and other electronic devices. Social media is chock full of cable management videos that lean on the satisfying aesthetic of organizing wires, which in-and-of itself has a lot of positives given the mental benefits of decluttering your space. However, proper cord organization also provides direct benefits to your electronics; a rat's nest of wires beneath can restrict airflow, which makes it easier for devices to overheat and run slowly. Luckily, you don't need to spend a lot on desks with built-in cable management hooks, mountable cable trays, or other essential gadgets to keep your home's cords nice and tidy. You can start your efforts by repurposing an old shoe box.

The important aspect of cable management is that individual lines should be separated and accessible so you can tell them apart for troubleshooting, and so there's no risk of sparking fire hazards. Using a shoe box, you can accomplish this separation by cutting holes around the sides of the cardboard. With a box cutter (you can get a set as cheap as $10, like the M MEEPO 4-Pack Tough Folding Box Cutter for Heavy Duty Purpose), or even a pair of sharp scissors, cut one large hole on a shorter side of the shoe box that you can use to feed in cables — or even an extension cord brick. Then, you can cut small holes around the other sides, including the top of the box, to serve as outputs for as many cables as you need to organize. Less cables on one side may be better if you're looking to keep the cord set clean, but shoe boxes are an easy medium to experiment with.

The nice thing about using a shoe box is that it's highly customizable for both practical and aesthetic purposes. Any kind of cable separator you purchase online, not to mention other accessories that manage a spread of wires, can be hot-glued or zip-tied to the cardboard to facilitate your organization. Command strips work just as well for hanging and guiding wires, and these can be attached to nearly any surface — including the side of a shoe box. Meanwhile, you can also use your shoe box in conjunction with other upcycled materials like toilet paper rolls to guide or house loosely wrapped cables. Shoe boxes are also easy to write on, giving you a way to remember which wires are coming out of which sections.

If a simple shoe box doesn't fit the aesthetic of your home computing space, particularly for gamers with plenty of RGB lighting and the best budget gaming chairs you can find on Amazon, you can easily make the box fit your space. Shoe boxes are easy to paint over or alter with paper mache, helping them blend in without covering over the holes you're using to lead cables. Craft materials like washi tape and bows can easily decorate the expanse, and you can even go over-the-top by housing your cables around a shoe box diorama that adds the whimsy of a space station or dinosaur landscape into your child's play space. The sky's the limit when it comes to your imagination.

Of course, you do still want to be careful when working with an old shoe box as your cable management system. If you're worried about overheating fire hazards, an enclosed box made from flammable materials and containing an extension cord could be a red flag (though a shoe box can open from the top, which would help maintain air flow). A major benefit of cable management is also making sure they're placed to avoid a tripping hazard, or to ensure you aren't running over wires with your rolling desk chair. Both these concerns are still possible if you keep them grounded in a container as bulky as a shoe box. It's also not the kind of computer cord DIY that will let the aesthetics of a floating desk shine.

Still, if you keep these concerns in mind as you build out the space around your electronics, a shoe box is undoubtedly worth considering. Even if you don't have any leftover containers from a recent shopping trip, shoe box-sized mail containers can be delivered by USPS for no cost. Cable management is worth considering sooner rather than later, as once wires become tangled it's a nightmare to separate them again. Crushed or sagging wires that are unprotected and tangled up can also lead you to spend a lot of money on replacements, so it's good to future-proof your tech.