# Keeping cables neat **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964 "2005-10-12T21:28:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/1 "2005-10-12T21:28:30Z")
Mrs. dauerbach is on me again about the explosion of spaghetti behind out computers. What are your favorite ways of making the cables and wires look neat and tidy? ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/2 "2005-10-12T21:33:42Z")
You can buy a bag of cable ties at Radio Shack, and bundle the wires up, then put a tie around the bundle every foot or so. It keeps them about as neat as you could hope for. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/3 "2005-10-12T21:38:05Z")
You can also invest in wireless keyboards and mice. And you can never have too many cable ties. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/4 "2005-10-12T23:40:46Z")
There’s very little induction between signal cords and power cords. Still, I prefer not to bundle power and signal cords together. Superstitious, maybe, but that’s the way I do it. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/5 "2005-10-12T23:53:51Z")
Shy away from the cable-clips with double sided tape. I tried those to hold some cables neatly to the wall behind my desk. Now I have bundles of cables hanging with clips on them. The tape does not work very well, even with cleaning the wall beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/6 "2005-10-13T00:04:11Z")
[Zip ties.](http://www.eyesofgawd.com/images/jim-zip-ties.jpg) Bundle up the slack, zip tie on either end of the bundle, and you’re done. A bag of 100 is about $1. I use zip ties to hang Christmas lights, too. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/7 "2005-10-13T12:49:44Z")
The problem I find with Zip ties is they’re too permanent. I tend to add and remove (and re-arrange) hardware on a fairly regular basis, so for me Zip Ties won’t work. It’s incredibly annoying to have to cut each tie every few feet to swap out my devices. Instead, go to Home Depot and get some of the soft re-useable velco-type stuff. It’s probably in the the power tool accessories. I find that stuff is great for all my power tool cords, and my computer equipment. Best of all, it’s easily resealable! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/8 "2005-10-13T12:56:31Z")
All those cables come with twist-ties wrapped around them. Set up the equipment, then bundle up all the slack, and put the twist-tie back on. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/9 "2005-10-13T13:25:09Z")
I run the cable, leaving the slack at the end that will be hidden; if there’s a lot of slack, I’ll loop it round and round, passing the free end through the hole in the middle several times to bind the loop, then just plug it in. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/10 "2005-10-13T13:44:22Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > All those cables come with twist-ties wrapped around them. Set up the equipment, then bundle up all the slack, and put the twist-tie back on. That’s what I do. Works like a charm and it’s easy to moves stuff around. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/11 "2005-10-13T13:51:21Z")
> [@RumMunkey](#): > > The problem I find with Zip ties is they’re too permanent. I tend to add and remove (and re-arrange) hardware on a fairly regular basis, so for me Zip Ties won’t work. It’s incredibly annoying to have to cut each tie every few feet to swap out my devices. > > Instead, go to Home Depot and get some of the soft re-useable velco-type stuff. It’s probably in the the power tool accessories. I find that stuff is great for all my power tool cords, and my computer equipment. Best of all, it’s easily resealable! I agree with this. My husband and his buddy wired my computer stuff and tied everything down real tight with wire ties. So tight that there is NO SLACK and nothing moves. D’oh! PERFORMED BY PEOPLE WHO DON’T USE COMPUTERS! But hey…it looks great. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/12 "2005-10-13T14:04:57Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > All those cables come with twist-ties wrapped around them. Set up the equipment, then bundle up all the slack, and put the twist-tie back on. Just to be clear, I don’t actually do this. I move my stuff around a lot and this would annoy the crap out of me. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/13 "2005-10-13T14:44:47Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I agree with this. My husband and his buddy wired my computer stuff and tied everything down real tight with wire ties. So tight that there is NO SLACK and nothing moves. D’oh! PERFORMED BY PEOPLE WHO DON’T USE COMPUTERS! But hey…it looks great. :rolleyes: Use Ty-Raps and, uh… don’t forget to leave service loops. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-cables-neat/325964/14 "2005-10-13T16:01:15Z")
Radio Shack sells spiral wrap, which is a plastic strip that you wrap around the cables. Cables can enter or exit the bundle anywhere, and it’s readily removed. They’ve also got split loom, which is a flexible plastic tube with a split down one side. You just stuff cables lengthwise into it. If you get anywhere near its capacity, you’ll want to put a zip tie at each end and maybe a couple along its length so it doesn’t pop open. Likewise at any spot where cables enter or exit.