No matter where you live,
especially if you have downsized from a big house to a studio apartment, there
are never enough plug-ins. Senior apartments are no exception. When
you compact all of your belongings into one or two rooms it is tough. You want to control clutter and at the same
time create a safe environment for yourself.
From where I am sitting
right now, I can see at least 11 different cords
and cables and that is just in the computer room. If I were sitting in the living room I could
add probably a dozen more. They all blend together and look like something out
of a science fiction movie.
The end result is a tangle
of dusty cords. If you are like me you
can’t even tell which cord goes to which piece of gadgetry. My biggest fear is
that I might dislodge something when trying to dust or move them for cleaning
purposes, and then not know where to reattach them.
If you can take control of the various cords and cables in your home you not
only cut down on some of the clutter, but create a cleaner and safer
environment for yourself. Seniors
have the additional problem of worrying about tripping on errant cords that
spill into the living area.
Emily Wilska in her book
“Organizing Your Home,” has some salient tips for those of us who are
surrounded by electronic gadgets. I
rather like her suggestions and plan on implementing them myself. She suggests starting with your computer or
entertainment unit. Shut it down while
working on it and figure out where each cable goes and what it is used for, and
then label it. Bunch cables that go to
and from the same place and then roll or bundle them using tools like cable
snakes, cable clips, and twist ties to keep the cords from spreading out into
the room.
A cable
snake is a hollow plastic tube designed to enclose a bunch of cables to
keep them tidy and clean. The snakes can
be cut to fit the length of cables that you are working with. Cable
Clams are plastic or rubber spools with a shell that snaps down over the
roll of cable inside. They come in several sizes. To use a clam, you wind the cable around the
spool and close the shell. It looks like
a mini flying saucer. Cable Clips attach to a flat surface
and are used to control the thinner cords like phone wires and some of the
computer wires. Clips route the cords in
a certain direction and keep the wires from dangling. If you look around the room that you are in
right now, I am willing to bet that taking control of cords and cable will seem
like a pretty easy way to improve safety and make life easier for you.
Leave a Reply