Minimizing cord clutter requires an initial investment of time and effort, but it will enhance the feeling of calm in your space day after day. When my friend, Joshua Fields Millburn of The Minimalists, recently emphasized my cord control skills on Episode 502 of their podcast, I decided it was time to share my strategies. In this Minima Journal, I’ll illustrate four ways to corral cord clutter with examples from my own home.

Consolidate electronics

My husband and I have chosen to keep most of our electronics in one of two locations—our living room and our home office. In our living room, an IKEA IVAR cabinet houses our Comcast router, Samsung Frame TV box, and IKEA wireless lighting controls. In our home office closet, a Scosche BaseLynx modular charging system creates a place for all of our devices to charge. By consolidating our electronics, we avoid seeing individual cords plugged in throughout the home.

In his book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, Dr. Matthew Walker emphasizes the sleep benefits offered by keeping phones, tablets, and TVs out of the bedroom. Creating a charging station in our home office closet allows our bedroom to be screen-free.

Hide or tidy long cords

In our living room, we have the Samsung Frame TV. In my last home, I was able to hide the Frame’s TV box behind the wall; in our current home, this isn’t possible. Fortunately, the cable running from the Frame TV to its box is tiny and clear. These cable clips hold the cord to the wall so it’s less obvious; a plant helps soften the transition. In the opposite corner of the living room, the cord to our floor lamp is neatly wrapped.

In our bedroom, the extra length of our bedside lamp cords is wrapped so they don’t drag along the floor. This makes vacuuming under the bed easier and makes the cords less enticing for our pet rabbits, who occasionally visit the bedroom.

In our shared home office, a D-Line cable zipper wraps all cords from my desk and my husbands desk into one line. Our IKEA desks have fabric hammocks underneath to help hold the cords out of site.

In our bathroom, the Bobino cord wrap, XL corrals the extremely-long Dyson hairstyling tool cords.

Wrap charging cables

Our Scosche BaseLynx modular charging system (previously mentioned) minimizes the need for rogue charging cables. However, sometimes we need a portable option—whether for traveling or briefly plugging something in elsewhere in the home. My favorite solution for cables around one meter is the MUJI polypropylene cable case with stand. It’s so simple and fun to use! For shorter cables, I use the MUJI perforated fastening tape.

Use portable lights

Sometimes the best way to minimize cord clutter is to not have a cord at all. This can be accomplished by reducing the overall number of electronics in the home, but also by investing in devices that don’t require a cable.

In our home, we have several portable light sources. I keep a cordless Carrie portable LED lantern by my desk in lieu of a traditional task lamp. It has a long battery life, but when I need to recharge it I simply plug it into my iMac’s USB port.

In his book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, Dr. Matthew Walker shares how lowering lights in the evening helps queue our circadian rhythm to wind down for sleep. In addition to dim lamps, we like to use candles. I love the warm glow of candlelight, but lighting and using up several candles every night felt like a hassle. I recently bought a set of IKEA battery-operated tea lights, which are much easier to use on a day-to-day basis.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, so I will receive a small commission if you purchase something. As always, please do not purchase anything unless you need it. My intention is for this post to be used as a value-adding resource, not consumer encouragement.

4 Tips to Minimize Cord Clutter in Your Home

Consolidate electronics

Hide or tidy long cords

Wrap charging cables

Use portable lights

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