Wrap Cables Like a Pro

We’ve shown you all sorts of ways to wrangle your cables in the past, but often you need to wrap and unwrap them when on the go. These six methods will help you keep all your cords contained quickly in almost any situation. For reference, here’s what we covered:

• The Alternating Coil Wrap: If you need to make sure you don’t end up with kinks and tangles in your cable, alternate the direction of your pull with each loop. This way, your cable will unwind with ease.
• The Shortening Method: This method not only keeps your cables neatly wrapped but serves to shorten them as well. Start with a single coil and start looping one part through the middle and around the cable. You’ll have a nice braid-like look when you’re done and you can then unwind the cable, bit by bit, to lengthen it (as needed).
• The Quick Shortening Method: The shortening method works really well to make a nicely looped cable, but it can take a while to perform if you have a long one. If you’re in a hurry, just coil the cable normally and start the shortening wrap at the end. This won’t really shorten the cable, but it’s a quick and dirty way to get a secure wrap.
• The Overhead Knot: Speaking of quick and dirty wraps, the overhead knot is a great example. Just wrap the cable back and forth until it’s somewhat short, then start a simple knot up top and pull it through loosely. While this may cause kinks if you leave it too long, it’s possibly the fastest method you’ve got at your disposal.
• The Binder Clip Method: Obviously, you can’t have a cable wrapping video without a binder clip. If you’re short on time and have one around, you can employ the same methods as the overhead knot, but just secure the cable with a binder clip rather than tying a knot at all.
• The Tape Binding Wrap: Finally, when storing cables you don’t plan to use regularly, you don’t have to spend money on cable ties. You can just use tape. Coil your cable, then wrap a strip of tape around it backwards, so the sticky side touches your fingers and not the cable. Then wrap another pieces of tape around that with the sticky side facing in so no adhesive gets on you, the cable, or anything else. Now you’ve tightly bound your cord, and you can easily remove that binding with a quick pull.

But what if you’re just wrapping your headphones?! Good news, we have a video guide for that too.