Behind my TV stand was a nest. HDMI cables, power strips, ethernet, speaker wire, game console cables — all tangled into a single black spaghetti knot. When I needed to unplug one thing, I had to trace the cable with my fingers, blindly following it through the knot, hoping I was pulling the right one. Half the time I was not.

I spent a Saturday afternoon fixing it. Total cost: about eight dollars. I have not untangled a cable since.

Step One: Label Everything

Before you organize, you need to know what is what. I used a label maker but masking tape and a Sharpie work just as well. Label both ends of every cable — the end that plugs into the device and the end that plugs into the power strip or wall. “TV,” “Router,” “Soundbar,” “PS5.” Now when you pull a cable, you know what you are unplugging.

Step Two: Group and Route

Bundle cables that go to the same place. All the TV cables together. All the computer desk cables together. Use Velcro cable ties — not zip ties. Velcro can be undone and redone when you add or remove a device. Zip ties require scissors and you will regret it the first time you need to move something.

Run the bundles along furniture legs or the back edge of the desk. Use adhesive cable clips — they stick to the back of furniture and hold cables in place. Five dollars for a pack of thirty at any hardware store.

Step Three: Power Strip Mounting

Mount your power strip to the underside of your desk or the back of your entertainment center. Screws are best but heavy-duty Velcro also works. This gets the power strip off the floor, where it collects dust and tangles with everything. It also makes plugging and unplugging easier because the strip is right behind your devices, not somewhere under a pile of cables.

The Charger Drawer Fix

For the drawer full of tangled charging cables: toilet paper rolls. Stand them upright in a shoebox. Coil each cable and drop it into a roll. One cable per roll. The rolls keep everything separated. It looks ridiculous but it works and costs nothing.

Eight dollars. One afternoon. Zero cable tangles in over a year.