The Smartest Ways to Deal with Cords on Your Kitchen Counter
Despite the fact that the kitchen is meant for cooking and eating, most of us use it for all kinds of things, including charging our phones or computers, listening to music, and the like. As I glance over to my countertops, I see not one or two but seven different cord messes — two of which are actually kitchen appliances, but the rest include the baby monitor, the Sonos, and chargers for my phone, watch, and computer. It’s a lot, and they can turn into a mess!
Naturally, I think it’s safe to say we’re all looking for solutions. So I dug some up. Here are some of the smartest ways I’ve found to deal with cords on the kitchen counter.
1. Hook it up.
If you have an appliance that sits on the counter, but you don’t want the cord plugged in (or in sight) all the time, use this tip from Dreaming in DIY and hang the cord from a discreet Command Cord Bundler stuck to the back of the appliance.
2. Use a twist-tie.
It’s an oldie but a goodie: Gently loop the extra length of cord for an appliance and secure it with a twist-tie.
3. Try Velcro.
A similar tip from the blog A Thousand Words: Stick one side of a Velcro strip on your appliance, and the other to the plug. When you’re done using the appliance, wrap the cord around and stick the plug in place to keep it neat.
See more: Cord Control at A Thousand Words
4. Hide them in plain view.
This clever hack from Darling Doodles Design rounds up all those chargers and discreetly tucks them away in a countertop-ready item: the bread box! Just cut a hole in the back and you can just as easily hide or access your power cord whenever you need. While a bread box is apropos for the kitchen, you could do this with just about any container (like a basket!) that you can cut open.
See more: DIY Charging Station With An Old Bread Box at Darling Doodles Design
5. Or hide them in a drawer.
If you’ve got a free drawer, this tip featured on Houzz is ingenious: Mount a power cord in the back, then the whole drawer is like a secret charging station.
6. Tuck them into a wall.
If you own your home, consider this hack: A recessed outlet box allows you to plug in a gadget, then wind the cord so that an appliance can fit flush against the wall and cover the outlet.
Buy: Arlington Industries Recessed Electrical Outlet Mounting Box, from $14
7. Hang up a charging station.
Instead of charging your devices on the countertop, create a landing pad for them with a hanging rail system, like this one, featured on Polka Dots in the Country.
See more: DIY Charging Station Using IKEA’s FINTORP System at Polka Dots in the Country
How do you deal with cords (to small appliances and other electronics) in your kitchen?