Keeping your cables and wires organized may seem simple but it also very important especially when it comes to safety and being able to move or change out cables as you need to.

Organizing your cables doesn’t need to be an expensive project, today I am going to share my favourite tools I use to help keep wires and cables organized.

Over the years of working with churches and events, I have come to notice that when working with others the likelihood is high of your cables and equipment getting moved – whether you want it or not!

What I have also noticed is when a set up is organized and clean most likely others won’t try to move anything around without asking first!

Gaff Tape

Gaff tape is often used when taping down cables and wires to the floor or stage. Using gaff tape is more ideal if you need to use it temporarily. If you’re needing something to help keep the cables down for a year or more, you may want to consider a different option.

If gaff tape is left on for a while it will definitely leave some tape residue.

Gaff tape is great when you need your cables and wires taped down temporarily. If the cables and gaff tape is used in a high traffic area, the tape can wear down over time. To help with this, start by laying perpendicular strips first and then tape the cables down longways.

If you are careful, clean the area before using gaff tape, you can re-use the gaff tape strips for other projects.

Rubber Mat

Rubber mats are often used by production venues and in my opinion, are a great investment if the budget allows it. These are great if you do have a lot a cables and wires you’re needing to cover.

If being careful, you can actually cut these mats into the size you need to. When using mats, they do tend to try to roll up so if that’s the case I would also recommend using gaff tape to help keep the edges of the mat from rolling up.

Another tip would be taping your cables and wires down, then using the rubber mats to cover the cables.

Velcro Carpet Cable Cover

The velcro cable cover is something I use often with church setups because it has velcro on the side and not in the middle of the cover. This allows you to be able to either wrap or put the velcro down on carpets.

There’s no residue or sticky areas and that makes it great with setting up cables and wires on the carpet. If you’re not wanting to use gaff tape on your carpet then the velcro cable covers would be a much better option to consider.

Velcro One Wrap Ties

Next, you need to tie up your cables. I’ve seen setups where they tie the cables in to knots. Honestly, I would not recommend this because it puts the strain on your cables and could short them out over time.

Instead, consider a better option of just using velcro one wrap ties.

You’ve most likely seen these used when tieing up cables and even in some office settings. It’s a great way to keep your cables and wires together when they are coming down from a higher setting.

The downside to these is that if you do try to use them on the floor they will pick up every speck of dust and won’t be sticky anymore. I use them mostly when organizing cables in my racks.

Tie Line

Tie line generally comes in a spool and fairly inexpensive. You are able to cut the pieces as needed and the spool can go a long way.

If you decide to use tie line, my recommendation is to always cut more than you need because over time the ends will fray. Using tie lines is more ideal if your using them in a temporary setup.

Friction Tape

Friction tape is great to use when you are needing to tie together cables over a long run. Friction tape does stick best when it’s able to stick to itself. It not’s that great to sticking to other things.

Compared to electrical tape, friction tape does not leave very much residue which is much nicer on your cables and wires.

Flexible Braided Sheathing

Lastly, we have the flexible braided sheathing which may an expensive option but it does come in handy to put a couple of cables and wires through.

Basically, it’s an expandable woven cable tie that you’ll first want to cut to length, slip your cables and wires through, then with burn or heat shrink the ends or they do unravel.

These braided sheathings are a great way to help your setup look organized and clean.