Extension cords.
Yeah, they drive me crazy too.
Trying to pull them out of a box or wherever you’ve got them laying around is sometimes just like trying to untangle metal coat hangers. These things can drive us nuts.
However, there are ways that you can actually roll these up to where when you take them out onto your job sites, they don’t get tangled.
But before we get into that, let’s discuss a couple ways that just don’t 100% work and why they just don’t 100% work.
Useless Method #1:
Now, one method that a lot of people use is they’ll just take it inside of their hand and actually roll it over their shoulders, but even then, that thing gets tangled.
Useless Method #2:
Another method is when they’ll actually take the cord and they’ll run it through like a braid and you grab one end and pull it, but when you’re hanging those extension cords, sometimes it can leave five, six, seven, eight feet lengths of extension cord.
Why These Methods Don’t 100% Work
One of the biggest problems with either one of these methods is that you oftentimes, over time, when you add crimps and stuff to it, it will start breaking the wiring down inside the sheathing.
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The Best Way to Roll Up Extension Cords
This method is one that I learned from a musician. He was rolling up his audio cables. It’s called the studio wrap. And it’s a very simple method.
Basically, depending upon if you’re left handed or right handed, (our example here is going to be with a right handed friend, Nick Sharp).
You start off with the right hand and then you make one regular loop. Then you take your left hand and you turn it under and you create an under-loop and then you just keep alternating it over, under, over and under until you reach the end.
Now, your cord is in a complete loop and you don’t have crimps in the wires. Next, place a Velcro strap on it and hang it up for next time.
Then, whenever you’re ready to use it, if you plug it in and lay the cord down, you can take off with it and it won’t tangle as long as you keep it like this.
I hope you enjoyed this Quick Tip on how to keep extension cords from tangling!