The promise of the paperless office may have given way to the promise of a wireless one, but chances are cables are still twining around your office like ivy. Thankfully, there are ways to untangle the cord mess. Here’s a roundup of what you need to know and buy to keep it all under wraps, plus a link at the bottom of the page for advice specific to dealing with wires in the three scenarios illustrated in “Office Space,” in Real Simple’s September issue.

Tricks and Tools of Cord Wrangling

Install a power strip on the underside of the desktop.
Plugging your electronics into a strip right at hand (yet hidden) reduces the number of wires that need to run to the outlet and keeps the floor clear of cable clutter.
RS Pick: The Belkin 7-Outlet SurgeMaster Home Series ($23, www.belkin.com for stores). Comes with a lifetime warranty and up to $75,000 insurance coverage for any equipment it fails to protect from an electrical surge. The seven outlets should handle all your needs. Built-in safety covers keep curious little fingers from harm. The extra-long 12-foot cord (available at the same price as the six-foot version) helps make mobile setups work.
If you don’t want to (or can’t) screw the strip into your furniture, use Velcro-like 3M Command Adhesive Picture Hanging Strips ($2.25 for three medium, www.containerstore.com). Four of them will keep a plastic power strip firmly hanging on.

Route cords neatly away from the desktop.
Most “computer furniture” features some elaborate system for this, but you can do it simply with cable clips that attach to the underside of your desk, eliminating cord droop.
RS Pick: 3M Command Adhesive Cord Clips ($2.25 for two large, www.containerstore.com). They come in three sizes, but opt for large — cables are thicker and heavier than you think. The plastic holder sticks to any smooth finish and comes off without leaving a sticky mess.

Reel in excess cords.
Extra lengths of wire are not only an eyesore but also a guarantee of future hours spent untangling them. Save yourself the frustration by getting any cable you don’t need right now tidily wrapped up.
RS Picks: Cable Turtle ($6 for small, $8 for large in black or gray, $10 for large in other colors: www.cableorganizer.com). This is a practical, attractive way to wrap excess cords. Just wind them around the rubberlike spool’s center, then flip the ends back over the wires, forming a doughnut (or turtle-shell) shape. The small version holds about 51/2 feet of phone or other thin wire, less of a fatter cable; the large size is great for a few thick power cables. Cable Turtles come in nine colors, so you can match the cable you’re wrapping or inject a burst of primary color.
If you have small amounts of excess cable or you want to be able to release a cable easily when shifting a mobile setup, loop the wire and hold the loop in place with easy-on, easy-off Velcro One-Wrap Straps ($3 for five, www.velcro.com for store locations). Then attach the loop to the edge of the desk with cable clips (see “Route cords neatly away from the desktop.”).