Say Goodbye To Tangled Cords With This Brilliant Pool Noodle Hack

If you have countless extension cords tucked away in drawers and bins or scattered around in messy balls on the floor, then you may be looking for a quick and easy way to keep them organized. Better yet, you may be interested in a way to store your extension cords while also preventing them from becoming tangled and twisted as well as ending up in annoying knots. Fortunately, there's an incredibly simple but also wonderfully effective trick for storing cords, and all it involves is making a few cuts into a pool noodle.

To tackle this handy yet possibly unexpected hack, get yourself a pool noodle — if you don't already have a noodle handy, you can purchase one for under $2 at Walmart. You'll also need an X-acto knife or something that will be able to cut through the noodle. Of course, you'll also want to have cords ready to tidy up and put away. 

If you're ready to organize your extension cords — or any other cords that are making a mess around your home — then you can follow a few simple steps. First, start this DIY trick by grabbing your pool noodle and using your X-acto knife to cut it. Note that although the color of your pool noodle won't necessarily matter as it will most likely be stored away, you can always spray paint it (water or latex paints will work best). When cutting, you'll want to create a short piece that's about ¼ of the full size. Next, cut a line down the full length of one side of the pool noodle. This will create an opening in the side along with the ones at either end. Finally, slide your cord inside of the noodle while folded up two or three times. 

Make sure that the end of the cord comes out at either end. This will keep your cord together and will prevent it from becoming tangled with itself or with other cords. Now, you can toss your cord in a drawer or storage bin and put it away. The next time you need it, it will be ready and waiting for you without a single tangle or knot.