How to Wrap Up an Electrical Extension Cord

Wrapping an electrical extension cord properly is important.

An electrical extension cord is used frequently for many purposes, so storage is important to have it readily available for each use, whether running a vacuum cleaner in the house or for power tools in the garage. An electrical extension cord is also a valuable tool for repairmen who work on job sites or who perform mobile services for homeowners and businesses. Knowing how to wrap an electrical extension cord will save time and reduce clutter in a storage drawer or service bed.

Things You'll Need

• Cord tie straps
• Hook or other hanging item

Instructions

1. Locate a flat surface area sufficient enough to unwind and lay out the electrical extension cord in a way that allows room to make loops in the extension cord.

2. Grab one plug end of the electrical extension cord. Feed out a section of the extension cord that is equal to the desired length of loop size needed for storage of the cord. (This will be dictated by the storage method and size of storage area being used.)

3. Begin to loop another section of the electrical extension cord back to the starting point at the plug end. Confirm that this section of the extension cord has not twisted the first section of the loop. Adjust the two sections as needed to create a straight, untwisted loop.

4. Take another section of equal length to the first two sections of the electrical extension cord and run it to the bottom end of the loop, opposite of the starting point at the plug end. Make sure that this section does not become twisted as well.

5. Continue this process, one section at a time. Be sure that each new section of the electrical extension cord that is fed out has not twisted the previous section.

6. Proceed with this method of feeding out a length of the electrical extension cord, one section at a time with no twists in the extension cord, until the other plug end is reached.

7. Use cord tie straps to bind the looped electrical extension cord, using as many cord tie straps as necessary to secure the lengths of the extension cord. Hang the wrapped electrical extension cord on a hook or other hanging item in the desired storage area.

Tips & Warnings

• This method of wrapping an electrical extension cord can be applied to any size, type or length of cord. The lengths of the sections in the loops will depend on the available area of storage and the desired size of the wrapped extension cord.

• Be sure to remove any twists that occur in the extension cord before proceeding to the next section of the loop. All cords that have copper wire inside produce a natural straight line when they are laid out, unless they have been twisted at some point.

• Kinks in an any electrical cord can be removed by untwisting them by hand. Hold one end of the section in one hand and use the other hand to untwist the next section. This may require you to work with the electrical cord further down its length until the kink can be righted.

• Another helpful step for wrapping smaller electrical cords (such as the power cord on a vacuum cleaner) is to gather the loops in one hand while shaking out the next loop section of the cord. This will allow the cord to unravel itself while wrapping it. This method can be used for longer, heavier cords but will require a good deal of strength.

References

• Answer Bag: How to Store Extension Cords
• Patent Storm: Wire Untwisting
• Housekeeping Channel: Electrical Cord