I Learned This Organizing Trick from a Hotel Housekeeper, and It’s So Clever
Keeping charging cables for phones and tablets looking tidy is a challenge. No matter how clutter-free a room may be otherwise, chances are there’s a charging cable sitting out on a surface somewhere. Given how many devices I need to charge throughout the day, cord clutter is a problem that’s tough to solve.
For years, I was resigned to having charging cables scattered throughout the house, lying on top of desks, nightstands, and kitchen counters that are otherwise clutter-free. However, thanks to a hotel housekeeper, I found a simple and inexpensive solution.
The Organizing Trick I Learned from a Hotel Housekeeper
On a recent trip to Egypt, I splurged on a stay at the Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza for my family of four. One of the things that sets the Four Seasons apart from other hotels is their attention to detail. Housekeepers at most hotels perform basic tasks, such as making beds and providing clean towels; but the ones at the Four Seasons often go a step further with small touches to help guests keep their rooms pristine. For example, they may fold guests’ pajamas or leave a cleaning cloth for reading glasses on a nightstand.
When we went out for a day of sightseeing, we left various charging cables for phones and tablets scattered around our room — just like we do at home. Then, when we returned late at night, I was surprised and thrilled to see that our housekeeper had not only meticulously cleaned our room, but also devised an ingenious solution to the problem of messy cords that had been plaguing me for years.
The hotel housekeeper had gathered the phone cables and secured them in a rectangular cable holder that closes with a snap. This small, light, inexpensive piece of leather has been a total game-changer. Suddenly, my charging cables went from being an inevitable mess to staying neat and contained.
Why I’ll Always Use This Clever Cord Solution
I took what I learned from our hotel housekeeper and decided to implement it at home. Now, instead of leaving my charging cables lying messily on any available surface, I gather my charging cables and enclose them in a sophisticated leather (or leather-like) cord holder. I still have a few cord holders the housekeeper left for my family that are in regular use. However, I’ve added some others to my collection, including this one.
I’ve started using these simple cable organizers when out and about, too. I find that by putting my charging cables in a small, light leather organizer, it’s easy to keep my cords from getting tangled and lost in my bag without adding much weight.
Since I learned this trick at the Four Seasons, I feel like I’ve added a bit of luxury to my life whenever I reach for one of my cable organizers.
Buy: Kanemc 13-Piece Leather Cord Organizer, $10.99