If you are going to fold them and store, you should put a plastic tiewrap around them. You can get a little package of the tiewraps at Home Depot, or even Wal-mart.

We use those plastic tiewraps for so many things around the house. It's the 'new duct tape', I can store things, make sense of the wires behind the computer, repair things, etc.

I'm not sure if that's what you are calling electrical ties. But they will work better for this purpose than rubber bands or tape.

The only other thing I can think of is to fashion a spool out of paper towel tubes or toilet paper tubes or wooden dowels. Then wrap them around the spool, tucking the ends in after you are done.

I meant the electrical ties that when you use them, the tie becomes permanent. You thread one end through a hole and pull tight.

I don't have any extra paper towel or toilet paper tubes. The dowels sound interesting but I bet that would end up costing me a small fortune. I never keep tiewraps around because I don't like to use them. I don't even use them for my bread (I twist the bag a few times and fold the plastic over the bread).

I suppose that I should label each wire with the length as well since we usually pull them apart only to need another size.

Ahhh.
Ok what you call electrical ties is what I call 'tiewraps'. When we need to unwrap something, we just snip with wireclippers, which we have all over the place.

I got a little snack-size bag and put it in a kitchen drawer, and I saved up quite a few bread ties. They come in handy for kid's projects, and all sorts of other odd-and-end uses.

Once I filled up that little bag, though, I toss any new ones.

Be careful when you tiewrap your wires. Depending on the type of wire, you could damage them and it will hinder their output, such as cable tv or fiber optic wires. Just make sure they're tie-wrapped loosely.

I won't use the tiewraps because I have too many wires and I don't want to use something permanent. I'm looking for an easy on/off way to organize the wires. Would sticking the wires into plastic baggies work or would that end up being too bulky? I want to get rid of at least one box by organizing them properly.

Wires can be damaged without visible evidence.I'd get snack sized zip-locks and move up, size-wise, until each length of wire is stored. Then I'd throw all of them in a clear plastic storage box that would fit into a cabinet.

try double-sided Velcro -- "wire ties".

They have hooks on one side, loops on the other, and they stick to themselves.

They won't put as much pressure on the wires, and they're both permanent and removable.

They won't leave residue. They won't come apart on their own. You can take them apart, and put them back together.

The plastic bags cupofkindness is suggesting will keep the wires from tangling.

If you decide that doesn't work, you might try sorting them by rough size, and subdividing the bins somehow.

Here is a link that might be useful: little bity velcro wire ties--bulk prices too

Talley Sue, that's a great idea but for the amount I will need, I think it would be too expensive. I never knew this existed. You certainly have a knack for searching the internet.

Perhaps I should start with the bags and if that doesn't work, I can then try this.

I got a big bag of cable ties at Lowes for about three dollars, as I recall. Not as heavy-duty as those Talley Sue shows, but just right for home use. I agree that they should not be too tight. I also have velcro ties that work well for bigger cables and ropes.

Wendy, are cable ties permanent when you use them?

Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't read that you don't want anything permanent. Maybe the velcro ties would be good for you.

cable ties are permanent in that, to remove them, you have to destroy them.

How often do you access these wires?

Oh, and.....

what about twist ties? Not just the ones that come w/ your garbage bags, but the plastic-coated ones that come in children's toys' packaging? (they hold the toy to the box--trucks & cars, especially)

When my kids get toys, I remove these ties, and I keep about 5 of them around all the time (there one of my "you can keep a few" items, like ketchup packets and takeout containers).

They're not permanent, but you can twist 'em pretty tight.

And you could get them free.

If you don't have kids, tell the folks you know who DO have kids, and see what you can get.

Here is a link that might be useful: or you can buy 100 feet for $3 plus shipping

By "wires" you mean power cords and other connector things?

Get a bunch of pipe cleaners and use them to corral the things. If you make a figure-8 with the wire and put the tie around the loops (where they cross) they stay neater.

Sort them, and quietly get rid of at least 30-50% of them, and say "look how much less room they use when they are tidy". And try putting them in bins by function.

Using ziplocks, you could write the length on the bag.

Keeping them separate will make for easy use but I doubt that they'll take less space. Paring down is the way to go... just my 2 cents.

Maria

I use Saran Wrap to wrap up things. You just need a narrow piece to wrap around wires. It works great for rolls of wrapping paper too. Simple, handy and cheap!
Kathy G in MI

Today, I finally organized the wires. I ended up putting rubber bands around them and then put them into plastic ziploc bags. The rubber bands were probably an extra step I didn't need but I did it so that if dh starts pulling wires out of the bags, it will be easier for "him" to put them back.

I then sorted some of the bags (extension cords, phone plugs, etc.) into larger bags.

My dh had told me that he'd label each bag but when I completed this, he said why should he since he could see what was in each bag. I then told him that if he leaves any wires loose on the floor, that's his way of telling me they're garbage so I'll be throwing them out.

The box and the bin of wires I had are now all in just the bin. Yeah!