Organizing Your Electronics

The challenge in organizing your electronics is often a cord problem. Everything uses it’s own charger, so you have a tangled mess of wires everywhere, especially when the kids are home from school (or doing school at home). And because recycling electronics can be tough, it’s likely you’ve collected quite a few that you aren’t even using.

SORT THROUGH YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES

The first step is to sort through all of your devices. Decide which ones are still being use and which devices you’re no longer using. Once you have the pile of unused devices, determine which ones still work. You may have to charge them to find out, but that’s ok – a lot of times your old electronic devices are worth some money or can be donated. iPods, old iPhones, kindles, tablets, even old laptops may find new life in the hands of someone in need. If you come across damaged or broken electronics, set those aside to take to recycling (don’t just throw them in the trash).

ADMIT IT – YOU USE YOUR PHONE FOR EVERYTHING

Do you have a kindle, an iPod, and a tablet but you really just do everything on your phone now? It’s ok. Phones are like mini computers and they’ve come a long way in a short period of time. Now is the time to determine if you really need those single-purpose devices anymore or if an app on your phone will work. Add anything you can to your pile of electronics you’ll be selling, donating, or recycling.

SORT IT ALL OUT

Electronics cannot be thrown out with the trash, so your next step is to evaluate which of the devices you can sell, which you should donate, and which you should recycle. Broken devices should be recycled. Whether to donate or sell items is often a personal choice. No matter how you dispose of your electronic devices, you should erase any of your personal information from them: deregister your kindle, reset your laptop to factory settings, log out of your accounts. Electronics can bring in a decent amount of money. The two best places to sell them are through eBay and on the Facebook marketplace. Donations can be made to local shelters, the Red Cross, and Goodwill. Most communities have electronics recycling events – for those items, simply set them aside in a convenient location until there is a recycling event in your area.

CONTAIN THE CHAOS

For the electronics you are keeping, the biggest area of clutter is the cords. Everyone has cords everywhere for charging their devices. To keep things more organized, create a central charging station where all the devices can go to be charged. Driven by Decor provide a great template for creating your own, but they’re also available through most retailers.

If you’re struggling to organize your devices – or anything else – we are always here to help – even virtually.