DIY Charging Station (*no tools required!)

This Christmas I got a few new (awesome) electronic gadgets. When I got home it was pretty apparent that I’d need to do something to make charging all my devices a little easier, and a little less of an eyesore. I looked at some typical charging stations for sale, but they didn’t really fit my needs. Most were sized to accommodate about three gadgets and all of them pocket size – no good for my netbook or Kindle. A quick Google search brought back some great DIY projects, but all of them seemed to require tools I didn’t have or building skills I definitely don’t have.

I finally came up with a solution that I could do myself in under 20 minutes. If you got some new electronics this holiday season it may work for you as well.

Supplies: I went to the store and picked up two baskets of slightly different shape. One larger (base) basket and one smaller (accessory) basket that would sit on top without falling in. I also made sure these baskets had ‘handles’ or holes that the wires could be fed though.

Setup: When I got home I cleared out an area under my desk and set up the baskets one on top of the other. Then I threaded the wires from a powerstrip on the wall, through the handles, and into the devices. I adjusted things just a little bit and I was done.

Bonus: One added benefit of this setup versus other charging stations is that it’s fairly easy to unplug the wires and remove them entirely. That way if I need to take the wires with me somewhere it’s not too much of a hassle.

Finished look:

Related articles by Zemanta

• Hide Your Electronic Clutter in a Clever Vase-Turned-Charging Station [DIY] (lifehacker.com)
• Duracell myGrid (everyjoe.com)
• Powermat: What The Bleep?! (viralblog.com)
• Callpod’s Chargers Now Available at Best Buy (shoppingblog.com)

This tip is from Katie Van Domelen

Katie created the {un}chaotic out of a love of all things organized and tidy. She's lived at home, in the dorms, with roommates and is finally all on her own. Her posts share everything she's learned along the way.

Katie has written 33 tips.