Fricking wires, cables, chargers and leads

[dollymixup]

I have 2 storage boxes absolutely bursting with electrical shite stuff; cables for computers, camera leads, Ipod leads, adapters, chargers for I know not what, yellow cables with phone connections, old PC mouses (mice??) blue cables, old telephones and cables with funny computer screw things on them. I've just spent 2 hours untangling them (had to use scissors at one point) now i'm looking at a floor full of untangled wires.

None of this stuff is mine, NONE, and i'm always the one who sorts this crap out every two years or so. It mostly belongs DH who is a hoarder ("never know when you are going to need it") and DD. Much of it is absolutely ancient, but there is also some expensive stuff (external hard drive, discarded satnav) that never gets used which makes me even more cross.

Is it wrong/stupid/potentially expensive just to chuck the whole lot out and have done with it or should I become zen like and seek OCD pleasing storage solution?

I would chuck but like you it's not my stuff but every time I ask DH to go through it nothing ever gets culled! I'm doing another big clear out soon and if he doesn't sort and chuck, I will!

Do you have a loft, shed, cellar or under a bed where it can live and you don't have to see it and can just forget that it exists?

I wouldn't bother untangling anything that didn't affect me personally.

Would they even notice it was gone? Chuck everything you no longer have the camera/phone whatever for. If there’s anything left then a piece of tape folded over each wire like a little flag, with eg ’ipod’ written on helps.

Could you state that you will chuck the lot unless they can produce the item it is related to and verify is still being used. So if it's for an old phone, you can chuck the charger as phone not used any more.

I feel your pain. Last year I stood over him whilst he removed all the wires/cables belonging to old, broken, defunct items, or bits of kit we didn't even have any more. The rest of it I made him tell me what it was for, how often it got used, and how much a new one would cost. About half of it went to the tip

I feel you. DH is like this. We have an entire set of drawers full of bits of cable that he reckons he'll be able to 'sell' (WHY DONT YOU SELL IT THEN) or that will 'come in handy one day' (WHAT, WHEN WE HAVE FIVE GUESTS OVER AT THE SAME TIME WHO ALL HAVE NOKIA PHONES FROM 1996 AND ALL NEED TO CHARGE THEM AT THE SAME TIME?).

It seems to be hardwired in certain men, and I'm not sure that there's a cure.

I too sympathise. My OH is a field based IT Network engineer, our house is crammed full of cables, motherboards, monitors, pc components.

I can't begin to tidy it out because I know he uses a lot of it.

Dh is an electrician . You havw my sympathy.

combust22 I agree dh has an office full of crap very important wires (2 storage boxes and a 4 drawer filing cabinet).

I joke that DH is office where computers/laptop come once they die.