Having a clear out - what do you do with cables/leads/chargers if you have no clue which device they belong to?

[-]

Jimmyboro@reddit

You never get rid of them, you just come home one day to get a micro-USB v2.9783 only to find you wife had thrown them out three weeks beforehand.

[-]

Beefcakeandgravy@reddit

No, no, nope, mmm mm, no, HELL NO!

If your wife bins anything from the cable rats nest or the man drawer, then serious conversations need to be had about the future of that relationship.

Thankfully, mine knows not to bin anything that she doesn't recognise without at least showing it to me first, so we're sound.

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EeveesGalore@reddit

Put them in a box in the loft. It's the only way you can be sure you'll never need them. If you chuck them then guaranteed you'll need them the next day.

By the way the grey one is for a Nintendo DSi/3DS.

[-]

justbiteme2k@reddit

If you're putting them in the loft, write the date you put them there on the lid. That way, when you next see them and realise they've been there for 9 years untouched, it's safe to throw them away.

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Sir-Beardless@reddit

Nah, ive had a tonne of belongings in storage for 5 years. Can't throw them out though, I might need them one day...

[-]

NeilDeWheel@reddit

It’s never safe to throw them away. If op throws one because it’s been in the loft 9 years then after 9 years and 4 months op will need that charger that was thrown.

[-]

TeacherCultural2460@reddit

This man's got that really fat first edition usb that they used on the PS2 chargers. A connoisseur.

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scalpingsnake@reddit

I got rid of a load recently. They have been in there for like 20 years, I ain't using them...

Also fortunately we are moving towards more universal cables like phone chargers and stuff, so less likely to not have one you need.

[-]

leahfirestar@reddit

If you don't want them you can take them to a recycling centre. Do not put them in landfill or household recycling.

If you want to know what some of them are for use geminie to analyze individual photos of the chargers showing the labels and connections

[-]

MountainMuffin1980@reddit

Just bin them. Cables can always be bought again when you randomly need them 10 years later

[-]

hutzdani@reddit

You sir are a mad man, the exit is this way ------------>

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hutzdani@reddit

That's a proper drawer man drawer(s) right there.

Thank you for your service

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hutzdani@reddit

Back in the man drawer, who knows when you'll need a random AC or DC transformer.

I keep all mine and I have rigged up some old lights the previous owners left in the loft and now I have them rigged to PIR so hands free loft lighting that cuts out after 4 mins of no movement.

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Mysterious_County154@reddit

Keep them in a box up in the loft because if you throw them away after not using them for 15 years you suddenly will need them again. Made this mistake myself, I had 3 big tubs full of them

One of them looks like a charger for a Nintendo DSi

[-]

TrabantDave@reddit

Put them into the 'Mystery cable flight bag' that lives in the storage under the bed......

[-]

kaanbha@reddit

Go in to the WEEE bin at my local recycling facility.

[-]

Internal_Rise2658@reddit

Don't even think about chucking them.

[-]

Not_Alpha_Centaurian@reddit

You must never, ever, throw away a charger. What if you need to play your Nintendo SP again? Or page someone?

[-]

TheMarthaFarther@reddit

Do not throw away!!! You have to bag em and keep em. That's the rules....

[-]

Henno212@reddit

Put it below the draw with all then plastic bags in

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TheNotSpecialOne@reddit

Put it back into my man drawer to never be used again

[-]

BillyPudding@reddit

It's the only way. If you throw it away, one month later you'll need it. If it stays in the drawer, you'll never need it.

They are aware.

[-]

I decided to be ruthless the other week and gathered all my cable detritus and dumped it in the bin. Hadn't touched them for years. Within an hour I was rooting through a stinky bin looking for a USB A to Mini-B for my NetMD MiniDisc recorder.

There's a lesson there. Or something.

[-]

TeacherCultural2460@reddit

I no longer have the charger for a robot hoover which I can't bear to throw away. But on the plus side I have two similar but incompatible chargers for hair clippers I threw away years ago.

[-]

Bitter_Mulberry3936@reddit

You put them in nice and tidy wrapping the wires up and in 6 months they are all tangled, definitely aware.

[-]

BillyPudding@reddit

I gave up trying to tidy them nicely. Just Jam the fuckers in there. As long as it shuts.

[-]

Expensive-Draw-6897@reddit

This is the way. Reassess after a year or never in my case.

[-]

Eggslaws@reddit

reassess

Why do you want the rest of us to break the nice symbiosis we have with our mam drawer?

[-]

vordh0sbn-@reddit

My drawer is now 6 100l storage boxes

[-]

Butters16666@reddit

It’s funny cos I have the obligatory man drawer, but I do find it comes in useful maybe once a year

[-]

Expensive-Draw-6897@reddit

If it's not used within a year or three then make it WEEE.

[-]

Expensive-Draw-6897@reddit

If it's not used within a year or three then make it WEEE.

[-]

DookuDonuts@reddit

Sandwhich bags for different categories / connection types e.g USB-C, TV & Audio, Chargers etc..

[-]

EmuSea4963@reddit

Keep them in a shoebox in my wardrobe until the end of time.

[-]

Moomoocaboob@reddit

There are at least two cables I’m missing from my own cable cupboard there.

[-]

AbleBear5876@reddit

There’s an Electrical items bin at our local council recycling centre, take them there if yours has one it surely will

[-]

Super-Craig@reddit

One of my Sons has an app on his phone that takes a picture of something like a cable/charger and it tells him what it is and which products use it.

[-]

English_R0se@reddit (OP)

Do you know the name of the app??

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tull1107@reddit

Wirescan https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/wirescan-cable-identifier/id6759453610

[-]

teatabletea@reddit

I can’t get the bloody thing to sign me in.

[-]

thesaltwatersolution@reddit

Probably need a cable for that mate.

[-]

ThePodd222@reddit

Google Lens might work for this.

[-]

Mental_Body_5496@reddit

Thats AWESOME !

[-]

AcrobaticWedding2130@reddit

I use multiple clear plastic make up bag/pencil cases to sort them out.

[-]

Ch1pples@reddit

Put them in a box and wait 12 months. If you have not opened the box in 12 months them throw them away.

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UNDR_dogg@reddit

I've stuck my bag of them under the bed. Every now and then I look through the tangle and decide I might need that Siemens phone charger & collection of misc unknown wires one day.. So back under the bed it goes.

[-]

Ok_Cow_3431@reddit

Chuck em out

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404invalid-user@reddit

ones for a Nintendo ds, the other is for a router maybe, other might be a drill.

[-]

DeifniteProfessional@reddit

This is the short of shit I buy at carboot sales btw

[-]

amytee252@reddit

I took mine to an electrical recycling point

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Dull-Mousse2152@reddit

The grey cable is a nintendo ds charger for the ds lite or 3ds

[-]

Mplus479@reddit

I have a box of these things, cables for external hard drives, hubs, and hard drive docking stations. You never know when they might come in useful.

[-]

Quiet1408@reddit

Put all the mystery ones in a box and keep them incase you discover what they are for.

Whatever is still in that box in a years time, throw out.

[-]

silentdragoon@reddit

Recycle them - some councils will take them in a clear plastic bag alongside your glass and paper etc

[-]

bmcraeadams@reddit

Light Grey cable to the right is for dsi and 3ds

[-]

jinglesan@reddit

Buy a toolbox for them - easier to close and keep compact than using a drawer. Plus you can take the whole lot to where you need it.

[-]

Verbal-Gerbil@reddit

they go in a bag. that bag is now full!

these days I have a label printer so I can keep better track. that printer from 2007 I ditched when I last moved? maybe don't need it

however most of these are not proprietary and can be used for different devices and are of some use to you still (potentially)

[-]

robehrscot@reddit

Put them in the junk drawer

[-]

xxNemasisxx@reddit

It doesn't really matter what tip they have, all that matters is their output voltage and amperage, tips are interchangable as long as you match the voltage/amperage

[-]

Open_Astronomer92@reddit

There's two things you can do:

1 - Keep them, and you'll never use any of them ever again.

2 - Chuck them. About one hour after the bins are emptied you'll find a device that you want to use that needs charging, and you'll no longer have the charger. You'll find one on eBay for £20.

[-]

Olly230@reddit

Look out for the power bricks over 5v. They're useful.

5volts is the same as USB. Obsolete

[-]

Illustrious_Low_6086@reddit

Same as everyone else on the planet put them back in THAT drawer and complain again in two months time. And keep repeating for the rest of hour life

[-]

FreddiesNightmare65@reddit

Sort through them with a fine tooth comb, looking to see if there's anything printed on the plugs to give you a clue what they go with, and look at the end that plugs into the item, the search your brain for a few minutes, after that, dump them in the recycling of you can't identify them.

My hubby did this sort out a few weeks back. I grabbed the box to go through them with him getting arsey with me for going through them, as he was putting them all in the recycling, so stop it! Me 5 minutes later, me, "oh so you don't want the power cord to the mini disk recorder then"? Him "oh shit, I didn't know that was in there" A few minutes later I had around 6 leads/plugs out of the box that I knew we still had items they went with, including one of my old laptops.

[-]

Namaste_Life@reddit

Perhaps untangle them and then look at all the plugs?

I can see at least three USBs there. The chances are you don't need multiples of those...

[-]

Paracosm24@reddit

Also., I saw...:

USB leads Mini USB leads USB Printer cables 12V charger (useful for various electronics) Gray unit may be for a Nintendo DS or DSi (I know this as I have a DSi and a DS Lite, which both use a similar charger to that)

[-]

Paracosm24@reddit

Put them back in the drawer, put them in the attic, or if you're sure you won't need them, whack them on eBay in bulk. Someone will buy them.

[-]

toady89@reddit

If I know what they're from and I don't have the device anymore they just go the recycling centre, if I can't figure out what they're from they go in my box of cables.

[-]

christ9779@reddit

The grey one is a Nintendo ds literally charger i think

[-]

Top-Cat-a@reddit

I put all mine in small tupperware boxes with labels on with whatever info I know about them. I then put them in a big plastic box, put the big plastic box in the garage and forget about them.

[-]

cgknight1@reddit

The best thing I did last year was get a skip and went through every draw and cupboard. If I didn't know the use or hadn't used it - into the skip it went. Made a massive difference to my house.

[-]

thebrainitaches@reddit

I want to HAVE DONE this but I don't actually want to do it 🤣

[-]

Mental_Body_5496@reddit

You are a braver soul than I

[-]

Flash__PuP@reddit

Last time I got fed up and chucked them all. Didn’t realise till too late that I’d chucked my game cube leads. 😓

[-]

DevilsAdvocate1662@reddit

Label the ones you use, bin the rest

[-]

ZombieDisastrous4450@reddit

I've had a bag of various wires and adapters for the last 30 years, but I keep them tidy... go through them it's not complicated and whichever ones you don't need to throw them away

[-]

dereks63@reddit

Put them in a box, make sure they are tangled, wait a year, dig around looking for one of them, get the arse, put the box away, buy a new lead.

[-]

Original_Ad745@reddit

I put mine in clear bags and labelled what each end bit looks like and into a box. Group similar cables together and then you'll see what gets used. Some can sell online well like the 3ds cable etc but you'll always find a use for hdmi, USB, USB c and the like so I wouldn't bin them!

[-]

mward_shalamalam@reddit

Sunfone Iomega one is possibly an external hard drive

[-]

Flosstopher@reddit

I bin them and curse myself when I need that random lead from 5 years ago and have to buy one. Rinse and repeat!

[-]

Berkulese@reddit

The one with the yellow band round it in the bottom right is a usb extension cable, keep that it's super handy.

Light grey thing looks like a proprietary charger for a console or summin, prob safe to bin if you're not using it.

There looks to be several usb to micro usb cables in there, mebbe keep one or two of them in case you find one pair of headphones etc that needs them.

Think I see a usb type a to b cable in the top left, keep one of these they are used by many big peripherals (printers etc) that don't always come with one (or come with a rubbish one). Has a usb on one end and a squarish vaguely house shaped plug on the other

[-]

ThePineappleSeahorse@reddit

Currys will recycle them for you.

[-]

Sleepy0wl9969@reddit

Put them in the "just incase" drawer with the fax cables

[-]

niall135@reddit

Get organised put them in a clearly labled box, and never open it again until they become retro gold.

[-]

FatBwoii@reddit

That Nintendo charger if it works can be worth a bit, looks like it’s for DS or DSi so they’re rare to get original ones

[-]

DefinitelyNotEmu@reddit

Keep the USB ends! cut them off and resolder to make more cables

[-]

Cato-Splato@reddit

Alot of the time a charger will have information on it to say what it's for or at the very least a serial no. That can be searched and linked to a device

[-]

Time-Mode-9@reddit

Back in the charger box, obs. As soon as you chick it, you'll realise what it was for.

These days I usually put a sticker on the charger to say what is is for, but I've got a tonne from before then.

[-]

VolcanicBear@reddit

Me? Keep them forever, just in case. Put them in the bag with the SCART/composite cables.

[-]

lazlowoodbine@reddit

I keep mine with my parallel printer cables and rs232 leads just in case.

[-]

flyblues@reddit

I have a box where each type of charger is put into a labelled plastic bag (for example "USB-C to Lightning", "12V DC", etc.)

It's really useful!

[-]

flyblues@reddit

[-]

axeman020@reddit

I have a large carrier bag full of them...

Comes in useful once in every 10 years, or so.

[-]

ToastSage@reddit

You've got a 3DS charger there in grey

[-]

Bumbaguette@reddit

I put each one in a sandwich bag (or any small clear bag) so they don't get tangled, and then group them by connector type.

[-]

Polz34@reddit

I throw them, most kit uses the same 5 or 6 cable types!

[-]

PhoenixJive@reddit

There's only one correct answer. You know where "the drawer" is

[-]

Lost-in-Limbo@reddit

Cut them up and arrange them in your drawer of various length wire!

[-]

Jaboot1424@reddit

Grey one looks like it’s for a Nintendo 3ds

[-]

JReg99@reddit

Seconded

[-]

TheGreenPangolin@reddit

Tie them up with a zip tie and label it as 2026. If you don't end up undoing the zip tie before 2028, you can get rid. If you eventually find something that doesn't have a cable, you haven't used it in 2 years either so do you actually need that thing?

[-]

Schmicarus@reddit

I like to put them in a sturdy bag next to the other two bags already full of cables/adaptors/plugs.

so far the collection has been going strong for about 20 years

[-]

HumanBeing7396@reddit

Go back in time and label them all.

[-]

pogo0004@reddit

Throw them all away. Wait two weeks. Then you'll realise what they were for.

[-]

cosmiccarrie@reddit

I’m 55 and can say from experience if you bin something that hasn’t been used in years, you will need it the following week.

Peace out👍👌❤️😀

[-]

publiusnaso@reddit

I’m sorry, but that is the collection of a rank amateur

[-]

Ok-Zookeepergame-698@reddit

My children will inherit mine.

[-]

c0tch@reddit

I have 2-3 big bags full of them, none are or have been needed for decades. But one day I might need them right? Right?

[-]

Apotak@reddit

Keep them in a box, husband and child will either find a use for them or cut them up for hobby projects.

[-]

Organic-Wash-5194@reddit

I normally give them away as a secret santa gift at work.

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Mental_Body_5496@reddit

Ouch 🤪🤪🤪

[-]

DysguCymraeg5@reddit

I’m the sort of smug bastard who did this to all of mine

[-]

Colonel_Khazlik@reddit

Just throw it all away. Gone are the days where if you lose a charger for a device the device becomes unusable.

Now a replacement charger is a single Google away and three days from your door.

[-]

permeskalin@reddit

Grey one on the right looks like a Nintendo DS charger?

[-]

alex_3410@reddit

Put in various boxes around the house/shed

Worked out last week when I needed a cable for remote control car charger and old baby monitor one I had saved fitted!

Only taken 10 years for it to pay off, but now it has I’ll be saving them for rest of my life.

[-]

TheNinjaPixie@reddit

For future helpfulness, when you buy a new thing write on the plug what it is for. Black permanent marker for white/grey plugs and you can get gold or silver pens for the black plugs.

[-]

ScallyGirl@reddit

I throw them in a bag and write, 'bin if not needed by ...' and the date a year from now. I have binned so many cables this way and have never discovered after the fact that I still needed them.

[-]

badgerfishnew@reddit

I dug out an old Sony Ericsson k800 when clearing some boxes in the loft, must have been there for 20 odd years, was great matching a charger to it and it booting up to see pics and videos from back then!

[-]

ScotchTimelord@reddit

The cable with the large square end is for a printer near middle upper left

[-]

nickmasonsdrumstick@reddit

Back in the wire drawer as they might belong to something again some day.

[-]

CarpeCyprinidae@reddit

Put in a box until something needs a charger. I've several times managed to rescue otherwise failed equipment or mains-power battery-powered things by matching it up with a new power supply from my box, often just needs a change of low-voltage-side plug as long as the voltage, current and type (AC or DC) matches

For example the christmas candle bridge we use every year is powered off an old digital camera charger

[-]

Jo3Pizza22@reddit

In a big box of cables in the garage. Saved me buying a new cable for my printer after my puppy chewed through it because I happened to have one of the same type in my box of spares.

[-]

ActGrouchy5018@reddit

To the man drawer of course!

[-]

Educational_Worth906@reddit

I’ve got two 35 litre boxes full of cables and chargers I’ve kept ‘just in case’. Only once in the last 5 years have I been able to supply a friend with the obscure, non-standard cable they needed.

[-]

Crookfur@reddit

But I bet that the one time you could help felt REALLY good and you've been chasing the same high ever since...

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Educational_Worth906@reddit

Oh yes, it certainly did. And a great ‘told you so‘ moment to the doubters. It totally justifies me keeping them for the next ‘just in case’ occasion.

[-]

beefygravy@reddit

Take them to the small electricals bit at the tip. Don't put them in the bin

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ishallbecomeabat@reddit

One of those looks like a 3ds charger

[-]

Martipar@reddit

At leas tone of those is a USB a to B cable which is used for printers, scanners etc. I can see USB Micro in there too. I can see a 3.5mm TRS to TRS cable. The grey ply is interesting s it seems to have an old phone charging connector on one end but near it also appears to be an S-vdieo connector and it looks like they are part of the same cable, it could be due to the general mess though. The USB extesion cable will be largely useless, they all are as they reduce throughput and can also cause connection isssues.

[-]

quellflynn@reddit

I bin the useless ones, but 5v, 12v, 19v I'll keep forever for electronics projects.

[-]

subaruheart@reddit

You but them in the bin and one day after the bins is emptied you discover what they were for ,then you either buy a new charger or bin the now useless electric item

[-]

Repulsive-Thanks181@reddit

its law that every household has a drawer or storage box full of random cables and power adaptors.

You put these back where you found them, just in case ...

[-]

Fit-Bedroom-7645@reddit

If you look on the mains plug end it'll usually say something like '5v DC 1amp' which can help narrow down the search, the relevant device will have the same near the socket. For barrel plugs there's a little diagram to indicate centre negative, or centre positive (you can Google it) you don't want to get these the wrong way lest ye release the magic smoke. Personally I'd bung them on eBay as a job lot on the off chance that someone can make use of them. 5v, 9v and 12v are quite common and might be useful for someone.

[-]

Smeeble09@reddit

They go in the cable boxes.

Just FYI the grey one on the right looks like a Nintendo ds/3ds charger, the black one with the square usb at the middle top is a USB A to B cable used for the likes of printers, you've got a few old generic USB chargers and maybe an extension, with what looks like an old land-line phone psu too.

[-]

Scared_Cricket3265@reddit

Connect them all together and create Skynet.

[-]

Nuker-79@reddit

Chuck them in the cable drawer, if they don’t come out the drawer within a year or two, they get disposed of.

[-]

Evening-Tomatillo-47@reddit

No matter how long you leave them you'll only ever need that cable the week after you bin it

[-]

practicalcabinet@reddit

Put them all in a drawer; that way, if I ever find myself in bed of a specific type of cable, I can look through the drawer and find every type of cable except the one I actually need. After that, I can buy a new one, and next time I look through the drawer, there will be at least two of the cable I was looking for.

[-]

cryamiga@reddit

it's... it's beautiful wipes away a tear

[-]

Dreadheaddanski@reddit

Put it back in the draw of stuff that may be useful one day

[-]

DanMan874@reddit

Just take a picture of all the ends so we can tell you what they fit

[-]

Haunting-Button-4281@reddit

Chuck them and start again. Easily ordered off amazon if u suddenly find u need one.

[-]

conduit_for_nonsense@reddit

I retain one of each connection

[-]

Inevitable-Debt4312@reddit

I have a box.

A couple of times I have actually needed those leads.

[-]

terahurts@reddit

I keep anything with a barrel plug and any USB charger that's more than 5V1.5A.

Looks like you've got a printer cable in there, possibly two and a USB-A extension cable. I'd keep them. Some mini and micro-USB chargers or data cables as well. Unless you've got anything that still uses the mini or micro chargers (old phones or digital cameras at a guess), I'd bin them.

[-]

Evil_Martin@reddit

If it’s a tangled mess like the above it’s obvious you’ve not used the cable or the device that is meant to be powered by the cable - so be strong, chuck it!

[-]

MadJen1979@reddit

You'll regret chucking them when you find you can't use something that needed that exact plug. I speak from experience! Cleared out a garage, found a plug with a long lead - no idea what it was for, so chucked it. A couple of days later, found a chainsaw, thought that would be great ... where's the plug/lead for it? In the bin of course, and had been taken to the tip.

[-]

mb271828@reddit

I did the same, been hoarding cables for years/decades, moved house, decided to be ruthless and implement the great cable purge of 2024 (though obviously keeping 2 of the 15 scart leads because I'm not an absolutely madman). Then 2 weeks later my wife comes to me with an old digital camera she found amongst her things wanting to view the photos on it...using the proprietary power and data cables now at the tip. Learnt my lesson, never again.

[-]

Dissidant@reddit

I just leave them be we don't have tons of stuff and I have a bunch of those little cable tidies to stop it all becoming a spaghetti of cables

[-]

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