Organizing an Entertainment Center
Getting Started
If you have just brought home a new entertainment center, you may actually be at an advantage, since it is not yet cluttered with media and other household items. However, if it has already become a collection point for odds and ends around your home, the best way to begin to organize your entertainment center is by removing everything from it and starting from scratch.
Before you start removing items, set up three areas. First, you will want a safe location to set electronic items so they are not damaged in the process. A table or desk is your best bet. Avoid the floor if possible. Carpet can contain media-damaging static electricity and even an uncarpeted floor might be hazardous, since things might be knocked over more easily. If your entertainment center is loaded with stuff, grab boxes or bags in which you can place things to get rid of, things that need repair and items that belong elsewhere in your home.
Once you have removed everything from your home entertainment center, you can move on to deciding the best way to organize these items.
Image credit: sxc.hu/Michal Zacharzewski
DVDs, CDs, Games, Etc.
It is just as important to keep your entertainment organized. Most home entertainment centers offer special compartments to organize your video games or movie collection. Before you begin placing these items all willy-nilly back into it, order them in a way that makes sense to you. This might be alphabetically, by genre or any category that works best for your home use. While you are at it, make sure none of the cases are empty and that they all contain the discs or tapes that they should. Making it a habit to put these items back properly after you use them will help you organize entertainment center and keep it that way.
If the storage section of the entertainment center is a deep drawer or shelf, organize the space more efficiently by placing the items you use more often towards the front and the less-popular selections toward the back of the entertainment center.
Electronic Devices
Plot out where each electronic device should go before you begin placing them back onto the entertainment center. If it contains a built-in electrical outlet, take advantage of it to minimize the tangle of cords behind the unit. Invest in a good surge suppressor. Connect the main cord of the built-in outlet on the entertainment center to it, as well as any remaining electronic plugs. It won’t do you much good to have a well-organized entertainment center if your media devices are shorted out by a storm or surge! If the entertainment center does not have an electrical outlet, consider purchasing a cord organizer, available at most office supply or electronic stores.
If you own a lot of smaller electronic devices, such as a DVR, a DVD player, a CD player and game consoles, and your entertainment center has free space above, under or beside the television, consider installing some extra shelving. Each item having its own specific spot looks much more clean and organized than stacking device upon device.
Utilize other small spaces in the entertainment center to organize other smaller yet relevant items. For example, place a small basket beside the television to organize all of your remotes.
Once you have finished organizing your entertainment center, you can sink into the sofa and enjoy your favorite show, movie, music or game.
Image credit: sxc.hu/Danilo Vitoriano
