How to store your headsets and keyboards

Desk space is limited these days — that's why most of the best gaming keyboards are 75-percent or TKL (or smaller). You don't need multiples of things for your desk to start feeling cluttered, especially if they're not all wireless.

Now, I realize that most people are not like me, and do not have hundreds (or even tens) of headsets, keyboards, and other PC peripherals. But you still probably have some — and let's face it: Even if you only have one keyboard, you probably need somewhere to store it when you're using your desk for other things (unless you also, like me, have multiple desks, I guess). Or perhaps you'd like to display your older, retired peripherals that you can't sell or give away (you can recycle them, though — here's where to recycle electronics). I don't care why you have so many products, but here's how you can organize, store, and display them.

Hanging headsets

If you only have one headset, I personally prefer a nice wooden display stand — it's sturdy, attractive, and will keep your headset in shape when it's not on your head. It's also great for taking pictures, but you do need somewhere to put it.

If you don't have space for a display stand, I'm a big fan of Elevation Lab's The Anchor under-desk headset mount, which sticks to the underside of your desk (or the underside of anything) and holds two headsets (it comes with mounting tape, but it also has holes for screw mounting). If you happen to have the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, this under-desk mount that also holds the wireless base station (SteelSeries also makes its own under-desk headphone hanger, but it doesn't hold the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless' base station). If you don't want to screw something into your desk, there are plenty of desk clamp mounts for fairly cheap (like this $7 aluminum one), and they come in a variety of styles — rotating (so you don't run into the mount when you're walking past your desk), dual (holds two headsets), and over-desk. If you've got a bunch of gadgets to keep track of, you can also grab something multi-functional, like this under-desk cup-headset-controller clamp mount.

If you have an entire wall of headsets, like I do, you can't go wrong with, well... a wall of headsets. I used a mix of headset wall mounts and heavy-duty adhesive hooks for mine, though this would also be the perfect place to implement a pegboard setup.

Accessory accessories are also a great project for your 3D printer. There are plenty of free print files for headset holders online, like this pretty headset display stand (and this more gamer-oriented display stand), this clamp-on desk mount, and this pegboard headset holder designed to fit the Ikea Skadis pegboard. (If you're ambitious, you can just print a whole head.)

Stacking keyboards

I know I'm not the only person with multiple keyboards: As a keyboard reviewer, I probably don't have more keyboards in rotation than most keyboard enthusiasts. Even if you're not a reviewer or an enthusiast, you might still have a couple of keyboards for various things, like typing, gaming, and maybe traveling. The easiest (and probably safest) way to store keyboards is to keep them in the box they came in, but then it's hard to rotate them — and it's not as fun as having them on display. But you can't easily keep two or three keyboards on your desk, and you definitely shouldn't stack them on top of each other without their boxes. As usual, how you choose to store them depends on how many you have and how frequently you rotate them.

If you have two keyboards — let's say one for work and one for play — then the easiest way to keep them both right at your fingertips is to mount one under your desk (and keep the other on top of your desk). If your desk doesn't already have a built-in keyboard tray, I like this sliding wooden one, which has holes for screw-mounting and comes in a variety of colors to match your furniture. That said, if you don't sit at your desk exactly the same every day, you might want to look into a more flexible under-desk mount that tilts and swivels. And if you don't want to (or can't) drill something into the underside of your desk, there are also sliding mounts that attach via clamp (this one has built-in RGB lighting).

If you rotate your keyboards frequently and you like them to be easily accessible but not necessarily mounted to your desk, a tiered wooden or acrylic display stand that holds three boards is handy — assuming you have the shelf or desk space to display them. (These stands also come in double and single board configurations, depending on your setup.) Of course, if looks aren't a priority, you can also stack keyboards vertically or horizontally, using a pot / lid organizer (these are designed to hold heavy pots and pans, so they're sturdy enough to hold keyboards.

If you don't have the shelf space and you can mount things to your walls, a keyboard wall mount display might be a better option — though I'm not sure I would try this with some of the heavier, full-aluminum enthusiast keyboards. I would also not recommend storing heavier keyboards on non-industrial pegboards. If you have enough space for a new piece of furniture, shoe storage racks are almost perfectly sized and angled to display several boards, though I wouldn't go higher than a couple of feet without first verifying the rack's sturdiness. Also, Ikea has some handy inserts for its Kallax line of shelving that are nicely sized for keyboard storage (though you'll need to store them sideways).

Other Peripherals?

Headsets and keyboards are the peripherals people are most likely to have multiples of, and I don't have a ton of great ideas for how to store mice (as they can't be hung, and they don't stack nicely... I just toss mine in a box). For that, you might want to try the 3D printing route, again. But if you also happen to have a desk stacked high with 10 mouse pads or lined with 16 boom-mounted microphones, let me know. Maybe we can start a peripheral and accessories overload support group.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.