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Your home office setup should keep you organized, allow you to be comfortable while you work, and, of course, create an environment where you can get your work done. This is true whether it’s a dedicated home office or an alternative office space around your home. While you likely already have the basics covered, such as a comfortable chair and desk, you might be missing some key components that can make your workspace even more efficient. We rounded up a list of under-the-radar home office essentials that are sure to improve your workspace.
1. Modular Storage System
Add an attractive modern touch to your home office with the Perch Magnetic Modular System Components from The Container Store. You can easily stick these handy organizers on the side of a file cabinet or a refrigerator to help you stay organized. Perfect for holding pencils, pens, scissors, and much more, these are an ideal addition to your home office. Choose from a bunch of different-sized containers in neutral white or cool teal. The Perch wall components are designed for use with dry-erase markers so you can write and remove text as you like.
Get the Perch modular storage system at The Container Store starting at $10.99.
2. Desk Lamp
Working in dim light can cause eyestrain. With the OttLite LED Soft Touch Desk Lamp, you’ll have plenty of bright light to help you see papers and reports. The lamp offers three brightness levels, an adjustable neck, and touch-sensitive controls. It adheres to OttLite’s strict brightness and color temperature and provides you with natural daylight inside the home.
Get the OttLite LED desk lamp at Amazon for $44.99.
3. Cable Clips
Do you have a mangled mess of PC, printer, and speaker cords lurking at the back of your desk? If so, the Shintop Cable Clips six-pack from Amazon will help tidy up your technology. Each colorful clip holds a cord snugly and comes with an adhesive backing so you can place it out of sight and keep your cords organized.
Get the Shintop cable clips at Amazon for $3.99.
4. Cord Cover
Camouflage a whole bundle of unsightly cords within the D-Line Cable Raceway Cord Cover. It comes in five colors, including white, black, and wood grain, so you can match your home office decor. Measuring 2 inches wide, it has a peel-and-stick adhesive back so you can position the cord cover along a wall or baseboard to hide all your cords.
Get the D-Line cord cover at Amazon for $22.99.
5. Desk Organizer
Keep important papers and documents all in one spot with the Savor All-In-One Desk Organizer. The vault’s elegant fabric binding gives it a classic look that will complement any bookcase or desk. Measuring a little over 10 inches wide, its spacious design offers ample room for storing reports, files, and even essential lists and schedules.
Get the Savor desk organizer at Amazon for $60.
6. Smartphone Sanitizer
Kill germs, bacteria, and viruses that are lingering on your phone with the PhoneSoap Pro UV Smartphone Sanitizer. This easy-to-use sterilizer uses ultraviolet rays to zap microscopic germs and reduce the risk of passing on any infections. All you need to do is put your smartphone in the case and close the lid to start the sanitizing process. The PhoneSoap case is large enough to fit most smartphones and charges via a USB cord. It’s also portable and can sanitize your phone and other small items in just 5 minutes.
Get the PhoneSoap smartphone sanitizer at Amazon for $105.95.
7. Portable Document Scanner
No room for a large scanner in your home office? No worries. The Doxie Intuitive Portable Document Scanner measures only 12.25 inches by 2.25 inches, so it can be tucked away behind a monitor or stowed in a desk drawer until you need it. The scanner runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that will scan up to 400 documents on a single charge. Plus, it’s fully portable and produces crisp, full-color scans up to 600 dpi. Users can save documents in a range of formats, including JPEG and PDF, and the scanner integrates with text-recognition software to make PDF scans text-searchable.
Get the Doxie portable document scanner at Amazon for $189.
8. Tech Taffy
Keyboards and other frequently used electronics are prime spots for dirt and bacteria to hide, and they are notoriously hard to clean—until now. Tech Taffy Dust-Devouring Compound is a cleaning goo designed for cleaning and sterilizing nooks and crannies that you can’t spray with disinfectant or other cleaners. Just pinch off a bit of the taffy (which contains boric acid for disinfecting purposes) and press it repeatedly between keys or along the mouse’s buttons to remove dirt and bacteria. The goo is reusable, and it leaves behind a clean scent.
Get Tech Taffy at The Container Store for $13.99.
9. Addressing Guide
Unless you have perfect penmanship, addressing envelopes by hand can result in sloping text lines. Clean up your handwriting with the Skatan Lettering and Envelope Addressing Guide. This translucent stencil features cutouts that will keep your writing straight and uniform. The set comes with three stencils with different-sized writing slots and spacing options. Each stencil has a ruler along the bottom edge to help ensure that your text is centered.
Get the Skatan addressing guide at Amazon for $12.95.
10. Identity Theft Protection Roller
Redacting your personal information from documents and reports has never been easier. With the Miseyo Identity Theft Protection Roller, you can effectively camouflage entire areas of paper documents and letters to keep curious eyes from seeing sensitive information. The roller cartridge is covered with an encrypted pattern and oil-based ink that penetrates the paper to make the text beneath unreadable, even if the paper is held up to the light.
Get the Miseyo identity theft protection roller at Amazon for $15.99.
11. Mug Warmer and Phone Charger
Keep your coffee, cocoa, iced tea, or water at the ideal temperature with the Minxue Coffee Mug Warmer with Wireless Charger. The multipurpose base offers two sections, one for wirelessly charging your cell phone and another for keeping your beverage at your preferred temperature. Simply press the power button once to keep your drink cool or twice to keep it hot. A compatible mug for hot beverages is included with purchase.
Get the Minxue mug warmer and phone charger at Amazon for $79.99.
12. 5-in-1 Charging Station
Save space and charge all your devices in one handy spot with the Gauoln 5-in-1 Charging Station. It holds and charges up to five devices at once, including three phones or tablets, a smart watch, and a pair of wireless earbuds. Various charging cables are included, including USB, lightning cable, and USB C, but you can also use your existing cables with the charging port. It’ll keep your desk organized while ensuring all of your devices are charged and ready for use.
Get the Gauoln 5-in-1 charging station at Amazon for $29.99.
13. Desk Organizer
Corral the clutter with the Marbrasse Desk Organizer. The organizer offers several compartments for holding office essentials such as writing utensils, papers, and notebooks. There are also two transparent drawers that offer additional storage space for sticky notes, paper clips, and other smaller items. The organizer is constructed from durable plastic, offers smooth-opening drawers, and is waterproof and easy to clean.
Get the Marbrasse desk organizer at Amazon for $9.99.
14. Clear Calendar
A paper calendar looks nice when you first flip to a new month, but after a few days, it can start to look cluttered. The Russell + Hazel Acrylic Clear and Gold Weekly Calendar can help. This clear weekly calendar hangs on the wall, letting the wall color show through. It features a preprinted column for every day of the week with plenty of room to write, and it includes both a white and a black dry-erase marker for writing.
Get the Russell + Hazel clear calendar at The Container Store for $49.99.
15. Footrest
Give your feet a break with the Dagotto Footrest. At just 19.75 inches wide, this footrest fits easily under a desk and elevates your feet to encourage better leg circulation. The foot platform tilts for varied foot positions using just the pressure of your feet, and it has a textured surface to keep your feet from slipping off. Rubber guards on the bottom of the footrest keep it from marring hardwood flooring and prevent sliding.
Get the Dagotto footrest at IKEA for $29.99.
16. Desk Fan
Keep your work environment cool and comfortable with the Vornado Flippi Personal Air Circulator. The compact fan has a pivoting head and offers two-speed options, allowing you to customize the strength and flow of the air. It utilizes Vornado’s Vortex Action, ensuring air circulates to prevent overheating. Plus, it’s available in seven different colors, making it easy to choose the ideal look for your home office space.
Get the Vornado desk fan at Amazon starting at $18.99.
17. Wireless Mouse
The Logitech MX Master 3 advanced wireless mouse, is a top choice for those looking to be more efficient on their computer or laptop. Our tester said that for years she relied solely on her laptop’s touchpad, not realizing how much an external mouse could impact her ability to copy and paste or navigate to a new webpage.
“I love this mouse’s comfortable and ergonomic design and the fast yet quiet Magspeed scrolling feature. I also appreciate the extended battery life—which can last for up to 70 days—and that I never need to worry about plugging the mouse in. The mouse also comes with a USB-C cable for quick and convenient charging, and it can be charged directly through the port on my laptop whenever necessary.”
Get the Logitech wireless mouse at Amazon for $99.99.
18. Ergonomic Mouse Pad
Our tester told us that an ergonomic mouse pad is another home office essential she didn’t realize she needed until sheI purchased the Kensington Duo gel mouse pad a few years ago. “My wrist wasn’t feeling enough support when working with a mouse for extended periods, which prompted me to try an ergonomic mouse pad. I like how supportive the gel pillow is on this model and find that the ventilation channel keeps my wrist from getting too warm. The tracking area of the pad is smooth and much easier to use than the dining room table I was using before making this purchase,” she says.
Get the Kensington ergonomic mouse pad at Amazon for $15.29.
19. Desktop Vacuum Cleaner
If you eat meals at your desk or complete messy DIY projects, the Odistar desktop vacuum cleaner can help you clean up any mess that’s left behind. The vacuum features a 360-degree rotating design which easily sucks up messes in tight spaces. Choose from models that operate using rechargeable batteries or ones that run on AA batteries.
Get the Odistar desktop vacuum cleaner at Amazon starting at $11.68.
20. Surge Protector Power Strip
The Belkin surge protector power strip uses a nine-point safety system to protect electronics against overheating, short-circuiting, overloading, and more. The power strip offers 12 AC outlets and has a built-in cable management system. Our tester told us that both of these features have come in very handy when trying to control all the cords that her family has. The Belkin surge protector power strip is UL safety certified, offers a long 8-foot cord, and has an angled three-prong plug that fits behind desks or in other tight spaces. If you still have a landline or a home fax machine, you can also protect them against power surges by connecting them to this power strip.
Get the Belkin surge protector power strip at Amazon for $24.99.