No matter how neatly you roll up the extension cable, it will get tangled up again if you lay it back and forth a few times, so you will have to sort it out the next time you use it.

 

To avoid the annoying and time-consuming tangle of cables, place the cable rolled up in a bucket. At the bottom of the bucket, drill a hole big enough for the end of the cable to fit through. When the cable is not in use, tuck the two ends together and stow it with the bucket. When the cable is needed, take the whole bucket and put one end through the hole. This way, the cable can easily be rolled out to the desired length and will also easily put back into the roll afterwards.

 

It has also proved useful to store fairy lights, for example for the Christmas tree, rolled up in a bucket.