You can get electrical tape in different colors, so you can try to find a color that most closely matches the cable you want to repair. This method works to repair minor damage in any type of electrical cable. Keep in mind that the electrical tape can get worn out and torn over time, so you might have to replace it eventually with a fresh layer. Examples of cables you could repair with electrical tape are phone or laptop chargers, power cables on electrical appliances, and headphone cords.
Wrapping the tape more than once will help this quick fix last longer and help prevent further damage to the cable.
Covering the undamaged areas of the cable to the side of the area with the exposed wire that you wrapped first will strengthen the cable and help prevent further damage to the area.
Sugru is a type of moldable, adhesive silicone rubber putty that hardens into a rubber-like outer jacket when it cures.
A piece of Sugru that is about as long as the width of your hand will provide good coverage of the exposed wire and relieve strain on the cable to prevent further damage.
If the area you’re repairing is close to the wall adapter or power adapter end of the cable, make sure to press the Sugru right up against the power block or the charger plug to create a smooth-looking repair. You can shape it to make it look like a part of the cable.
The putty will turn into a strong, flexible protective casing around the exposed wire. This will prevent further damage to the area.
Heat-shrink tubing is a type of shrinkable plastic tubing that you can use to cover and insulate wires. You can use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat it up and shrink it. For example, if your cable has a diameter of 1 mm, use 2:1 heat-shrink tubing that is 2 mm in diameter. You can use this method to repair any type of electrical cable with exposed wires. Heat-shrink tubing can be used to repair long sections of exposed electrical wire as well. Examples of cables you can apply heat-shrink tubing to are vehicle wires or home appliance power cords.
The tubing will be about 10-15% shorter after you shrink it, so cutting it twice as long as the damaged area ensures it will cover the exposed wire and some of the cable on either side of the exposed section to prevent further damage.
Note that heat-shrink tubing won’t work for cables that have ends that are larger than the cable itself, like chargers, because you won’t be able to get the tubing over the large ends. This method works best if the electrical cable has 1 end that is the same diameter as the cable itself.
This will stiffen the damaged area and protect the exposed wire to prevent further wear and tear. The tubing will start to shrink almost right away. Depending on how long the section of heat-shrink tubing you are heating up is, you will probably be able to shrink the whole piece in 30 seconds or less. Don’t ever use an open flame to shrink heat-shrink tubing because you can easily just melt it and damage your cable even more.
