Hiding TV Wires: 6 Simple Fixes That Instantly Reduce Cord Clutter

Don’t let those ugly, twisted TV cords distract your attention latest Netflix binge watch. The weather outside is terrible and we’re spending more time in front of the TV, which means it’s time to give your space a good cleaning. Yes, that includes that mess of tangled cords behind your TV.

Clean up the cables behind you home theater system makes it not only more attractive to look at, but also easier to use and maintain. I’ve written about the other ways you can do that improve your installation herebut clearing cables can have one of the biggest impacts. You don’t have to IT engineer to make your cables neater, and you don’t need a big budget either. All you need is some time and a few cheap items. If you want to give your TV the showroom finish you desire, here are six simple tips.

1. Tie your cords with cable ties

Of all the solutions here, using cable ties is the cheapest and easiest way to clean up your system. They allow you to bring order to the chaos behind them, and it’s easy to go back and change as you add new components. There are a number of options in terms of the straps you can use. Forget the single use cable ties, they can be good for arresting perpetrators but are bad for cables. Choose reusable Velcro straps or wire ties.

When joining cables, try to keep AV connections and electrical cables separate. This prevents electrical current from interfering with analog signals in particular, such as signals running along speaker wires. Use the cable ties to secure the cables along the natural boundaries of AV furniture and walls.

2. Label your cables

If you want to take an extra step in organizing, you can purchase printable tags so you can see which power cord is which, for example. This is especially useful if, like me, you are constantly connecting a lot of new equipment. Some receivers, like Denon’s, come with stickers that can help you figure out what’s what.

3. Buy new (shorter) cables

Do you make sure you loop cables that are too long and stuff them under the device or in the back of the TV? Maybe you should buy shorter runs. You can purchase power, HDMI, RCA, and speaker cables that are as short or as long as you need. When purchasing new HDMI cables, you may want to invest in ultra-high speed (HDMI 2.1 certified) cables for future-proofing standards such as 8Kbut for most devices they are not necessary. You can also get white cables, which can hide better against your off-white walls.

Read more: Best HDMI Cables

4. Hide those TV cords

If you decide to mount your TV on the wall, hanging wires will be obvious from the start. One way to hide them is with a cable duct. A cord or cable tray is essentially a flat PVC pipe that attaches to the wall and can be either cut to size or painted to match your decor. The front of the “tube” snaps on and off, making it easy to add or move cables as needed. Complete cable concealment kits are available in different colours.

If you are lucky enough to own a home and have drywall walls, you can pay an electrician to install an electrical outlet or HDMI ports in the wall for you. It’s more expensive, of course, and if you’re mounting the TV to a brick or concrete wall, this may not be an option.

5. Hide the surround speaker wires by running along the floor molding or laying down a rug

While cable ties and cable trays are great for keeping cables organized behind your TV, what happens when you need to route cables elsewhere in the room? Surround speaker wires are probably the most common example.

For my own system I use one 16-gauge Monster XP speaker cable to connect my surround speakers to my receiver. Monster tends to get a bad rap for being overpriced, but I like the XP range because it’s economical, well constructed and also available in white.

Whichever brand you choose, you can run the cables along baseboards and door frames and secure them with inexpensive, nail-on cable clips.

If you have a large, cathedral-like room, it may not be possible to run cables along the walls, so invest in a good rug instead. While it’s unsafe to run power cables under carpets, it’s fine to cover things like speaker cables or Ethernet, but try to run them in an area with the least amount of traffic if possible. For maximum winter hardiness, you can run a rubber track on its own on the floor if necessary.

6. Mount your power strip to get cables off the floor

For someone who deals with technology all day, I was unreasonably excited to buy a clamp-on power strip for my desktop. The most important thing he did, and what he can also do for your TV cabinet, is lift the connections off the ground and tuck them neatly out of sight. The Tripp Lite model I opted for just six outlets, but you’ll probably need more than that. For example, my (admittedly large) TV system uses two power strips with eight sockets.

If you want a wider choice of sockets, you can opt for a clamp that attaches to your existing strip, or you can go the whole hog and have a power conditioner at component level.

Read more: Best Surge Protectors

Look for more information 7 quick TV adjustments that will improve your movie night, 9 TV picture settings you can change today And 3 methods to fix muted dialogue. Plus, why you should buy the biggest TV you can afford And when you need to upgrade your HDMI cables.