Best Tips for How to Hide Cords In Your Home
Technology is everywhere in the modern world, and we would certainly be lost without it. After all, we are a technological generation, but the site of messy cords and wires can leave even the most technically minded among us feeling frustrated. Tangled cords can make a chic space look shabby instantly, not to mention that messy cords can be a fire hazard if left in a tangly jumble. Happily, hiding cords can be an easy project and doesn’t have to require lots of drilling and significant upheaval. With a few clever tricks up your sleeve, you can hide those messy cords and take your room from cluttered to curated in an instant.
Read on for our top creative tips to creatively hide those cords. Whether it is computer cables in your home office or TV wires in your lounge, these cord hiding ideas are sure to impress! (And all of this can be done without having to drill through your walls! A serious bonus if you are renting or don’t want to have to fill holes in your wall at some point.)
Remember, when you are working with cables, there is always a risk of fire. Be sure to safety check all your cables and replace any old ones before embarking on a DIY project.
Hook Cords to the Back of Your Furniture
A quick and easy way to hide a jungle of messy cords is to hook them to the back of your furniture by using specialized plastic adhesive clips or cable clips. These little gadgets have a particular slot where the cable slips in. This works well if you have objects like lamps with long cords. Rather than the wire trailing across your lounge to reach the plug point, attach these small adhesive clips to the back of tables and chairs. The cord will be hidden from sight and weave behind these pieces of furniture.
These clips can attach easily to tables, shelves, the legs of chairs, and any other surface that the adhesive surface can stick to. In consequence, your living room or office space will immediately look less cluttered. This is also an excellent pick for home offices.
Zip Tie Those Cords Together
Zip Tie cords are another great way to hide those messy cables, especially if you have lots of them together, getting all the more tangled by the day. This works well around plug sockets with multiple devices.
Firstly, you’ll want to gather some zip ties together and untangle those messy cables. Once they’re separated, group them together and loosely place a zip tie around all of them (loosely, and not to the tightest click), much like a collar around the group of cables. Next, you will want to tie relatively loose perpendicular loops around the initial zip tie in-between each cord. This creates a zip tie loop between each cable and keeps them effectively separated so that they won’t tangle.
Once attached, tighten the zip ties and trim any excess plastic. If you add more cables to the mix, you can add them to this arrangement or form a new one. Say goodbye to a tangled mix of wires, and hello to some order!
Tape Power Cords to the Underside of a Table
Cable management is critical in office spaces. With many of us working from home these days, home office management becomes even more important. One effective way to hide power cords is to tape them to the underside of your table or desk.
Adhesive tape is a fantastic way to get rid of any unsightly cables, and it’s strong enough to carry their weight. You can easily attach power bars and cords and neaten up your space in an instant.
Another way to neatly store cables and electronic devices is to attach a wire basket to the underside of the table or desk. Drill it into place and put your modem or power brick or plug it into the basket, arranging carefully so that each item has enough space. The basket method is excellent if you have multiple devices that need storing or heavier objects that might be too heavy for the adhesive tape. These baskets make for an excellent desk cable organizer and can be purchased online.
Feed Wires Through A TV Stand
Feeding wires through a TV stand is an easy way to get rid of any untidy cords and neaten up the space surrounding your television. You can either drill a small hole behind the stand and feed the wires through or opt for the basket method above for this task.
If you are into DIY, you could also create your own TV stand using wooden crates. Stain or paint them to a color of your choice, and then turn them on their side. Each crate can house different accessories and cables while offering a stylish television stand to creatively hide those cables.
Happily, some models will come with the necessary holes and compartments to hide these cables already. However, if you want to transform an existing stand, you’ll need to drill holes, utilize a basket, or add some extra hidden storage components.
You can also attach cable clips to the back of the stand and clip the wires into them so that they run along the back of the shelf, rather than in a messy pile on the floor.
Slip Them into a Drawer, or Create a Hidden Charging Station
While creative ways to hide TV cords and computer cables are ample, sometimes simplicity wins. Sometimes, slipping those unsightly cables into a draw is all you need to declutter your space. Suppose you have a desk with some extra drawer space. You might also want to use a unique cable organizer to keep things extra neat and tidy.
You could even drill a small hole through the back of your chest of draws and designate a particular draw as your charging station. By keeping all chargers and devices in one draw, you’ll quickly declutter the space and get rid of visible cords.
Snake Them through Baseboard Accessories
The baseboard or skirting board is an integral part of any room, neatly covering the area between the floor and the wall. It also serves as a great spot to hide any unattractive cords. Thankfully these plastic molds, built to house cables, are self-adhesive and easy to install as they attach to your existing baseboard. You’ll need to purchase some special cord channels to do this, and these can easily be found online. Once installed, you can feed various cables through these channels. This neatens up space and prevents any potential tripping hazards. Opt for colors that complement your existing décor for added style.
Stash Wires and Routers Faux “Books”
For the crafty, DIY fundis out there, this is a project that is bound to inspire. By making a faux book out of wood and some old book covers, you can create the illusion of books and use the hollow inside to hide cables or objects like your modem. For this project, you will need:
- Old books that you want to upcycle
- A wooden box – Size of your choice (preferably the height of your books)
- Hot glue
Scour your local charity shop or find some old books that you are no longer using. Carefully cut the pages out using a penknife and keep the covers intact. If you don’t want to use real book covers, you can print some covers. Choose 5 or 6 covers, depending on the size of your wooden box’s façade that they will cover.
The two end covers need to include the front and back covers to cover the sides of the box. These can be attached first with hot glue, and then the middle books with their spines can be stuck in-between them. This box will create the illusion of books on a shelf, all the while storing your items in style.
Your cables and electronic devices like remotes can be easily stored here. Check out this great tutorial if you want to explore this project.
For Unused cords, upcycle some empty toilet rolls!
While cords and cables plugged in can look messy and tangled, most of us know the dramas of those boxes of unused cables and chargers. For ease and less clutter, use old toilet rolls and put them into a box vertically. Each empty role will serve as an individual compartment for a charger or cable. This is a fantastic way to keep all the cords together while separating them. If you like, you can also label each one to know precisely what cord is where.
Cover Larger Cords in Beautiful Yarn
If you have a long extension cord or lamp cord that simply cannot be hidden by the above means, it might be worth making the cord a feature piece in the room. Choose gorgeous fabrics in a color pallet of your choice, and carefully wrap yarn around the cable. Of course, you’ll want to ensure that the cable is sufficiently protected and in excellent working order, as you do not want this to be a fire hazard! If fabric isn’t your style, you could even use brightly colored Washi tape.
There are so many creative ways to hide messy cables, many of which can be quickly done at home without professional help.
What are some of your creative ways to hide those cables and cords? Let us know!
