Your home theater system is one of the most important elements of your home. It’s the center of your family’s entertainment time, and the place you’ll spend the most waking hours. As such, your TV stand is truly one of the more important items in your house. So treat it that way!
From Blu-Ray players, DVR, gaming consoles and games, audio systems, and more, you’ll need to store a lot of things. And each of your devices has cables. Take these 5 tips to make sure you’re not living in a rat’s nest of cord mess.
1. Bundle Your Cables
One of the easiest things to do to avoid the dreaded spaghetti cables is to bundle your cables. There are many options available, and you can either pick these up cheap at an electronics store, hardware store near you, or grab them on Amazon. We prefer the latter!
Here are some options you can look into:
Cables Ties
Zip ties work great, and now you can get reusable ties that are adjustable! These are by far our favorite to use, and here are some we like. Zip ties comes in a variety of colors, but we recommend black for a subtle look that blends well with most cables.
You can also try Velcro (hook and loop) bands, but we recommend adjustable zip ties, as they are easier to handle, inexpensive($6-10 for 100 ties), and look great.
Cable Sleeves
Cable sleeves are a great way to bunch up a lot of cables into one. Most come in a mesh material that's easy to use and looks clean. You can find some that we recommend here.
Hooks / Mounts / Channels
Another helpful tool in your arsenal are hooks, mounts, or channels.
Hooks or clips are an easy way to manage cables without using zip ties and are simple to modify over time. Mounts can be used in conjunction with zip ties to provide "mounting points" for a clean look.
If you’re the type who adds devices frequently or moves things around, we recommend avoiding cable sleeves and focusing on using hooks or channels. Both are great for cable organization but can be quickly adjusted.
A straightforward way to hide your cables and make them easier to manage is by getting a power bridge, which is a certified way to relocate your wall plug to a more desirable position, like right behind a TV or a soundbar. Power bridges make it so easy, that anyone with a drywall saw can do it. They come complete with templates to trace, extension cables, and some have rods to help you fish cables down.
Relocating your receptacle or adding a new one is another option you can pursue, however, we recommend having a professional help you with this method.
2. Floor Cord Management
For floor-level solutions, you have a lot of options. Cable covers can run your cords to where they need to go. Many homes or apartments won’t have an outlet in the exact location you need it, so you’ll need to be flexible.
You can also buy covers with adhesive strips on one side so you can run the cables up a wall (also known as self-adhesive channels). The white rectangular look has worked for ages but there are other shapes, colors, and materials as well.
3. Measure and Get The Right Size
Cables and cords come in all sizes. A trick many people forget is to take measurements of your space and then buy cables that are just long enough. If you do this, you’ll avoid extra loops and excess snaking and bundling. For example, if your Roku device or your Apple TV will sit right beside your tv, try using a short 3-foot or 4-foot HDMI cable instead of a 12-footer that will need to be bundled and organized.
Another tip for hiding excess cable is to get cords with elbowed end pieces. These allow the TV to be placed further back to the wall and let the cord run straight drown instead of sticking out.
4. Start With The Right Furniture
It pays to start with the right piece of furniture. If you don’t, you may find yourself cutting punch-outs in the back or making other bothersome modifications. And who has time for that? If you are in the market for a new TV stand, try one of our Realcozy TV stands. Each one is thoughtfully engineered and crafted with your needs in mind. Our pieces come with punch-out's already cut and other awesome features like ample shelve space for your devices. Check them out!
5. Go Wireless!
You won’t have to worry at all about cable organization if there aren’t any cables! Many people today go completely wireless, using Bluetooth sound systems and other cable-free tech. You can place a wireless subwoofer somewhere out of sight in the room like behind the couch, and voila! Surround sound without the messy cables.
We hope that you found our guide useful and if you have any suggestions, please let us know. If we didn’t cover your issue here, check out our resource center! There are plenty of other helpful articles to assist you in creating your coziest living room ever. If by chance you're looking for a quality TV stand, check out our TV stands or Fireplace TV stands.
