When my husband and I got a new flat-screen television for Christmas, it meant moving some things around the living room. We no longer needed the huge corner cabinet that our old behemoth of a 36″ tube television used to sit on. Instead, we got to switch to a delicate and lovely sofa table that was sitting mostly unused in the office. I loved the way the television looked on it, and all of the audio/video components fit so nicely on the shelf. And then I realized something. The cords had nowhere to hide! This pretty table sits up off the floor and the cords were running everywhere, and making an absolute mess.
I mean, just look at it! I already know how nicely this is going to end, and it still pains me to see the mess in this picture.
All I needed to get it under control were a couple of decorative boxes and some ties. For the boxes, I used two very inexpensive NOSTALGISK boxes from IKEA. You can use any box you want, as long as it has a removable lid and you can cut a hole in the back. I especially liked these not only for their size and color, but for the clear plastic window. (You’ll see why in a minute.) For the ties, you can use anything you can find that will help you corral your cords. I used a combination of rubber bands, wire twist ties, pipe cleaners, and Command cord organizer clips.
Then it was time to cut a hole in one of my boxes. This is where that little plastic window came in so handy! I just used the blade from a pair of scissors to cut a cross in the plastic, which made it super easy for cords to get in and out. If your box doesn’t have a window like this, just cut a hole in it with a knife. It just has to be big enough to fit your largest cord through.
Then I plopped my surge protector into the box, ran the cord through the hole in the back, and plugged it in to the wall outlet. (By the way, if you don’t have a decent surge protector — not just a power strip — please go buy one. It’s the best investment you can make to protect your television and equipment!) Then I just started feeding the cords from all the other components through the hole in the back of the box, bundling the extra length with ties, and plugging them into the surge protector.
As I did this, I also took care to organize and sort all the cables behind the equipment. I used a combination of ties to keep everything together and tidy, and most importantly — off the floor. Everything was bundled as much as possible, and it all ended up going through the hole in the back of the box. Even things that didn’t need to be plugged in had their excess cords shoved in. Here’s a before and after. Pretty amazing difference, right?
Here’s what the box of cables looked like when everything was shoved inside. All I had to do was put the lid on and then never look at them again! And, they not only stay out of site, but they stay clean, too!
I only needed one box to hold all the cables, so I used the other one to hold random television-related things like an extra remote, the manual, and my old Nintendo 64 gaming system. I just love how everything is so neat and tidy now!
But my favorite part is underneath. Look! Not a cord in sight, which means that I can actually sweep under here, too!
19 comments so far:
I like what you’ve done here, and I like the site, too — to the point where I made a point of pointing it out at MY site. Which is good for you getting, oh, two or three readers, easily (g).
Nice going.
Thanks so much, Bill!
Yes, I guess I am number two and being an anal retentive organizer, I also like this site.
This is a great idea!
Pure Genius!
While I LOVE the look of this, I’m hesitating employing this idea myself for one reason: circulation. Should we be concerned about heat build-up inside a paper box or not? Just wondering whether this is truly safe.
Thanks Tabor, Sarah, and Erin!
Kathy, the only type of cords that will generate any heat are those that have an external transformer (a large block like this) in the middle of the cord. I rarely see those on audio/video equipment (usually just on printers, it seems), and none of my cords had them. Those blocks generate a little warmth, so you might be best to keep them outside the box.
Thanks for this great idea. I featured it on my site. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the shout-out, Heather. Hope you continue to enjoy our site
I’ll be linking to this great idea soon!
Thanks for sharing! I featured you on my site as well.
http://jessw327.blogspot.com/2010/12/clean-up-clutter.html
Thanks for sharing our idea with your readers, Jessica!
This is a great idea for equipment that never goes bad.If course I have never heard of anything man made that does not fail.So when something goes wrong you will spend an extra hour untangling your shoe box of cords.
Heh, Murphy’s Law can certainly be in effect, Chris, but I actually tried to minimize the tangling in the box by bundling each cord individually. And I’d rather deal with one failed cord that’s tangled down the road than lots of tangles every time I sweep under that table
Absolutely brilliant!!! I pinned this and put it on Pinterest. That should get you some more readers. I am doing this after we get done unpacking from our current move.
Thanks for the pin, Tina. Let us know how it goes!
Awesome idea! Fixed my ugly cable problem
I used this idea with great success in one room Now, do you have a good idea for hiding cables from a wall mounted tv that does not involve drilling holes?
Glad this worked out for you, Donna. For a wall-mounted TV, I wonder if you could put a small table in front of it and put a decorative box on it and tuck the cords inside? Or maybe put them in a vase? I dunno, that’s a tough issue!