How to Hide TV Cables: Easy Cable Management Ideas

Look behind your TV. A gray knot of cords, a power strip on its side, and no idea which plug runs what.

Here are my nine house rules for hiding and labeling TV cables with ties, sleeves and raceways. No wall cutting. Renter-friendly.

Where the rules come from

Twelve years as an electrician. Every rule below exists because I've seen it go wrong.

Rule 1: Photograph the back before you touch anything

One phone picture of every port. Plug back in by copying the photo.

Rule 2: Label every cable. Both ends.

Write "TV," "soundbar," "console" near the plug on each end. Masking tape and a marker works fine.

Nine black cables look the same at the strip end.

Rule 3: Bundle loose, never tight

Use hook-and-loop ties or a split cable sleeve. Both open by hand. Zip ties mean scissors near live cords.

Rule 4: Run it down the wall in a raceway

For a wall-mounted TV, a stick-on raceway from the TV to the outlet hides the drop. Cut it to length.

Snap the cords in and the drop is gone.

Hidden tip: many raceways are paintable. Paint it the wall color and it nearly disappears. Also: wipe the wall with rubbing alcohol first. 3M's own instructions say alcohol, not household cleaners.

Rule 5: Power cords stay out of the wall

Never push the TV's power cord through the drywall to hide it. The electrical code bars flexible cords run through walls or hidden inside them. Want in-wall? That takes a listed in-wall power kit, and that's a job for a licensed electrician.

Rule 6: Never under the rug

A rug traps the heat a cord gives off, and the CPSC warns against running cords under carpets or rugs for exactly that reason, so route the cord around the edge of the room where it can breathe.

Rule 7: No nails, no staples

A staple can bite through the insulation. That's a fire.

Rule 8: One power strip, straight into the wall

Never plug a power strip into another strip or an extension cord. Listed power strips are made to plug directly into a wall outlet.

Daisy-chaining is a fire hazard people treat as a convenience.

Rule 9: Leave slack at the TV

Keep enough loose cable to tilt the TV. A tight cord yanks on the port.

The rule I break

Honestly, I skip Rule 2 on the console cable at home. It's the only white one. My son Adam unplugged it anyway.

Hidden tip: moving a stick-on clip later? Grab the tab and stretch it down, flat against the paint. Never pull toward you.

Save this: the TV cable rules

Keep just one? Keep Rule 8.

Those are the rules. Not law, but behind my TV they might as well be.