Tame Unruly Cords with the Best Cable Management Systems (2024)

Our Top Picks

Whether you live alone in an apartment or own a large family home, we think the Luxe Designs Store Large Cable Management Box offers a practical and pretty solution for hiding most unsightly cords. Thanks to the desktop in your home office or home theater setup, this box can hold plenty of larger, thicker cords. It also includes a magnetic lid, which offers more security and lets you double it as a sturdy shelf, if needed.

At almost 16 inches in length, the box can easily store an unattractive and bulky power strip, yet the slots on either side are also big enough to accommodate a handful of cords. We think the design of this cable management box is especially attractive, plus it’s made of durable mango wood ensuring no two pieces look alike. It's also available in natural wood and painted black, but we wish it came in white, too.

_{Type: Box | Dimensions: 15.94 x 6.42 x 5.11 inches | Amount: 1 | Cable Capacity: Not disclosed | Material: Mango wood}

Another cable cord management option is using a box, such as the Changsuo Cable Management, and it also happens to be our pick for best value. The box is on the smaller side, only large enough to fit a four-plug power strip or regular-size power cords. You can upgrade to a larger size box if necessary (for an added cost). The value of this particular one comes from the bamboo lid, which is a nice surprise because it's mostly made of plastic.

It includes a smaller slot on the lid, so you can easily pull your phone chargers through, while the sides feature larger slits designed for thicker cords. It also includes ventilation so your cords won’t overheat. And the 12 inches in length means you can use it as a shelf or phone holder when needed.

_{Type: Box | Dimensions: 12 x 4 x 4.25 inches | Amount: 1 | Cable Capacity: Not disclosed | Material: Bamboo and plastic}

Let’s face it: Whether you choose a standing desk or a traditional desktop setup to work at home, it's hard to make all of the cords in an office area look tidy and organized. Your desk or workstation is prone to looking unruly, but the Cinati Under Desk Cable Management Tray helps solve this problem—thanks to its clever and practical design. This handy, adjustable tray lets you organize the cords beneath your desk without needing to drill any holes. You don’t even have to worry about the included clamps scratching the tabletop because they come with anti-scratch mats.

You have a couple of installation options with this tray, either facing the basket inward or outward. The metal material ensures it won’t rust, and there’s plenty of ventilation with the design, so cords won't overheat. The slots are also generously sized so you can fit thicker cords in the tray with ease. Just note, the system is mesh, so it won't hide your cords completely. Still, this is a thoughtful choice for an essential area that can often be cluttered and chaotic.

_{Type: Tray| Dimensions: 11 x 2.75 x 4.33 inches| Amount: 1 | Cable Capacity: 10 pounds | Material: Metal}

If you have a television either mounted or on top of a stand, then you know how frustrating it is to deal with multiple cords—not to mention how disheveled they can look bunched together. The Sanus On-Wall Cable Concealer High Capacity Cord Cover Kit neatly solves this issue with a sleek, modern design. The kit comes with four 30-inch channel covers that can be trimmed to fit wherever wires are stored. Once you've gathered the tools to cut the plastic, and it's been measured to the desired length, the installation uses a peel-and-stick application. Just note, this system is best for homeowners, as there is the potential of damage to the paint or drywall, if the covers should ever be removed.

We like that you can customize this system, and blend it in with your design by painting it to match your walls. It takes a bit of effort and time, but we think the final effect is well worth it. The cord covers are designed to address the problem of unruly television wires, and they can hold up to six regular-sized cords. That said, we strongly recommend reviewing your entertainment equipment before buying this system because the covers cannot hold the weight or size of multiple thick and heavy-duty cords.

_{Type: Cord cover | Dimensions: 30-inch cable channel (customizable) | Amount: 4 | Cable Capacity: Up to 6 cords | Material: Plastic}

Clips offer a practical solution for tucking cords away because you can quickly snap in your cords, and you’re done. The Trixig kit from IKEA includes clips of different sizes so you can tuck away your unsightly cords with little effort. It comes with 150 clips for both large- and small-sized cords. It also includes self-adhesive stickers so you can customize the exact spot you want your clips to end up and keep your system in place. You can use these clips throughout your home, including on baseboards, behind television stands, beneath a desk area, and more.

It's an added bonus that the kit comes with a cute little box so you can keep the clips organized if you have any leftovers. While it might not offer much variety in color or size, the Trixig kit offers a simple, convenient solution.

_{Type: Clips | Dimensions: 7.25 x 1.5 x 5.5 inches| Amount: 150 pieces | Cable Capacity: Not disclosed | Material: Polyethylene}

Sleeves are another excellent choice for anyone who prefers straightforward installation and flexible placement options throughout their space. These sleeves sold by StrangH offer a straightforward solution for dealing with multiple cords in one area, such as behind the television, beneath your bed, your work desk, or your child’s desk. You unzip the sleeve, add the cords you want to bunch together, then zip it back up, and keep your cords protected. The triple-weave fabric keeps cords organized and bunched together properly, plus it blocks out light, heat, and dust, so you can prolong the cord lifespan as much as possible.

The zippered design makes these sleeves so easy to move around your home, which is ideal for anyone who needs to move their laptop often or has a more complex workstation. Plus, the sleeves measure 39 inches in length and 3.5 inches in width, so you can use it in close-quartered places, such as behind a shelf.

_{Type: Sleeve| Dimensions: 39 x 3.5 x 0.2 inches | Amount: 2 | Cable Capacity: Not disclosed | Material: Fabric}

The assortment pack of Bolt Dropper black cable zip ties offers a clever solution for anyone who needs help managing cords in a snap. You can use these ties for your cable cords or other electronic accessories and they’ll stay securely in place with simple maneuvering. This particular assortment stands out because of its wide variety of sizes, which means you find uses for managing cords no matter the size of your wires or if you have a small or large space.

The Bolt Dropper cable zip ties offer the added advantage of being UV resistant and weather resistant, making it an ideal choice for outdoor cord management or inside a basem*nt or attic. You can securely tie multiple cords together at once, which not only keeps them organized and in one place, but may also extend the life of your cords.

_{Type: Ties | Dimensions: Assorted sizes | Amount:400 | Cable Capacity: 40 pounds | Material: Nylon}

Final Verdict

The Luxe Designs Store Large Cable Management Box is our best overall pick, because of its pleasing design, durability, and instant usability. For our best value choice, consider the Changsuo Cable Management box, which is similar to our best overall option, and features three multidirectional slots for neatly organizing cables plugged into a power strip.

FAQ

• How do you organize cables behind a television screen?

  Organizing cables behind a television can pose a challenge, but there are a couple of options available to help. Some cable concealers have a hollow track in which you can store your cords. (These are sometimes called raceway cable concealers.) You can mount these covers to most walls. For example, we like the Sanus On-Wall Cable Concealer High Capacity Cord Cover Kit (our best for TV option), which has a sleek, modern design. This is a clever choice for concealing long wires that travel along the wall to power your device.Another option for storing cords behind your television screen is a cable box that hides wires from a power strip. If you’re using a box, such as the Luxe Designs Store Large Cable Management Box (our best overall pick), you may also want to consider cable clips, which can be useful for tackling errant wires. Kat Duncan Campbell, a professional organizer, suggests labeling each cord with a nifty label organizer. “This way if you have to unplug something or if you're moving your laptop or moving the speakers, you know exactly where the cord goes," she says.

• How do you wrap a cable?

  You have a couple of options for wrapping a cable. You can create a broad, sweeping circle motion and coil the cord up into a tight circle. Or you can try a back-and-forth motion and create a top and bottom loop. Once you have the cable in a circle or tidy figure eight shape, then you can choose the best tool for securing it, such as a zip or cable tie. We're fans of the Bolt Dropper black cable zip ties (our best cable ties choice), because it has a wide variety of sizes to accommodate a number of different sized cords.

The 7 Best Cable Management Organizers of 2024