I Banished Messy ‘Cable Spaghetti’ Behind My TV with a Simple $11 Velcro Sleeve that Instantly Elevated My Living Room
Tech experts reveal it is more than just an aesthetic fix
From the day I set up a TV in my home, the cables have been left to dangle and tangle behind the screen. They have been an eyesore that makes even the most stylish space feel disorganized.
So, when I recently rearranged the cables when adding in a new games console, I bit the bullet and invested in an $11 velcro cable sleeve from Amazon to organize cables behind the TV, and the visual difference was instantaneous.
The $11 Cable Fix that Instantly Elevated my Living Room
This velcro cable management sleeve is made from quality neoprene, meaning it is flexible and can stretch to accommodate wires if needed, offering some flexibility to organizing cables in awkward spots, such as behind the TV. It is also available in four sizes, ranging from 3.3ft to 10ft, for any space.
As with concealing clutter in plain sight, hiding cables and taming tangles in cable sleeves instantly elevates any room. Even if, like mine, the cables are somewhat tucked behind a media unit, they still add to the visual clutter of a living room. And every small detail adds up.
Taming cables and routing them through one channel is one of the easiest ways to make a living room look expensive, even with no prior organizing or designing experience. With them all corralled into one sleeve, they are easier to hide, trailing them along the back of a cabinet, for instance, to make them nearly invisible.
The benefit of the Velcro casing is that the cables remain accessible. Unlike solid casing or trailing cables behind the TV wall itself, this solution allows you to remove cables should you need to.
For my home, for example, we semi-regularly need to unplug the PlayStation to move it, so having quick access is vital. Plus, you can easily add new cables to the mix should you upgrade your home cinema setup, such as with the best soundbars, for example, you can quickly tidy the cords away.
It is a super quick fix, too, taking a matter of minutes to route all of the cables through the sleeve and do it up. It's an instant organizing win that would be foolish not to take advantage of.
You can also install outlets directly behind the TV for neat yet quick electrical access.
Hiding TV cables is more than just an aesthetic organizing trick, too. Dan Fauzi, Homes & Gardens' home tech editor for Solved, explains that good home organization ideas can also help to protect your media investments.
'If your cables are left to tangle up into cable spaghetti, they risk being bent, pinched, and pulled. This constant strain can wear them out, possibly breaking them over time. By taking advantage of cable ties and sleeves as well as cable-routing channels from Walmart, you can safeguard your tech and not put them under unnecessary stress.'
On top of this, good cable management can also prevent thermal stress, Dan continues. 'It is no secret that home tech gets hot, especially around a media unit where modern homes can have several devices plugged in and running at once. Routing your cables means they won't get in the way of airflow or get too hot too close to consoles. It is a simple trick that makes a big difference.'
What to Shop
This velcro cable management sleeve is made from quality neoprene, meaning it is flexible and can stretch to accommodate wires if needed.
This handy trailing kit can discreetly direct wires anywhere to keep them out of sight. They are ideal for cables you know you do not need to access often.
For cables you need easy access to, these individual cable ties are the perfect pick, helping to hold bunches together. They are reusable, too, to help stop creating unnecessary waste at home.
A surge protector strip and direct power to where you need it for your media unit, reducing the number of wires trailed across your home. This unit is also a surge protector, protecting your media tools against power cuts.
When you have a lot of wires packed together, it can be hard to tell what is what. These color labels make it easy for you to grab the right one when you need it.
If using an extension outlet strip, a cable management box can keep it hidden and keep cables neat, preventing pests or pets from crewing wires, too.
Meet the Expert
Dan is the home tech editor for Homes & Gardens, covering and testing everything from floorcare and cleaning products to air purifiers, sound, and smart home. They've always been passionate about the latest tech, but their writing on home products started back in 2021 on brands like BBC Science Focus, YourHomeStyle and Gardens Illustrated.
If you want to organize your home without spending any money, you can use the twisting wires used in some packaging to corral your TV cables together, keeping them neat and tangle-free, for free.
