In a hurry?

Here are our top three cable management solutions:

1. If you’re after one of the simplest solutions, cable ties are a great place to start. Options like Fisual’s chunky cable ties use Velcro and soft fabric to secure cables in place, while others loop through a hole, though these can look a little less tidy.
2. For a more future-proof approach, where extra cables may need to be added or custom lengths are required, expandable cable tidy solutions are worth considering. Popular choices such as the Fisual Expandable Self-Closing Cable Tidy offer flexibility and ease of use.
3. Sleeve-style cable solutions are mainly used to group cables together and keep them out of sight. Premium versions can include a zip mechanism for a straightforward and neat finish.

Cable management ideas

1. Reusable cable ties for everyday tidy-ups

One of the simplest ways to manage unruly cables and restore some order is with a purpose-designed cable tie. Unlike standard plastic zip ties, these feature a soft fabric design and can be reused with ease. Some include a basic slot at one end, allowing you to thread the other end through and pull tight to secure the cables in place.

Premium options, such as Fisual’s cable ties, use Velcro as the fastening mechanism. This design allows for a cleaner, more flexible cable wrap.

2. Expandable sleeves for full-length coverage

If you’re looking to wrap the entire length of your cables, an expandable cable sleeve is a great option. Like fabric cable ties, these are made from soft materials that won’t damage the cables while keeping them neatly contained.

As one of the tidiest cable management solutions, expandable sleeves also offer future-proofing. Premium options, such as Fisual’s expanding self-closing cable tidy, allow you to add more cables later without needing to remove the existing ones.

3. Simple sleeves to keep cables out of sight

Anyone who works in an office or owns an AV rack will know how unsightly cables can look, and we’d recommend simple cable sleeves as a neat solution. Simply feed all your cables through the fabric tube and you’re done!

Some of the best sleeve cable tidy solutions use a zip mechanism. This removes the hassle of feeding multiple cables through the sleeve – you just zip it shut, just like fastening a coat.

4. A tidy finish for wall-buried cables

When burying cables into the walls, coming up with innovative cable tidy ideas can be difficult, yet some of the simplest are often the neatest. However, the most challenging place to tidy is where the cables meet at the amplifier or AV receiver end.

Every system is different, but using a simple windproof bristle brush letterbox cover can hide the unsightly hole while still allowing you to feed cables into the room. And as they’re similar in size to wall sockets, they’ll look right at home once fixed in situé.

5. Wall plates for a clean home cinema finish

Speaker and combined subwoofer wall plates are a staple for anyone looking to create a polished look in their home cinema room. Although you’d think these would be commonplace, they’re surprisingly hard to find.

With a bit of searching, you can come across speaker wall plate options for speaker cables that are available in single or bi-wireable configurations, making them ideal as entry and exit points when burying cables into the walls.

6. Future-proof your HDMI setup

HDMI: You never know when it’ll need replacing – and with the launch of HDMI 2.2 on the horizon, it might be sooner than expected. It’s generally recommended to run a single HDMI cable from the source to the display. However, installers often bury HDMI cables in the wall and plaster over them, which can become a costly mistake later on.

Pre-installing a length of 42mm plastic PVC piping within the wall solves this problem. It makes HDMI cables easy to replace while keeping everything neatly out of sight.

7. Use trunking when going into walls isn’t an option

When burrowing into the walls isn’t an option, plastic on-wall cable trunking offers a simple, clutter-free solution. Options from D-Line and Vogels have been around for years, with many featuring flap systems that clip into place to hide the cables.

Most include a self-adhesive strip along the base for easy attachment to the wall, but using 4mm wall plugs and screws can help minimise damage if you ever need to remove or adjust them later.

8. Slim sleeves for small cable bundles

Hiding just a few cables? A narrow-sleeved option is ideal. Like the larger versions mentioned earlier, these use soft materials to protect the cables from damage while keeping them neatly out of sight.

Premium options, such as the Fisual Branch Out Zip-Up Cable Tidy, include a zip, making it one of the easiest and most convenient cable tidy ideas available.

9. Self-adhesive ties for fixing cables in place

Sometimes, the simplest cable tidy ideas come out of necessity. If you need to fix a cable to a desk, cabinet, or rack, self-adhesive cable ties are a practical solution.

10. Use a cable management box

One of the most frustrating things about cables is how they just seem to get in the way… even when they’re not in use. We recommend using a cable management box, or a box that you’ve split up inside with dividers, to help keep your cables in one place without them getting tangled together.

11. Rugged sleeves with multiple cable outputs

When you need a more rugged cable tidy solution for the workplace and want to support multiple outputs for different electronics, some cable sleeves are designed with slotted holes along their length. These allow you to route cables out at various points while keeping the rest enclosed within the sleeve.

Premium versions also include a special tool that lets you create offshoot feeds exactly where needed.

FAQs

How do I make my cables look tidy?

The simplest way to make your cables look tidy is to use fabric cable ties. You could also use a more premium option: cable tidy sleeves, which enclose the entire cluster of cables.

How do I neatly hide cables?

With innovative solutions like adhesive cable ties and wall trunking, it’s quite easy to hide cables, and whatever your needs, there is an easy solution for you to use.

How do I hide a cable in plain sight?

Narrow sleeves and adhesive cable ties are the best ways to hide cables while not tucking them completely out of sight. These will hold the cables in place securely.

Final thoughts

No one likes ugly cables – and we hope you’ve found our cable tidy ideas useful. Some of the more unusual options, like using drain pipes and letterbox covers, might have made you look twice, but they really do work and can be just as effective as some of the most expensive options on the market.