You can spend hours getting a room just right, from arranging the furniture to picking out lamps, artwork, and little decorative touches. Then you notice a bunch of cords hanging behind the TV or running across the floor, and suddenly the whole space looks more cluttered than it did a minute ago.

TVs, lamps, routers, gaming consoles, chargers, and speakers all come with their own wires. When several of them end up in the same area, it doesn’t take much for a tidy room to start looking messy. Cords are easy to overlook when you’re setting up a room, but once you notice them, they can be hard to ignore.

The good part is that you don’t have to open up your walls or take on a major renovation to clean up the mess. A few inexpensive products, some smart furniture placement, and a little cord organization can make a big difference. Here are some practical ways to keep those wires out of sight.

Use a Paintable Cable Raceway

A paintable cable raceway is a simple option if you have cords running along an open section of wall. These narrow channels attach to the wall and cover the wires, giving everything a much cleaner appearance.

Once the raceway is in place, you can paint it the same color as the wall. This works especially well for wall-mounted TVs, where several cords have to travel from the TV down toward an outlet. The cord is still there, but the raceway makes it much less noticeable.

Tuck Power Strips Into a Cable Box

A power strip can quickly turn into a pile of plugs and extra cord. A cable management box gives the whole setup a place to live while keeping the power strip and excess wire contained.

Power strips can sit inside the box while the individual cords come through openings on the sides. Put the box under a desk or near an entertainment center, and the area can look much less chaotic. Just make sure the box is suitable for the equipment you’re using and doesn’t trap excessive heat.

Choose Furniture That Works for You

The furniture around your electronics can make cord clutter much easier or much harder to deal with. TV stands, consoles, and some side tables have openings in the back that let you run wires through instead of leaving them hanging in plain sight.

Some pieces also come with built-in outlets or USB ports, which can cut down on the number of wires running across the furniture. If your TV isn’t mounted on the wall, a cabinet with doors can also hide a surprising amount of equipment and wiring.

Bundle and Anchor Cords Behind Furniture

Sometimes you don’t need a fancy product at all. Adhesive cord clips, Velcro straps, and reusable cable ties can keep several loose wires together and stop them from hanging down in every direction.

Run the bundled cords along the back of a console, down the back of a desk leg, or along the edge of a bookshelf. Keeping the wires close to the furniture makes them much less visible and also makes it easier to figure out which cord belongs to which device later.

Hide Cords Inside a Drawer

A drawer can make a great charging station, especially for phones, tablets, watches, and other small devices that seem to collect cords everywhere. A small opening at the back of a desk or nightstand drawer can let the charging cables pass through while the power strip stays hidden inside.

There are also charging and outlet systems made for drawers if you want something more permanent. Before drilling any holes, check the construction of the furniture and make sure you aren’t hitting anything important.

Run Cords Along the Baseboard

A cord stretched across the middle of the floor is hard to miss and can also become a tripping problem. If the cord has to travel across part of the room, keeping it close to the wall and baseboard usually makes it much less noticeable.

Baseboard cord covers can hide the wire while following the same line as your trim. Many can be painted to match the wall or baseboard, making them a good choice for rooms where running a cord through the wall isn’t practical.

Use Cable Sleeves for Busy Areas

Desks and entertainment centers are often the worst spots for cord clutter because several devices may be plugged in at once. Instead of trying to manage every cable separately, a flexible cable sleeve can gather several wires into one bundle.

This works well for computer setups, gaming systems, TVs, and other areas with lots of electronics. You can usually run the sleeve along the back of the desk or entertainment center so fewer individual wires are visible.

Conceal Tech Inside Decor

Routers and modems aren’t exactly the prettiest things to have sitting out in the open. You can make them less noticeable by placing them inside a decorative box or behind books and other decor, provided the equipment has enough airflow and the manufacturer doesn’t prohibit covering or enclosing it.

A hollow book-style cover can also help disguise smaller equipment. The goal isn’t to completely seal the device away, but to place it somewhere that keeps the equipment accessible while making it less of a focal point.

Install Decorative Wall Treatments

If you’re already planning to update a wall, decorative treatments such as wainscoting, beadboard, or slatted wood can give you another place to run cords.

You don’t necessarily need to tear into the drywall. Some wall treatments can be installed slightly away from the existing wall, leaving a small space where wires can be tucked away. This takes more work than using adhesive cord clips, but it can be a useful option during a larger room update.

Camouflage Cords on the Floor

Sometimes a cord simply has to cross part of the floor. In that case, trying to make it disappear completely may not be realistic, so the next best thing is choosing a cover that blends into the flooring.

Floor cord covers come in different colors and finishes, including options that work with wood floors, tile, and carpet. A cover also keeps the wire contained instead of leaving it loose where someone could catch a foot on it.

Add Strategic Decor

You don’t always need to buy anything to hide an exposed cord. A tall plant, decorative basket, small cabinet, or console table can block the view of wires without changing the room itself.

Take a look at where the cords are most visible from the doorway or from the main seating area. Moving one piece of furniture a few inches or placing a basket in the right spot may be enough to break up the view and make the whole room look tidier.

A little cord cleanup can make a room feel much more finished without turning into a major project. Start with the cords that are most visible, then work your way through the rest as time and budget allow.