TikTok Shows Us How To Hide Power Strips By Repurposing An IKEA Spice Rack
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Nothing ruins the aesthetic of your meticulously designed home more than those pesky power cords. Yes, we can probably all agree that electricity is a pretty valuable feature to have in your home, but the more plug-in devices you have, the more messy-looking cords and power strips you have on your walls, floors, and tables. If you're an enthusiast for finding ways to hide TV cords and other pesky wires, you might be tempted by this clever hack for concealing a power strip, shared by TikTok DIYer @yep.vanessa. Her trick is enticingly easy — take a small spice rack from IKEA, place your power strip inside, and then set the spice rack against the wall so it covers most of the power strip. In theory, this idea ensures that your power strip is still accessible for use while helping it blend more seamlessly into the rest of the space. @yep.vanessa appears to use a BEKVÄM spice rack from IKEA, which is a wooden wall-mounted spice rack that measures about 15 inches long and 3.5 inches tall. Since this spice rack is made with unfinished wood, you can paint it or stain it any way you wish to match the style of the room in which it will be going.
This DIY idea might sound brilliant at first, but before you go out to IKEA and pick up a spice rack, there are some important safety and functionality factors to consider when using an item as a power strip cover.
Spice rack power strip hack risks
When it comes to tips to get rid of annoying wires, this trick technically works — it covers the power strip completely while still making it usable. However, as easy and inexpensive as this idea is, it comes with some major safety caveats. Most importantly, using the IKEA spice rack as a power strip cover is a potential fire hazard. The spice rack is made entirely of wood, which is extremely flammable, so if your power strip has any technical issues that cause a spark, it could quickly escalate into a significant fire. It's also valuable to note that a spice rack certainly won't work for child or pet safety purposes, given that the outlets are still reachable for tiny hands and paws. For these reasons, a spice rack is probably best used as a storage device for unplugged power strips rather than ones that are in active use.
If you want to cover a power strip while it's plugged in, you should look for products specifically designed to be safe power strip covers. Yes, this might go against those powerful DIY instincts, but when it comes to fire safety, professional quality is the way to go. For instance, this cable management box from Amazon has an attractive wood grain-style design, but it's made with fire-retardant materials. In short, a wooden spice rack is great for many DIY projects but not for holding electrical devices.