Placing a TV in any room requires more careful consideration than one may initially realize. You have to make sure it is reasonable with where people will want to watch from, yet fits well with other furniture and décor. Of course, the placement also has to have access to electricity. A dress may seem like a sturdy, convenient place to prop your TV, but is this a functional idea?
Can a dresser hold a TV? Dressers are physically able to hold a TV and serve as a convenient spot to place the device. However, when placing a TV on a dresser, it is important to take safety measures that prevent it from tipping over, especially if you have children in your home.
Dressers are often tall, and a TV makes them top heavy, which can lead to tipping over. This is dangerous for anyone who is near the dresser and TV, but especially children. Children who may try to climb furniture or pull on the base of the dresser can be severely injured by the weight of a falling TV or dresser.
Luckily, these dangers are avoidable. By making smart choices while purchasing a dresser or adjustments to a dresser you already own, you can place your TV where you like and ensure a safe home environment.
Can You Put a TV on a Dresser Safely?
Using a dresser as a TV stand is a convenient way to save space if you are setting up a small room and save money on an additional piece of furniture. Many people do this and often do not put much more thought into it than that.
If not set up safely, however, the height of the dresser paired with a heavy object on top creates a dangerous situation. If someone bumps into the dresser or pulls out a drawer with too much force, that can be enough to offset the weight distribution and knock over the TV.
The weight of any dresser is already quite heavy, but Consumer Reports also warns of the weight of the TV. TVs today are remarkably thinner than original models, which may leave some homeowners feeling they cannot do much harm, but that is not true. Consumer Reports tested a 65-inch TV and found it to weigh over 78 pounds, and a found 75-inch TV to weigh around 82 pounds.
Again, the danger can affect anyone but is most prevalent for children who are fascinated with technology and their favorite shows. Children see their environment very differently than adults and, as many people know, find creative ways to get around and into things that attract them. There have been cases of children tipping over dressers by pulling out the draws and trying to climb up them.
“Between 2000 and 2017, more than 340 people in the U.S. were killed by a television tipping over, often along with a piece of furniture. And the overwhelming majority of them—72 percent—were children, often younger than age 6. In addition to the fatalities, tip-overs involving TVs caused an average of 8,200 injuries a year from 2015 to 2017, according to CPSC data.”
(Source: consumerreports.org)
The greatest relief should be that these kinds of accidents are preventable. If you feel placing your TV on a dresser is the best option for your space, there are steps you can take to ensure tipping over is not a risk.
How to Safely Set Up a TV on a Dresser
As this problem has become more prevalent, awareness and solutions have been found. The following list contains three easy, but essential set-up tips to prevent a TV and dresser from tipping over.
- Install Anchoring Straps
Anchoring straps are products that strap your TV or furniture to the wall so that they cannot tip over. In the case that the weight of the dresser or TV is knocked off center, the straps will catch the object before it can topple over. Anchoring straps are inexpensive and placed behind the object they support where they are out of sight. For a low price and just one additional set up step, they can save a life or prevent a serious injury.
There are a few different options available depending on the weight of the object and how much strength the straps need to support it. When choosing the right straps for your home, consider the weight of your dresser not just alone, but while full of the items it usually holds.
It is also a good idea to strap both the dresser and TV. The TV can be strapped to the wall or to the dresser itself. Usually, strapping a TV requires nylon anchoring strips.
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2. Do not put anything interesting for children near the TV.
Explaining danger and setting safety rules for children is important, but not always as effective as adults may hope. A TV is attractive and interesting enough for children, so make sure to minimize any further temptation to reach the top of the dresser by keeping any toys, pictures, or other items off of it.
3. Make sure all cords are hidden so children can not pull or grab them.
All wires should always be kept off the floor and out of reach of children to prevent electrical or fire hazards. Tucking away wires become important for another reason when you have a TV placed on a dresser. Any adult, child, or even pet can get caught and trip over TV wires that are out on the floor. The weight of this can be enough to send the TV falling to the ground.
If you have children in your house, you surely know that they love to touch and explore everything. Wires, often covered in bright, familiar colors, do not register as dangerous to a curious child. Children may tug on TV wires if they are left not tucked away securely, which can pose a number of risks.
What Are Safer Options to Hold a TV?
While there are accommodations that make placing a TV on a dresser safer, if you have other options available, you may want to consider them too. Forgoing the set up of a heavy TV on a tall dresser is a full-proof way to stop it from posing any risks in your home.
So what other options are safer?
Wall-mount your TV
A properly installed, high quality wall mount will keep the TV securely in place and out of the reach of anyone who may bump into it or children reaching for it.
Use a Sturdy, Low TV Stand
TV stands are pieces of furniture designed to look nice and securely hold a TV. These pieces of furniture are heavy, sturdy, and low to prevent tipping. If a TV was to tip from a low TV stand, the force could still be a risk, but be much less than that off a tall dresser. For this reason, strapping your TV to the wall or stand is still a good idea.
The Bottom Line
Placing a TV on a dresser alone can be a dangerous set-up, but modification with anchoring straps and other set-up measures make it significantly safer. No matter your space, there is surely a way to balance functionality with safety. Thoroughly consider the decision to set up your TV to find what that balance looks like in your home.