How do you get a power strip off the floor?
Flip the power strip over. See those two slots shaped like keyholes? They've been there the whole time.
Applies to
- Process
- Shop and desk power setup
- Materials
- Standard power strips and surge protectors
- Setup
- Two screws and a driver — or two zip ties if there are no slots
- Mount to
- Wall stud, bench leg, cabinet side, desk underside
Why it matters
On the floor a power strip collects sawdust, coolant, and whatever gets spilled. Every one of those is a bad thing to have sitting in a socket.
Mounted, it also stops dragging around on its own cords, which is what eventually breaks the strain relief and turns it into a real hazard.
What good looks like
- The strip hangs flat with both keyholes engaged, not on one screw
- It's screwed into something solid — stud, frame, or cabinet carcass
- Sockets face down or sideways so nothing can drop into them
How to apply it
- Find the two keyhole slots on the back and measure their spacing centre to centre.
- Drive two screws at that spacing into something solid, leaving the heads a couple of millimetres proud.
- Hang the strip on the screw heads and slide it down to lock.
- No keyholes? Zip-tie the body to a bench leg or cabinet side instead — two ties, one at each end.
Exceptions & tradeoffs
Don't mount it anywhere it can collect water, or hard against paper, fabric or insulation.
Daisy-chaining strips is still a bad idea however neatly they're mounted.
Common mistakes
- Driving the screws home so the strip can't sit on themLeave the heads proud — the slot has to slide over the head
- Mounting into plasterboard with no anchorHit a stud, or use a proper anchor. Cords pull
Using the moulded keyhole slots on the back of a power strip to hang it on two screws — Mounting a Power Bar ↗ at 0:16–0:27.
The zip-tie alternative — bundling a power strip's cords and mounting it with ties — 60 Zip Tie Life Hacks ↗ at 8:20–8:35.
Summarized and independently edited by Start Here from two sources that solve the same problem two ways. The ElectroBOOM clip is a comedy electronics channel, so the tone is a joke — the tip is real. Placement and anchoring cautions are ours.