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Safety & Access

Furniture and TV Anti-Tip Kits: What to Buy and How to Think About It

Researched guide · last reviewed November 8, 2026

Researched from public sources, not a hands-on review.

Dressers, bookcases, and televisions can tip onto a child who climbs, pulls a drawer, or reaches for something on top. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission runs the Anchor It! campaign because those tip-overs cause serious injuries and deaths.

A federal safety standard now covers many new clothing storage units. It does not make the furniture already in a home stable, and it does not cover televisions or bookcases.

What the clothing-storage rule does, and does not, cover

CPSC’s rule, 16 CFR Part 1261, requires clothing storage units manufactured after September 1, 2023 to comply with ASTM F2057-23. Anchor It describes this as the federal furniture tip-over rule and dates it the same way. Clothing storage units are bedroom-type furniture intended for clothes, such as dressers. The rule is not a stability guarantee for:

Anchoring is still the step for furniture you already own.

Decision criteria

  1. What you are anchoring. Dressers and bookcases are usually strapped or bracketed to the wall. A flat-screen television can go on a wall mount or be strapped using the mounting holes on the back of the set, which is the method Anchor It’s install page describes. For an older CRT with no mounting holes, that page says to follow the kit; some kits use adhesive or another attachment. A CRT parked on a dresser stacks two tip-over hazards. Put a television on furniture meant to hold it, and still anchor.
  2. Hit a stud, or move the furniture until you can. Anchor It’s install instructions say to find the nearest stud with a stud finder, and to move the furniture or television closer to a stud if you have to. The page’s own words are that those few inches could matter. Drill into the stud and feel resistance the whole way; if the bit spins freely, you are probably missing the stud. This guide does not recommend ordinary drywall anchors as a substitute. That is not what Anchor It tells people to do.
  3. Masonry is a different job. For brick or concrete, Anchor It says to drill the face of the brick, not the mortar, and to use the kit’s masonry screws. It also says this is a reasonable time to call a contractor or the building superintendent.
  4. Strap versus bracket. Metal L-brackets are rigid. Fabric or plastic straps tolerate a small gap, which helps when a baseboard keeps the furniture off the wall, and a buckle lets you unhook the piece when you move. Steel cable sits between those. Whatever you buy, the screw still has to land in structure, and you still tug the finished strap to confirm it is tight, which is Anchor It’s last check.
  5. Attach the furniture side to solid wood. Anchor It says to avoid thin, stapled backs and veneered edges. Follow the kit’s own diagram for that piece.
  6. Adhesive and “no-drill” kits are not the general method. Anchor It mentions adhesive only as something some CRT kits may use when the set has no mounting holes. It is not presented there as an equivalent way to hold a dresser. Adhesive strength depends on the surface and the load. If you rent, ask about drilling into a stud before you treat a peel-and-stick product as the safety device.

Tradeoffs

Option Pros Cons
Metal L-brackets into a stud Rigid; hardware is simple Furniture has to sit close to the wall; brackets can show
Nylon straps with a buckle, screwed into a stud Allow a small gap; can be unhooked Plastic can age; recheck the strap
Steel cable kits into a stud Slim Fiddly to install
Television wall mount Takes the set off the stand Follow the mount’s instructions for studs or masonry; manage the cables so they are not a pull-point

Beyond the kit

Sources