How to Anchor a Dresser or TV to Prevent Tip-Overs

Anchoring a dresser to a wall stud is the fix that is in your hands, because the federal dresser standard applies only to new units. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) counted 199 child deaths from clothing storage unit tip-overs between January 2000 and April 2022, and almost half involved no television.

1. What the federal data shows

CPSC's 2022 final rule on clothing storage units (dressers, chests, bureaus, armoires, and wardrobes), published in the Federal Register, summarizes the incident data behind the rule:

• CPSC staff identified 199 reported tip-over deaths of children under 18 involving these units between January 2000 and April 2022, plus 11 adult and 24 senior deaths.
• Of the child deaths, 98 percent (196) involved a chest, bureau, or dresser, and 48 percent (95) involved the unit alone, with no television. Another 104 involved both the unit and a television tipping over.
• Hospital emergency departments treated an estimated 84,100 injuries from these tip-overs between 2006 and 2021, an average of about 5,300 a year. About 72 percent were children, roughly 3,800 a year.

Many people think of tip-overs as a TV problem. In CPSC's counts, a dresser by itself was enough.

2. Why so few dressers are anchored

The same rule cites survey research showing the gap between risk and practice. A 2018 Consumer Reports survey of 1,502 U.S. adults found only 27 percent of consumers had anchored any furniture, and while 90 percent had a dresser, only 10 percent of those had anchored it. In CPSC's focus groups, participants gave two reasons for not anchoring: they thought the unit was unlikely to tip over, particularly smaller and lighter units in children's rooms, and they did not want to damage walls in a rental unit.

3. What the STURDY standard now requires of new dressers

In December 2022, the President signed the STURDY Act into law. CPSC then determined that the voluntary standard ASTM F2057-23 met the Act's requirements and adopted it as a mandatory rule, effective September 1, 2023, according to the 2023 direct final rule. That rule replaced the CPSC's own November 2022 rule, which was stayed before it took effect. It covers free-standing clothing storage units (chests, dressers, bureaus, armoires and similar) that are:

• 27 inches tall or more,
• 30 pounds or more, and
• at least 3.2 cubic feet of enclosed storage volume.

The standard is meant to protect children up to 72 months of age, and the tests simulate children up to 60 pounds. They include multiple open drawers loaded with simulated clothing, a 10-pound horizontal pull held for at least 10 seconds, and 60 pounds placed on the edge of an open drawer while the unit is tilted forward on a 0.43-inch block that simulates carpet. CPSC's 2022 rule also describes the earlier ASTM F2057-19 version, which required a tip restraint with each unit, tested with a 50-pound static load.

Two practical points follow. First, a dresser made before the rule took effect, or a hand-me-down, was not held to these tests. Second, the standard does not cover shelving units such as bookcases or entertainment furniture, office furniture, or units under 27 inches, 30 pounds, or 3.2 cubic feet, so those are outside it.

4. How to anchor a dresser

CPSC's 2022 rule describes the warning labels required under ASTM F2057-19: do not let children stand, climb, or hang on the unit, do not open more than one drawer at a time, put the heaviest items in the bottom drawer, and install tip restraints. Those make a reasonable household checklist. For the anchoring itself, the kit's instructions come first. The steps below are the general pattern, not a CPSC procedure:

1. Find the kit. Check whether the dresser came with a tip restraint. For other furniture, buy an anti-tip kit and check its stated weight rating.
2. Locate a stud behind where the unit will stand. A stud gives the anchor something structural to hold.
3. Attach the bracket to the furniture's top back rail or side panel, using the screws in the kit, not the thin back panel.
4. Attach the wall bracket into the stud at a matching height.
5. Connect the strap or cable so it is snug with the dresser pushed against the wall.
6. Check it: with the drawers closed, pull gently forward on the top. The unit should not lean away from the wall.

On carpet, push the unit firmly back. The federal test uses a tilted base to mimic carpet, which CPSC treats as a real-world condition.

5. How to secure a TV

CPSC's data separates the two cases. Of the 104 child deaths involving both a unit and a television, 91 were head injuries. Of the 95 with no television, 60 were torso injuries (chest compression). Practical steps:

• Follow the TV maker's instructions for wall mounts or anti-tip straps, and use hardware rated for the TV's weight.
• Avoid putting a TV on a dresser. Dressers are not built to hold one, and the 104-death count shows what happens when both fall.
• Move remotes, toys, and snacks off the top of TVs and dressers so there is no reason to climb.

6. If you rent

Not wanting to damage rental walls was one of the reasons CPSC's focus groups gave for skipping anchors. Check your lease and ask your landlord before drilling, since anchor screws leave small holes.

7. Key takeaways

• CPSC counted 199 child deaths from clothing storage unit tip-overs from January 2000 to April 2022, and 95 involved no TV at all.
• Only about 10 percent of people with a dresser have anchored it, according to survey data cited in the federal rule.
• Since September 1, 2023, new dressers 27 inches or taller (and 30 pounds, 3.2 cubic feet) must pass stability tests simulating children up to 60 pounds; older dressers and bookcases are not covered.
• Follow the anchor kit's instructions, fasten to a stud and to the furniture's frame rather than the thin back panel, and keep tempting items off the top.
• Follow the TV maker's mounting or strap instructions, and avoid placing a TV on a dresser.