10 Budget-friendly Ideas To Soundproof Your Home
Noise is one of those things you can’t avoid. While you’re more likely to experience it if you live in a vibrant city, even quiet neighborhoods experience it once in a while. It could be from vehicle stereos or the garbage truck. But regardless of the source, loud noises can be rather bothersome, and noise pollution usually has a negative impact. It makes sense to want to soundproof your home, especially if you spend a lot of time there working or just for peace and calm. You can use these budget-friendly ideas to soundproof your home.
Rearrange your furniture
Rearranging your furniture is one of the easiest ways to completely change how sound is perceived in your space. Moving bookshelves and wardrobes close to your walls can help minimize the sound coming from your neighbors. You can also play around with the textures in your home to reduce sound. For instance, furniture made with softer fabrics absorbs sound better than those made with firmer leather. Using furniture as a low-cost DIY method of reducing sound is ideal since it covers several critical components of soundproofing. Furniture not only adds mass to a room but also helps deflate and absorb sounds to prevent echoes and reverberations.
Throw in some more pillows
Throwing in some extra pillows is a useful tip for soundproofing your space. Pillows can absorb sound and greatly assist in noise reduction. So you can purchase some additional ones for your living room and bedroom. Pillows are also great for boosting your home aesthetics. The fluffier the pillow, the higher its noise absorption capabilities. For this reason, it is ideal to go for large pillows since they can perform better than the standard ones. Be sure that the size and appearance are appropriate and blend well with your existing decor.
Weatherproof your doors
You may hear the outside noise more if there are large gaps beneath your doors. You can eliminate the noise by sealing the leaks around your front door. You can install a door sweep, one outside, and another inside, for added soundproofing. Door sweeps don’t only serve soundproofing purposes but can help keep dust and moisture from entering your home. You can also weatherstrip the door or add soundproofing rubber to its perimeter.
Bring in some rugs and carpets
Soundproofing your floor is just as essential as doing so for the walls if you live in a condo or an apartment building. Bringing in some rugs and carpets is useful in any room, especially if echoing is an issue. Concrete floors are poor soundproofing choices since they are excellent sound transmitters. Noise traveling through your floors can be very and is one of the commonest noise pollution sources in most homes.
For instance, people walking around, elevators, water pipes, neighbors TV’s or ongoing construction works nearby can create noise in your home. Even when some of these are background noise, they can be annoying if you are a light sleeper. Save yourself from unwanted noise by adding a thick rug pad to absorb as much as 50% of the reflected sound.
Hang some paintings or wall rugs
Many people consider hanging paintings or photographs on their walls for aesthetic appeal. But are you aware it can dampen sound and reduce the noise in your space? Wall hangings are an excellent and cheap way to deal with excess noise in your home without committing to any commercial product. Just as rugs and carpets can prevent sound from bouncing off your floors, paintings can have a similar impact and prevent sound waves from bouncing off your bland walls. The sound-blocking properties of your paintings and tapestries may be abysmal but can soften noise inside your home. Fortunately, you can DIY these, saving you some money.
Avoid hard surfaces
Hard flat surfaces usually bounce sound waves and create a lasting echo. Because of this, avoiding décor or home furnishings with hard surfaces would be best. If necessary, wrap your ceilings and walls to soak up the noise and prevent it from echoing. This can be useful when doing household chores, such as vacuuming, by preventing noise from being reflected. You can also install rubber textile mats on your walls to absorb noise.
Update your windows
Newer windows are designed to minimize sound transfer. They are ideal if you reside close to a busy road and can significantly improve your quality of life. Your windows may be somewhat old if you can hear noise from the outside, even when you are inside and closed. So you would have to get new ones if you want quiet. It can be hard to truly soundproof your windows if it only has one glass layer. So doing your research to learn more about the best windows for noise reduction is useful. Searching for ‘a window replacement near me’ online can provide you with experts you can rely on for noise-reducing window upgrades and installations.
Use thicker blinds
Even when your windows are tightly sealed, the glass may have some faults like cracks, allowing air in. Even without cracks, it is essential to cover your windows since they are designed with reflective materials. Having window blinds can come in handy. However, you can’t expect your metal blinds to do the trick since metals like aluminum are also reflective and may be unable to reduce the noise inside your home. Instead, go for blinds made from thicker materials such as vinyl, rubber, or collapsible air pocket blinds. This way, you can prevent them from making noise when they sway against the glass.
Fix your squeaky floors
The noise from your squeaky floors can be irritating. While they are more common in older homes, newer ones are not exempt. Loose wooden floorboards frequently cause squeaks. Even carpeted spaces can be loud and annoying if the solid wood subfloor is not securely fastened to the joists. Fortunately, silencing your squeaky floors is simple, inexpensive, and should only take a few minutes to DIY. Tightening the floor, for instance, is a long-term solution for preventing the boards and treads from brushing against each other and creaking. You can also install one isolated floor over an existing one to prevent this noise.
Get some budget-friendly soundproof curtains
There are pocket-friendly soundproof curtains you can get to instantly suppress any noise and guarantee a serene atmosphere for some good sleep. It may be stiff and require some effort to open and close, but it works well. You can also install a multi-layered curtain and choose textiles that absorb sound, such as cotton. Keep in mind that the thicker, the better. Pleated curtains have been proven to be more effective than standard ones. You can save some money by making them yourself if you have sewing skills and tools, including a needle, thread, measuring tape, and a pair of scissors. You can either make one from scratch or enhance your existing curtains.
These tips are just a few ways to soundproof your apartment and house. Aside from the above, there are other ways to handle noise in your space that don’t involve changing decor or structural elements. First, you can wear earmuffs or earplugs for complete silence. Secondly, get an electric whirring fan or noise machine to mute the world. Lastly, you can get noise-canceling headphones if you need a quiet home office. Remember that all the methods mentioned are not equally effective, but many of them will do the work in your home. You can consider speaking to a professional for more complex alternatives available.
No comments:
Post a Comment