After spending the whole day in the midst of the bustling city, anyone would want some sort of reprieve or a moment of peace for them to unwind and get some much-needed rest. Unfortunately, city noise is part of apartment living. Cars, noisy neighbors, street noise – they’ll always be there day and night. If that drives you mad as it further adds to your stress, don’t worry. You are not alone. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce noise in your apartment without necessarily breaking your bank or your walls. Whether it’s for your own benefit or the benefit of your neighbors, here are simple and easy strategies to soundproof your apartment.
One of the most problematic spots for outside noise is your doors and windows. To combat this, you can get yourself some window inserts. They’re clear panes of glass or acrylic that you fit tightly on your window frame that create an airtight seal blocking off 50 % of the outside noise. They also work well to keep the heat in the apartment during the cold months. As for your doors, seal up the huge gaps underneath it or on its sides to reduce the pathway noise could come in through.
Curtains or drapes help absorb any outside noise that could still filter in through your doors or windows. Plus, they also help keep the light out of your room helping you get that much-needed beauty sleep. However, if you’re going to go for this option, choose curtains or drapes made of heavy material like velvet. If you want to go the extra mile, you can also get yourself some soundproof curtains that are specifically made to deflect noise from the outside.
Soft things like rugs absorb sounds reducing them to muffled whispers in your apartment. Not only that, but they also reduce the noise you produce in the apartment itself. It prevents noise from your shoes or moving furniture around. If you’re not fond of the whole carpet floor idea, you can strategically place thick rugs around your apartment to compliment your style.
Installing a bookcase against one of your walls is one of the easiest ways to muffle that ever-noisy neighbor of yours. The idea behind it is to increase the mass of your wall to lessen vibrations and create another barrier for the noise. Plus, it also adds a stylish storage place to your apartment.
More than just being aesthetically pleasing visual points to the room, wall hangings are another way to lessen the noise penetrating your walls. Covering your hard walls with something soft like wall hangings reduces sound reflection. So, it muffles noises from the outside and also softens the noises inside the apartment itself.
If you’re trying to build a home studio, acoustic panels are the perfect fix for you. It can also be used by homeowners simply looking to reduce noise as well. These are made as boards or fabrics to be hung up on walls. And though they’re not the most attractive design option, they do an excellent job with stopping sounds from leaving your apartment and stopping the outside racket from coming in.