Do you live in a busy, noisy street or neighborhood? Probably you are fed up with blaring sounds, loud music, squealing garbage trucks, and other noises. You have probably tried shutting doors, windows, and ventilation, but the noise keeps on reaching your room. If you are still suffering from this menace, you are not alone. Many city dwellers have to live with unwanted noise, disrupting our thinking, sleeping patterns and damaging our ears. Fortunately, there is a way through. There are approved soundproofing methods that you can use to reduce noise pollution. Some of these methods aren’t complicated or expensive but work effectively. Here are the ways.
1. Weatherproofing your front door
Most of the noises we receive in our rooms come from the neighborhoods or within the house and get through the main entrance. If you are someone working or studying at home, such noise can limit your concentration and cause distractions. Have you checked the door keenly? There might be gaps or spaces which let in sounds. The openings available on your door let in some amounts of air, which carry noise into your room. Most of the entries got created with a gap beneath. You can make a door sweep to block the gap or use a thick rubber strip to block any space between the door and the frame. This idea keeps off the air and the noise it comes with it. Ensure your door closes firmly and you have other ventilation to keep the air coming in, away from the noise source.
2. Consider Acoustic panels
You can get some acoustic panels that you can hang on walls to keep off the noise. Most of these acoustic panels are made to keep off noise from bouncing objects, but you can find some that block noise that enters through the door and windows. You can use these sound management panels as partitions from one room to another and prevent noise from getting into the target room. They either work by absorbing the sound or make it bounce to the source. These partition screens are easy to fix and can fit in any room. You can remove them when not wanted or when vacating the premises. You can get residential acoustic panels that muffle sounds from adjacent rooms or other residential apartments. Installing these panels guarantee you a peaceful living.
3. Have soundproof curtains
Yes, there are soundproof curtains and work the same way as the panels in keeping off your room from noise. They lie flat against the door or windows to prevent any incoming sound and fit any window to increase their effectiveness. How do you open these curtains? Opening curtains makes noise to get in. They come with gliding tracks, enabling one to push them aside when not needed. These tracks make it easier to open and close the curtains in doors and windows. They perfectly fit the sliding doors and windows.
4. Have window Inserts
What are window inserts? When you want to block only the sound but not your apartment’s view, you can use the window inserts to keep off the noise. Windows inserts are clear glass panes or acrylic panels fixed on existing windows to keep off the noise. They create an airtight seal that keeps off the air and the noise. Not all inserts are permanent. Some get designed to pop up when needed, and most people prefer them when they want to keep off noises at night. You can have the pop-in inserts to enable you to open your windows during the day and close them with inserts at night to keep off the noise.
5. Get a thick Rug Pad
Having a thick carpet in your room will enable you to keep off the noise. The thick rug pads are mostly in floors of houses built on high-traffic areas. If your room comprises hard floors, you can get the rugs, which reduces the nuisance noise significantly. However, you have to ensure that the rug reaches all the corners. To make it work effectively, you can include another density rug underneath it, which boosts sound absorption. You can also use other methods highlighted above with the rug to create maximum soundproofing in your room.
Other methods you can consider to soundproof your room include reducing the reflected noise, having a bookshelf to block the sound entrance, and more others. You can use each method individually or combine a few of them to get the best results. Having a quiet room is advantageous to your sleep, working, or studying activity. You can also hire an expert to assess your space and recommend the best soundproofing methods depending on its size and location.