Whether it’s the sounds of a busy street or loud pipes, excess noises in your home can be real nuisances. In addition to being just plain irritating, living in a noisy home can make it hard for people to sleep and damage their hearing over time. Fortunately, there are many ways you can block out interior and exterior noise sources. To start enjoying some peace and quiet, take a look at these effective tips on how to reduce noise in your home.
Install Acoustic Panels
Installing acoustic panels is one way to prevent noise from entering or leaving a room. By attenuating airborne sound waves and reducing their amplitude, acoustic panels can effectively limit noise reverberation in an enclosed space. Such panels are typically composed of mineral wool or foam, and they can be installed in ceilings or walls or even used as partitions.
Seal Off Any Gaps or Cracks
Any place through which air can travel, sound can travel through as well. As such, it’s important to find and seal any cracks or gaps in your home. Common areas for gaps to occur in homes include around doors, windows and outlet boxes and in the corners of wall openings. If you notice a gap in these areas, consider installing weather stripping or caulking the area to seal off the opening.
Add Insulation
Another tip on how to reduce noise in your home is to upgrade your home’s insulation. As we previously stated, sound can travel through any areas of your home that allow air in. By upgrading your insulation to prevent the flow of air into or out of your home, you can prevent sound from entering or exiting as well. Types of insulation that are especially adept at absorbing or blocking the flow of sound include fiberglass insulation, mineral wool insulation, and cellulose insulation.
Lay Down a Few Rugs
An easy way to reduce noise in your home that requires minimal effort and expense is to simply lay down a few rugs. Large rugs will reduce ambient noise in a room with hardwood or tile flooring. The reason rugs are so effective at absorbing sound is due to their individual fibers, underlay, and tufts, all of which have different resonant frequencies. As such, they can absorb sounds over a wide range of frequencies.
