Peace and Quiet: Simple And Effective Ways To Soundproof Your Home -

It is a well-established meditation device to get people to close their eyes and listen to the sounds around—it helps to still the clamoring inner noise of our own thoughts. But sometimes it is our own thoughts that we want to concentrate on, and the outside noises that are getting in the way. At such times we might well think that a little soundproofing would be better for our tranquility.

Why Soundproof Your Home?

You probably want to stop noise getting into your home from outside. Perhaps you live in a particularly lively neighborhood; perhaps you live close to a highway or airport; perhaps you have a thin party wall and you don’t want to hear what your neighbors are doing.

Your objective might be to stop sound traveling around the house. Open plan living is a great idea in some ways, but it does mean that you are never very far from each other’s music and TV.

You may be civic minded and not want to bother your neighbors if, for instance, you are hard of hearing and have the TV on very loud, or if you are learning to play the trumpet.

Different Sounds Need Different Remedies

There is never going to be a one-stop solution to noise issues. High-pitched sounds are best countered by softer materials like mineral wool fiber, but low-pitched sounds really need a dense hard material like concrete.

What you do will depend on what is irritating you most. But remember that a lot of sound perception is about what goes on in your head, and you may find that you are still tuned into a certain noise even if its actual decibels are lowered.

Some Practical Remedies

Sounds are intensified by bouncing around on hard surfaces, so do what you can to absorb sounds in soft items, both within and around your living area and bedrooms.

Carpets, curtains, and soft furniture will help to deaden the sound that is made in your living space, making it better for all the occupants.

Carpets also help to stop noise traveling between different floors, and you could consider fixing acoustic tiles to ceilings for the same effect.

It may be surprising, but you can get soundproof wallpaper to deaden sound within the room and reduce the noise coming from outside. It is a multi-layered wallpaper with sound barriers included in different materials.

Doors are a major route for the passage of sounds, and not just when they are open. Modern hollow doors are very bad at stopping noise and can be replaced by solid doors. The gaps around the doors also let through sound and this can be cut by simply applying weather strip to internal as well as external doors.

The Quiet Life

Everybody has a different level of noise tolerance, and your house may not be built to your own perfect specifications. Even without rebuilding, there are still relatively easy steps that you can take to bring your home closer to the level that is right for you.

[info_box type=”pale_box”]Sophie Little leads a hectic life as a Mom to four kids ranging in age from 3 to 15. She also runs a daycare center from home so peace and quiet is extremely limited in her life! Her relax unwind time is when she’s writing articles once the younger kids have gone to bed.[/info_box]