Your complete guide to soundproofing your bedroom properly.
Do you ever feel like you don’t get a peaceful sleep? Well, I did too until I realized that the problem was with my own bedroom!
Sometimes, I would be woken up by the dogs howling whereas sometimes, it would be my noisy neighbor blasting songs. That’s when I decided that I need to soundproof my bedroom.
So, if you’re facing the same problem, you may want to read the below ways and methods for soundproofing your bedroom.
1. Hanging Curtains
Let’s start with the easiest way to reduce external noises. If the area you live in is not that noisy, then curtains can do the job just fine. A thick drapery hanging on your windows will not only block the light but it can also absorb the noises from outside and make your room much quieter.
Materials Needed:
All the materials you need are available and affordable. I picked up everything I needed in one day. You will need thick curtains, a strong hanger, and curtain hanging clips.
The Process of Hanging Soundproofing Curtains
- Choose the Right Curtains
- Find a Strong Hanger
- Get Metal Hanging Clips
- Fix the Hanger
- Attach the Curtains
Step 1: Choose the Right Soundproof Curtains
Make sure you buy soundproof curtains that have a thick volume and not just a light one. Light curtains can be useless when it comes to blocking noise.
Step 2: Find a Strong Hanger
Find a reliable curtain hanger that can handle the heavyweight of the curtains. A weak plastic one might break fast, especially with daily use.
Step 3: Get Metal Hanging Clips
Buy curtain hanging clips to hang the curtain on the hanger. Make sure they are metal and strong enough. They are cheap and available everywhere. I bought mine for less than $10 and they are still doing great.
Step 4: Fix the Hanger
You can use a drill to fix the hanger in the wall properly. Or if you can’t do it, then you can hire someone to do the job for you as I did.
Step 5: Attach the Curtains
Start attaching the curtain to the hanging clips. Take your time and make sure you don’t move to the next clip unless the clip you have is holding strong.
That’s pretty much it. You can slide the curtains to cover your window whenever you want and enjoy a quiet night.
2. Install Soundproofing Foam
You might have seen those in different YouTube videos or in recording studios. They are used to block noises from outside and make your room isolated.
These acoustic foam panels do not only block as much noise as possible, but they also come in different shapes and styles to suit your taste and give a nice look to your bedroom.
I was surprised by how affordable they are. Anyone with a small budget can get their hands on enough acoustic panels to soundproof their rooms.
Materials Needed:
All you need are some good quality soundproofing panels, tape measure, rubbing alcohol, rag, cardboard, scissors, adhesive spray, and Command strips.
Process of Installing Soundproofing Foam Panels
- Locate the Source of Sound
- Measure Your Wall
- Pick the Acoustic Panels
- Clean Your Wall
- Adhere the Panels to a Cardboard
- Cut the Excess Cardboard
- Adhere Command Strips to the Back of the Cardboard
- Install Your Foam Panels
Step 1: Locate the Source of Sound
Of course, you will not cover your entire room with foam panels! First, you need to locate where the noises are coming from. Is it traffic noises from the window? Or is it a thin wall that makes you hear all of your neighbors’ hums and giggles? Whatever it is, you need to locate it first.
Step 2: Measure Your Wall
The first thing I did was measure the length and width of the wall where I was going to place the panels. I marked the area where I was going to place them then measured it with a regular tape measure.
Step 3: Pick the Acoustic Panels
Now that I have an idea of how much space I had to install the panels, I could easily buy them accordingly.
After you pick the panels that you like, find their size measurements to buy enough panels to cover your space.
It does not have to be pricey. I could find high-quality panels that did the job very well for a very affordable price.
Step 4: Clean Your Wall
Before you stick the panels to your wall, you need to make sure it is very clean. A clean wall will make the panels adhere better and stick for long.
To clean my wall, I used a rag and soaked it in rubbing alcohol, and rubbed the wall properly until I removed all dirt.
Avoid regular household cleaners, as they will not make the panels adhere that well to the walls.
Step 5: Adhere the Panels to a Cardboard
You may skip this step if you purchased foam panels with adhesive backs.
I didn’t want to damage my walls if I ever wanted to remove the panels. I also wanted to have the option of removing them and replacing them easily whenever I want.
To do this, I decided to adhere the panels to cardboard, and it worked great!
Get an adhesive spray and spray the back of the foam panels in a back and forth motion. Make sure you do not spray the edges of the panels to make cutting easier later on.
Press the panels to the cardboard for 30 seconds until they are glued properly. Leave the foam to dry for 2 hours to ensure optimal adhesion. You can use a fan to fasten the process.
Step 6: Cut the Excess Cardboard
The last thing you want to see is the edges of the cardboard popping out of the sides of the panel and ruining the view.
I used sharp scissors to cut all the excess cardboard from the edges of the panels. It is even preferred if you can make the panel overlap the cardboard to hide it completely.
Be very cautious and avoid cutting the foam panels themselves.
Step 7: Adhere Command Strips to the Back of the Cardboard
If you are unfamiliar with Command strips, they are basically small rectangles that have two adhesive sides. You can use them to adhere any light thing to your wall.
Take the paper tab off from one side to reveal the adhesive part and press it to your cardboard for 10 seconds until it’s glued properly.
Step 8: Install Your Foam Panels
Last but certainly not least, remove the paper tab from the other side of the Command strip. Then, press the foam panel to the wall for some time until it sticks. 30 seconds will be enough!
Your panel should be secure in place. Keep repeating the same process for each panel.
3. Put Rugs on the Floor
When it comes to soundproofing your room, most of us don’t think about the floors.
When you live in an apartment where the noise comes from below your bedroom, simply soundproofing the walls won’t cut it. In this case, the best way to do it is to soundproof the floor by using rugs.
So, say goodbye to your neighbor’s noises with the following steps.
Materials Needed:
You do not need anything but a thick rug and pads.
The Process of Adding Rugs to the Floor
- Measure Your Floor
- Pick the Right Rug
- Place the Rugs
- Add Pads Under the Rug
- Try Covering all the Living Areas
Step 1: Measure Your Floor
After I’ve located the empty spaces in my room that I wanted to cover with rugs, I started measuring the length and width of the floor.
Measuring will allow you to pick the right rug of a suitable size.
Step 2: Pick the Right Rug
Go to your local carpet store and find a rug the fits the style of your room. Make sure it is thick enough to isolate the sounds as much as possible. Always remember that the thicker the better when it comes to soundproofing.
Step 3: Place the Rugs
Place the rugs down to cover the floor. If they don’t fit properly, you can place the excess under your bed or sofa. I placed mine under my sofa and it spared me from the constant pain of having to adjust the rug in place whenever it moves.
Step 4: Add Pads Under the Rug
To make the isolation even better, I placed pads underneath the rugs. They gave such a wonderful enhancement to the sound masking.
Step 5: Try Covering all the Living Areas
If you cover your bedroom only, the noises from downstairs will come from elsewhere. For me, I placed the rugs in my living room as well as all the bedrooms.
4. Use Blankets
If you want to soundproof your room for almost free, then blankets can do it for you.
I personally have not used this method, but I know people who used it in emergencies and in situations when they didn’t want to pay extra money.
It is very simple, effective, and easy to do. Follow on to know the steps.
Note: You can buy soundproof blankets, that were made for soundproofing.
Materials Needed:
Gather all the blankets and quilts that you are not using at the moment. You will also need finishing nails, screws, and tacks depending on how heavy your blankets are.
Process of Soundproofing Your Room With Blankets
Step 1: Collect Your Blankets
As you already know, the thicker the better! Try picking the thickest blankets possible. More blankets mean more isolation and even more coverage area.
Step 2: Decide Your Purpose
Do you want to soundproof your room to keep the sounds in or out? Depending on your choice, you will hang the blankets differently.
If you want to keep the sounds in your room, as in a recording studio, etc., you will have to cover all the sides of your room with blankets.
On the other hand, if you want to keep the sounds out, as in soundproofing your room from traffic noises, neighbors’ noises, etc., then you will need to cover the source of the sound only. The source could be a thin wall, floor, window, or door.
Step 3: Hang the Blankets
Depending on how heavy the blankets are, you will need strong screws, finishing nails, and or tacks to fix the blankets to the walls and keep them in place.
I would suggest if you can seek help and ask someone to assist you to do it with you because blankets can get heavy.
And that’s all you need to do to soundproof your room for free!
5. Add Background Noise
This idea is totally out of the box and it surprisingly does work!
You can play your own background noises to neutralize the sounds coming from outside. Whether it is your favorite music or soothing nature sounds they can all mask external sounds and make your room soundproof for almost free!
Note: You can buy a white noise machine, that was made to help you sleep.
Materials Needed:
You need some good speakers to use around your room.
The Process of Adding Background Noises
Step 1: Find Good Speakers
To start off, you need to get nice speakers if you don’t own any. There are a huge variety of options out there to choose from. I’m sure you can find good ones no matter what your budget is.
You’d be surprised to know that there are devices that are actually made to drown out the external noises and soundproof your room. For instance, there are devices that can play 10 different sounds to overlap with external noises and make them rather inaudible to you.
These sounds include nature, white noise, even the noises of a bustling city, etc. You can pick what you like most and let it play in the background and move on with your day.
Step 2: Adjust the Volume
You should not make the volume too low to the point that external noises are still heard clearly. On the other hand, don’t make it too high that it becomes very noisy itself instead of blocking the noise.
Keep playing with the volume and adjusting it until you find the perfect level for you. The perfect volume should not be noisy and it should be able to interfere with outer noises and make them fade away.
This method is great if the noises are coming from the ceiling or your entire apartment’s walls are very thin that you cannot do anything about it!