Reducing noise: 6 tips for a quiet home

Naia Carlos Naia Carlos
Maßgefertigte Raumteiler und Schiebetüren für die persönliche Note, Elfa Deutschland GmbH Elfa Deutschland GmbH Kitchen
Loading admin actions …

We’ve all experienced it, when the house creaks here, rattles there,  then groans in one corner and squeaks in another. Noise within the four walls is quite inevitable, but too much and the racket becomes unbearable. Residents can lose sleep over these noises. And a home should always be a tranquil respite from these distractions.

No worries. Homify shows you a few simple tips and tricks that can reduce noise in the rooms of the house. From choosing the right furniture and utilizing the space to handy devices and accessories, there are plenty of ways to create a comfortable and peaceful living atmosphere at home.

Here are some of our tried-and-tested tips to reduce noise throughout the residence.

Barriers

Open, spacious rooms and expansive smooth surfaces reflect sound so that it spreads throughout the space and can even intensify. To prevent this, homeowners can install barriers throughout their abode.

Glass doors and windows are a particularly amazing choice, since they can reduce sound without diminishing the openness and brightness that’s available in the room. Other options include room dividers, small-sized furniture and a combination of large cupboards and airy shelves, all of which help break the sound and distribute it in the different areas of the room.

Textiles

Textiles are known to be reliable sound emitters, which effectively reduces the echo and reverberation in the room. If the walls and surfaces are completely bare, the sound will flow uninterrupted and even increase. This quickly becomes bothersome to both the homeowners and their neighbors. With textiles – such as curtains, carpets and upholstery – the extra padding helps reduce noise within the walls, while providing a cozy touch to the room.

Parents can decorate their baby rooms with thick, fluffy carpets so their kids can sleep soundly through the night. After all, carpets have other advantages like keeping the feet warm, protecting against injuries and generally making the bedroom a more pleasant place to be in.

The right kitchen utensils

The kitchen is one of the rooms in the house where noise can hardly be avoided. When one is cooking, rattling dishes and clattering equipment are to be expected. However, it’s very possible to reduce noise with a few tricks.

One of the most important steps is to find the right electrical appliances. Dishwashers, hoods, blenders and the like can make a very annoying racket. Fortunately, modern manufacturers have made great progress in developing equipment that make less of a commotion. For example, newly-manufactured dishwashers now come in less than 50 decibels. Also pay close attention to certification of the products as these usually translate to reduced noise. The same applies to appliances outside the kitchen such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines or the dryers.

Rubber insulation and padding

What if you’ve chosen a modern, quiet electrical device, but it's still too loud for you? Or there’s simply no room in the family budget for an entirely new set of modern equipment, especially if the current ones are still working perfectly. In this case, rubber insulation on the appliances can work extremely well in reducing the heavy vibration and rumble of the equipment. 

It’s not just the actual equipment that makes a fair amount of noise in the kitchen. Even furniture can cause a racket when they’re being moved across the room. A great solution is using felt pads, chair socks and step mats, which can muffle the sound of dragging the chairs and tables on bare flooring.

Repairs and improvements

Some of the creaks and groans that you hear in the house is because of a lack in maintenance. Notice how the neighbor’s toilet or shower can be heard through the walls in multi-family homes. This is because running water produces a lot of noise in pipes, and the sound transmits the vibrations to other parts of the house. To reduce these sounds, the pipes should be decoupled with pipe clips. However, these should have an insulation layer to produce the desired effect. Tube shells, which can be pushed over pipes, also provide sound insulation.

Wooden flooring, which creaks and groans uncomfortably, also need maintenance once they reach a certain age. This happens when the nails get loosened, which can easily be fixed by a capable carpenter. Be vigilant in checking the house for necessary scrapes, especially when it begins making strange noises.

Protection against outside noise

Of course, it’s not just the indoor noise that can bother residents. The buzz from the streets can be even more annoying, but homeowners can shield their private living spaces in a number of ways. Block the windows, since this is where sound usually seeps through. Roller shutters in front of the windows can be an effective solution, while self-adhesive sealing tape can further seal doors and windows from the outdoors. Further tricks include sound walls and suspended ceilings with integrated insulation.

Looking for affordable homes? Check out these 5 single-detached homes for families with a small budget.

Need help with your home project?
Get in touch!

Highlights from our magazine