5 simple ways to soundproof noisy room at home

Living in a busy Nigerian neighbourhood often means dealing with loud generator noise, traffic, street hawkers, or loud neighbours. When you live in a rented apartment, carrying out permanent structural changes or buying costly acoustic panels is rarely an option.

In this article, Tribune Online examines five practical ways you can block unwanted sound and restore quiet to your living space using everyday household items.

Cover bare floors with thick rugs and blankets

Hard tile or terrazzo floors cause sound waves to bounce around the room, making outside noise louder through echo. A soft and porous surface traps sound vibrations rather than reflecting them.

Laying a thick rug, a wool carpet, or folded heavy blankets over bare floor spaces instantly softens incoming footstep vibrations and reduces room reverberation.

Seal the gaps wnder your doors with rolled towels

Sound behaves like water and slips through any small crack or air gap it finds. The empty space beneath your room door is often the primary entryway for hallway discussions and living room noise.

You can solve this by rolling up a thick bath towel or an old bedsheet tightly and placing it directly against the bottom edge of the closed door to stop air and sound leakage.

Hang heavy fabrics and double curtains on windows

Thin window glass offers little resistance against street traffic, blaring music, or humming generator sets. You can create an effective sound barrier by hanging heavy fabric materials such as velvet curtains, thick Ankara drapes, or doubled bedsheets over your curtain rods.

Make sure the fabric extends well past the window frame to trap sound waves before they enter the room.

ALSO READ: 10 best cheap soundproofing materials for your apartment

Reposition heavy wooden furniture against shared walls

Adding physical mass to thin walls makes it difficult for noise vibrations to pass through from the next compound or adjoining flat.

Move solid wooden wardrobes, large bookshelves, or display units flush against the specific wall where the disturbance originates.

A bookshelf packed tightly with textbooks, files, or magazines acts as a dense physical shield that absorbs mid-to-high frequency noises.

Dampen echoes with soft wall hangings and cushions

Empty walls amplify noise by reflecting sound back and forth across the room.

You can break up these reflections by decorating empty wall spaces with fabric tapestries, large framed canvas paintings, or hanging rugs.

Placing extra throw pillows and plush cushions on your sofa and bed further breaks up sound paths, leaving your room noticeably quieter.