Apartment Noise Reduction Guide

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Noise reaches you in two ways. Airborne noise (voices, music, traffic) travels through the air and squeezes through gaps. Impact noise (footsteps, slammed doors) travels through the building's structure. You can do a lot about the first and less about the second, so it helps to know which you have.

Fix: close the gaps

Sound follows air. Gaps under and around doors and around windows let a surprising amount through.

• Fit seals around the front door and a sweep at the bottom.
• Close trickle vents only briefly, as they are there for ventilation and damp control.
• Heavy curtains help with traffic noise at windows.

Soften: absorb what gets in

Bare rooms echo, which makes every sound louder. Rugs, curtains, upholstered furniture and full bookshelves absorb it. Put wardrobes and bookcases against the wall you share with neighbours. A rug with a thick underlay also softens your own footsteps for the people below.

Mask: cover what is left

A steady background sound makes changes in noise less noticeable. A fan, a white noise machine or earplugs help most at night.

• Best white noise machines

Footsteps from upstairs

Impact noise is the hardest to fix from below. A conversation with your neighbour, and rugs on their floor, help most. How to reduce noise from upstairs neighbours covers the approach step by step.

When to report it

Talk first: many neighbours do not realise how much they can be heard. If that fails, speak to your landlord or managing agent, especially if a lease requires carpets or quiet hours. In England, councils must look into noise that could be a statutory nuisance and can serve an abatement notice; in the US, many cities and buildings have noise rules enforced locally.

Putting it together

Seal gaps first, soften the room second, mask what is left at night. Keep a diary of persistent noise with dates and times in case you need to report it.

Keep reading

• How to reduce noise from upstairs neighbours
• Best white noise machines
• How to make an apartment more comfortable
• Home comfort guide

Find where the noise gets in

Stand in each room at a noisy time and listen. Sound that is loudest near the door is coming through gaps around it. Sound loudest at the window is traffic through the glass and frame. Sound that seems to come from everywhere, especially thuds, is travelling through the structure. Knowing which you have tells you whether to seal, soften or mask.

What does not work

• Egg boxes and thin foam tiles on the wall. They reduce echo a little but do almost nothing to noise from next door.
• Expensive "soundproof" curtains for wall noise. Heavy curtains help at windows, not through walls.
• Ceiling treatments in a rental. Blocking impact noise from above is building work.

Be a considerate neighbour too

Rugs with underlay, felt pads on chair legs, soft-close habits with doors and keeping music and laundry to reasonable hours make it easier to ask the same of others.

Budget order

Start with what is free: moving the bed and desk away from the noisy wall, and talking to neighbours. Then door seals and rugs with underlay, then heavy curtains, then a white noise machine. Each step is cheaper than the next and fixes a more common problem.

Sleep first

If noise disturbs your sleep, start in the bedroom: move the bed away from the noisy wall, seal the door, hang heavy curtains, and use a white noise machine or earplugs if you can sleep in them. Earplugs help many people, but check they fit comfortably before relying on them every night.