How to Reduce Noise Levels in an Apartment

One of the most common complaints from people who live in apartments is noise level. Apartment living involves living in close quarters with other people. Often you can be bothered by their music, television, or sounds of them fighting, yelling or playing. Traffic noise is also a problem for some apartment dwellers.

Instructions

1. Identify the source of the noise that is bothering you. Determine if it is coming from the apartment above, below or along side of you.

2. Put a sound barrier up between yourself and the source of the noise. If the apartment next to you is noisy, hang quilts, tapestries and other wall hangings on the wall closest to their apartment. If it is the apartment above you, do the same thing on your ceiling. If the noise is coming from below, put carpet pads and heavy carpets or rugs on your floor.

3. Block traffic noise by covering your windows with thick drapes or heavy curtains.

4. Absorb the noise once it enters your apartment. The more items in your apartment that absorb noise, the quieter the environment is. Wall hangings made of material, rugs and carpets, curtains and drapes and even over-sized stuffed furniture all help to absorb noise.

Tips & Warnings

• Notify the landlord if a neighbor is constantly making noise or is making noise at inappropriate times, such as the middle of the night.

• When choosing an apartment, keep noise level in mind. Pick an apartment that has the least amount of immediate neighbors as possible. For example, living on the top floor, eliminates having a neighbor above you. A bottom floor apartment means no one is below you. An apartment where one wall is an exterior wall avoids being sandwiched in between two noisy neighbors.