One of the common challenges when living in the city is the busy roads that often bring noise and interruption inside your home. While the go-to solution to this problem is to replace your windows with noise-cancelling features, you need to know that there are other solutions to this problem that do not often involve a huge amount of money. There are budget-friendly ways to reduce traffic noise without replacing your existing windows. Here are some ways that help make sound proofing windows possible and more noticeable.
Retrofit Double Glazing
A retrofit double glazing involves adding a secondary window layer on the interior side of your window to ensure the reduction of noise inside your home. The added barrier disrupts the sound waves and improves the acoustic and thermal insulation of your home. This is the ideal solution if you are living in a home where replacing your window is not an option. If you are trying to avoid a major renovation, the retrofit double glazing is what you should go for regardless if you are living in a heritage property, apartment, or rental.
Seal All Gaps and Cracks
Another solution that you can consider doing to reduce the noise inside your home is sealing all gaps and cracks in your home. No matter how small the gaps are around your window frame, this can still facilitate the movement of noise inside your home. You can use acoustic sealant, weatherstripping, or foam tape.
Generally, this is one of the cheapest yet effective first steps towards reducing traffic noise. However, this is not a sustainable solution since these fillers may be damaged in the long run.
Use Acoustic or Soundproof Curtains
A quick and accessible solution to a noise problem is to utilise acoustic or soundproof curtains. You can use thick, multi-layered acoustic curtains to help absorb sound entering your room. While this is not as effective as double glazing your home, this could be a temporary solution if you don’t have the means to get a more permanent solution.
To make this solution more effective, you need to ensure that the curtains fully cover the window and extend beyond the frame.
Install Window Plugs
If you need a temporary noise reduction fix, installing window plugs could be something that you should choose. These window plugs are removable sound-absorbing panels that are made from dense foam or acoustic materials. This is ideal for nighttime use.
Rearrange Your Interior Layout
One easy solution that you can do to help improve the movement of noise in your home is to simply change the layout of your house. You can place bookshelves and cabinets against noisy walls to filter the noise from coming in. You can also move your bed away from windows and use accessories in your home that help absorb sound.
What is the best soundproofing solution?
As you get an idea of how you can make your home environment better, you will realise that the top solution is to implement a retrofit double glazing solution on your windows. Stop Noise is an Australian company that specialises in providing customised solutions to homeowners for their soundproofing problems. Visit the Stop Noise showroom to see the soundproofing solutions in action, or you can visit the Stop Noise website to request a free quote!