Soundproofing

floor side and, if finished, halfinch dr ywall on the ceiling side, providing an STC rating of 37. Simply stated, standard wall and ceiling construction doesn’t stop much sound.”

The same is true of many windows and doors, which often aren’t thick or insulated enough to prevent outside noise pollution from infiltrating your interior spaces.

Poppy Szkiler, a soundproofing exper t and founder of Quiet Mark, a London-headquar tered nonprofit with a proprietar y sound testing program that awards products a seal of approval for quiet technology, said there are simple steps you can take to reduce unwanted sound.

“Get sound absorption plants like ferns, peace lilies and rubber plants, or set up plant walls like living bamboo that can ser ve as a noise barrier. And add more sound-absorbing materials to a room, like rugs and screen panels,” Szkiler recommended.

Sokol agreed.

“Hang thick velour thermal or light-canceling cur tains, heavy blankets, quilts or even sleeping bags on a par tition wall, door or window where the sound comes through — letting it hang loosely in ver tical folds to absorb and trap the noise,” Sokol said.

Kristina Spina, vice president of marketing at Indow in Por tland, Oregon, suggested reducing sound seeping in from windows by installing acoustic window inser ts.

“These press in place to your existing window and are less expensive than replacing your window, creating an air seal to block and absorb noise better than glass or surrounding walls,” Spina said.

If you want to take matters to the next level, explore adding a second layer of dr ywall on your walls and ceilings, with a layer of acoustical barrier in between.

“Dr ywall goes for as little as $10 for a four-by-eight-foot sheet, and acoustical sealant like Green Glue, which you apply underneath, is about $12 a tube, which covers up to two sheets,” Reed said.

If most of your noise seems to creep through the door, remove the trim and fill in the gaps with insulation or soundproof caulking, “replace a hollow door with a solid core door, and add a door sweep and weather stripping to prevent noise from seeping in,” Sokol said. “Additionally, better insulate and caulk your windows, and remove switch and outlet cover plates to install outlet insulation pads.”

While it can be cost-prohibitive, adding to or replacing the insulation inside walls, floors and ceilings can make a big dif ference.

“Rigid spray foam insulation is specially formulated for noise reduction, but it’s quite costly,” Spina said.

If you lack the funds for these or other measures, you could always simply invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones or earbuds and plug into music to drown out the din.

“Or turn on a radio or fan to create white noise that masks undesirable sounds,” Sokol said.