Do you want to find out how to soundproof a dorm room?
When moving to college, you might be surprised at how loud and noisy your dorm room is. It can be difficult to study or get some rest if you are constantly distracted by noise from your neighbors or from the street.
I know that this is something I experienced when moving to college!
I went from sleeping in my quiet bedroom at home to sleeping in my noisy dorm room, which was in an older building (so it wasn’t soundproofed well) and right in the middle of the city on a busy intersection.
While I never had an issue sleeping before, I started to in college.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to soundproof your dorm room so that you can have a peaceful, quiet environment for studying and sleeping.
Here are the best ways to soundproof a dorm room fast:
1. Rearrange your furniture
One of the simplest things you can do to make your dorm room quieter is to rearrange your furniture to absorb sound better.
If you have noisy neighbors on either side of you, a bookshelf or wardrobe against one wall and a sofa against the other wall can do a lot to dampen noise.
Adding a thick rug to the floor and hanging tapestries on the walls is something else you can do decor-wise to help make your room quieter.
2. Use soundproofing curtains
Soundproofing curtains are another great strategy for soundproofing your dorm room. These curtains are extra thick and heavy so they insulate the room against noise from the street.
If your dorm is located on a loud, busy street and your windows are older and do not have good soundproofing, these can be a lifesaver.
Soundproofing curtains also function as blackout curtains, which is an added bonus. So they can help you get a good night’s sleep by blocking both sound AND light from your room.
3. Try acoustic panels
If you’re really struggling with noise coming through your walls, another solution that you can try in your dorm room is acoustic panels.
These work really well for soundproofing and they are often used in music studios and the like. You should have no issue using these in your college dorm because they are self-adhesive so you can easily remove them without leaving any residue when you move out.
Some acoustic panels are not very aesthetically pleasing, but these are a neutral color and design that won’t look out of place on your walls.
You can also put acoustic panels on a wall, and then hang a decorative tapestry over them to cover them up.
4. Soundproof the door
Do you have a lot of noise coming in from under your door? Maybe your dorm room is located just down the hall from the common room or kitchen so you can constantly hear other people talking, cooking, or watching TV.
Or maybe the door in your room just has a huge gap under it.
Whatever the case, a noise-blocking door stopper is the perfect solution. This wedges underneath your door and closes any gap while providing additional soundproofing.
Additionally, this handy little item also stops a draft from getting into your room, so if your dorm room is cold and drafty in the winter, this can help insulate the warmth and make your room quieter at the same time.
5. Soundproof the windows
Sometimes the windows in your dorm room can be a particularly bad source of noise. If you’re living on a busy street, it can sound like any sounds (such as honking horns, barking dogs, or even just people talking as they pass by) are in the room with you.
In older buildings, windows are often only single-glazed, which is worse for soundproofing. They may also have small gaps leading to more noise.
That’s where window soundproofing strips come in.
These self-adhesive strips can be inserted in your windows and they help to muffle any noise from the street. They’re also helpful for weatherproofing, preventing cold drafts in the winter and not allowing the air conditioning to escape during the summer.
6. Get a white noise machine
Now we’re moving into the territory of methods that won’t actually reduce the noise in your room, but that will just drown it out.
Sometimes, that can be just as effective.
One of the easiest solutions is getting a white noise machine for your dorm room.
This is ideal for sleeping as the machine plays a soothing, staticky white noise machine for as long as you want it to. You can let it run all night, or set a timer so that it automatically turns off after an hour or two.
In addition to white noise sounds, you can also choose from sounds like rain, a crackling fire, a whirring fan, and more.
7. Use noise-canceling headphones
For studying, reading, and doing homework, you can’t go wrong with a pair of noise-canceling headphones.
Not only are these good to use in your dorm room, but they’re also helpful for public places like the library, the student center, or a coffee shop near campus if you want to focus and get some work done.
Noise-canceling headphones drown out all the sounds around you and let you get into the zone for focusing and productivity.
While there are many cheaper noise-canceling headphones available, Bose headphones are worth the cost because they are the gold standard for noise cancelation.
8. Try earplugs
Finally, one last suggestion I have is to use earplugs. While this is something else that does not actually block the sound in your room, it helps you drown it out.
I actually started sleeping with earplugs in college and now it’s something I cannot sleep without. While earplugs do not block 100% of noise, they do a good job of reducing it.
If you still can’t sleep with earplugs, I recommend pairing them with a white noise machine and then you will truly not be able to hear a thing.
How To Soundproof A Dorm Room
These are the best strategies for how to soundproof a dorm room.
Moving into your college dorm only to realize that it’s loud due to noisy neighbors, a busy street, and poor soundproofing can be a real drag.
It’s hard to focus with excessive noise, especially if you’re trying to read, study, or do homework. Even when you’re just hanging out in your room, it can be frustrating to hear loud noises. And of course, it makes getting some sleep nearly impossible.
But by using a combination of these tips and tricks, you can easily soundproof your dorm room and enjoy some peace and quiet.
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