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Why? Cuz you've got noisy neighbors. My neighbor's alarm clock wakes me up every morning, and he lets it go off for like 5 minutes before hitting snooze, and then he lets it go off again for another 5 minutes, etc. This needs to stop now.
After spending all afternoon searching online, I've found a few possibilities:
1) Stuff that goes in the wall. This isn't really feasible for people living in apartments since you probably won't get the landlord's permission to tear down drywall and be doing all that construction stuff.
2) Stuff that goes on the wall. So far these options range from fabric boards (like what you see in movie theaters) to blanket-looking things that you hang on the wall. The fabric boards are expensive, like $25+ for a 1x1' board, so buying enough of them to cover your wall = cost prohibitive. The blanket looking things, I've only seen them, I haven't actually seen a price for them.
I've emailed a few companies and am waiting to hear back from them. I will post the results here. I'm sure that everyone is interested in this.
One sales rep told me that sound can only be blocked at the source, so it would be your neighbor who has to install sound proofing material, not you. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but that sucks if it's true.
I'm just looking for a solution for my bedroom other than ear plugs.
Anything that actually works will cost a lot of money. Sometimes earplugs are the only option. A fan is a good source of white noise, and has worked wonders for me in the past. You will become used to the noise eventually.
Your best option is to get a white noise machine or move.
I was in the same situation as you and we moved because the issue wasn't with the neighbor, it was with the construction of the building. The leasing company was understanding and just let us out of our lease.
Ah, the life of apartment living....I can relate to the noise situation. Our apartments are designed so that there is no one living above you or below you. We do share a common wall, and the soundproofing is sufficient.
The situation I have is this: I live upstairs, and directly below are the garages. During the day, not a problem! However, at night when my neighbor would open/close his electric garage door (which is beneath my bedroom), I would have to peel myself off the ceiling!
There are times he leaves and returns late at night, and I like to be asleep by 10 p.m. The good news is that he is not doing this every night...but one never knows, and it's like an electric shock going through me when that noisy door opens and closes. Solution? I wear ear plugs...and they do the job!!!
All in all though, it's not that bad....and I'm very thankful that we do have garages!
I'm just looking for a solution for my bedroom other than ear plugs.[/quote]
OK, first of all Im sure your neighbor doesnt even know that you can hear his alarm clock. I'll almost bet money on it.
So, just catch up to him in person, maybe when he's leaving for work, or after work, whenever. Explain to him NICELY (you get more with honey) that you can hear his alarm clock and that its just difficult to deal with.
Who knows? Maybe he can use the radio instead, or a different, not so loud model? Maybe he can use the vibrate on his phone under his pillow? Just the motion will wake him. I dont know I can.
Im just saying, if he's aware of the problem, maybe he'll work with you to fix it. We cant fix something we know nothing about.
One more thing I do remember from my teenage days of loud music and a late in life mom...
One cheap/free method of sound insulation is Egg Cartons. Ha ha I know, I know. But it really does work. Along with a few of those foam egg mattress cover thingies. And with some decorative fabric it wont be so hideous.
This also sounds tacky but stay with me for a sec its better than the noise. Somehow you must find a source for egg cartons preferrably the poster board or thick paper ones. Usually if you befriend a small restuarant and promise to get them off his hands on a certain day he'll hold them for you. Each is about a square foot so you can easily figure how many you'll need. Attach them to the wall with velcro also cheap these days.
Now, once they are attached to the wall attach nice, cheap fabric (or find king size flat sheets at a thrift store) to the top of the 'insulation' and let it flow to the floor. It helps if you iron and starch the sheets first!! Looks much better, like wall paper depending on the pattern, but no pattern is best because if you get a solid you can even decorate them with fabric paint or dye. You are only limited by your imagination. Look online Im sure they have lots of options.
Do this to his wall and any other 'outside' walls and in a weekend you'll have a quite santuary! Also, a fountain, just a cheap one will do always helps. Running water drownds out a lot of noise.
I wish I had a dollar for every egg crate recommendation I've heard over the years. It's an urban legend. Here are some options as well as the physics involved: Soundproofing Walls Solutions | Soundproofing Company
Stuff that goes ON a wall, will be unsealed and insufficient mass to stop sound, though it may reduce the echo in the room itself.
My upstairs neighbor walks like an elephant and does so until 3am. She's lived here 12 yrs, while I just moved in. Here are some solutions I've tried in the past 4 weeks.
-earplugs: I use 2 types of custom fit ones. Those with removable attenuators (filters) that are rated at 15 and 25db, and full coverage "swimmer's" earplugs that block even more. I tried the foam ones you roll and insert but found them not as effective as the custom plugs.
-white noise mp3 They make them with just white noise (running water, fan, static, waves, etc.) , plus instrumental tracks that are like a lullaby. Pretty relaxing, but it takes some getting used to the white noise as it's still noise.
-white noise machine. Mine is called the Sound Sleeper and it's pretty loud, but has various settings
The key is to be able to relax with gentle music/white noise and if you still hear your neighbor, then use earplugs. Together, they mask the noise pretty well. But knowing you have a noisy person above you can also drive you batty, so ultimately, I'd advise you to use whatever you can to mask/cover the noise until you can move at the end of your lease.
I've thought of sound proofing boards, materials, but unless you're the homeowner, what's the point in spending so much on what may not even work?
I've thought of sound proofing boards, materials, but unless you're the homeowner, what's the point in spending so much on what may not even work?
Exactly. Competent soundproofing measures require construction, and if it's not done correctly, you're wasting your money on a building you don't own.
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Noisy alarm clock
