If you’re used to being stuck in an office building all day, working from home may sound like the ultimate dream come true. The commute is just a short walk down the hall, ‘business casual’ is your pajamas, and best of all, your work schedule revolves around your life – not the other way around. But your home office probably isn’t soundproof.
Picture this – it’s Monday morning and you’re a few emails in when suddenly the kids are fighting, the dog is barking and the dryer is making that noise again. If you’ve recently made the transition to a home office, you’re probably starting to realize just how loud your home can be.
Distracting clamor disrupts your work ethic and kills your productivity. Luckily, there are many easy ways to reduce noise in your home office. Interested in a quiet workspace? Follow these simple tips and you’ll be working the day away in uninterrupted bliss.
Imagine the sound of a heavy book hitting a hard wood floor. Now think about that same book falling onto a plush carpet. Which one was louder? Now think of your kids or pets running around on hard wood floors versus carpeted floors.
Carpet is much better at absorbing noise than hardwood, so an easy start to soundproofing the area around your home office is to lay down some carpet. You don’t even need to have carpet installed wall-to-wall, you can put down thicker area rugs for the same sound dampening effect.
If you want even more sound dampening ability from carpet, you can add a rug pad underneath for even more cushioning.
Most interior doors are hollow-core and allow sound to travel straight through. Though hollow-cores tend to be the best option for interior doors, you may need to upgrade for a space where noise reduction is crucial, like an office. Consider switching to a thicker, solid-core door. If that’s out of your budget, or you don’t want to deal with the hassle of installation, try a soundproofing panel, like the ones we make here at Residential Acoustics, that will hang over the door frame and add an extra layer of sound blockage.
Another cheaper option is to add a door sweep to the bottom of the door. These can be easily installed and will help reduce noise coming in through the cracks.
If your doors or windows are still allowing too much noise through, consider using the AcoustiDoor Sound Panel to block unwanted noise.
Empty space leaves lots of room for sound to bounce around. If all you have in your office is a desk and a swivel chair, it’s time for a little decorating.
Soft surfaces are much more absorptive then hard surfaces, so if your home office is filled with hard surfaces you probably experience a lot of echo. All you need to do is splurge on a nice plush area rug, a soft couch and maybe even those new curtains you’ve had your eye on.
If your walls are bare, you may want to consider hanging some acoustic absorption panels. These wall-mounted panels absorb excess noise and, since they’re customizable, they make for easy and practical wall art.
Maybe the noises bothering you while you work aren’t coming from inside of your house. If you’re getting distracted by your neighbor’s barking dog or your neighbor mowing their lawn, you may want to focus on soundproofing the office window.
Lucky for you, we manufacture and sell soundproof curtains to help with problems just like these. Our curtains block at 60%-90% of outside noise that makes it way into your house so you can have some peace and quiet while you work.
The benefits of your quiet office will include:
It doesn’t take much for you to get the peace and quiet in your home office that you need and deserve. Just follow our simple steps to get your quiet home office.
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