Products to Soundproof Your Home on a Budget | Using Acoustic Blankets

Surprisingly enough, creating a quiet home for you and your family doesn’t have to be to be complicated or crazy expensive. In fact, there are several quick and simple ways to reduce the amount of noise creeping into your bedroom, living room or office—without breaking the bank! Read below to find our top ways to soundproof a room cheap, so you can save some money.

Top Products for Cheap Home Soundproofing – Including Acoustic Blankets

When looking for inexpensive soundproofing solutions, many clients look for materials and products available around the home to help improve their noise issues. This can allow some recycled uses, so that you don’t have to purchase all soundproofing products new. Unfortunately, re-using old household goods for sound purposes often isn’t as effective as using specialized solutions. And by the time you scrape together everything needed for the DIY, it isn’t so cheap either.

Let’s look into some products that are effective and affordable. Combining some home-grown intuition with cheap soundproofing options to address some of your most persistent noise problems.

We recommend the following products and soundproofing methods:

1. Sound proof or acoustic blankets
2. Soundproof Curtains
3. Acoustic Caulk
4. Rearrange your room

Soundproof Moving Blankets

A little research and $200 can provide cheap soundproofing options for your home.

Sure, moving blankets come in handy when you need to transport furniture or fragile items, but you can also get another use out of these very same blankets—absorption! Often used as a cheap alternative to improve the acoustics of a room, moving blankets can be used in place of expensive acoustic foam or sound absorption panels.

But choose wisely! Light weight, economy blankets—even if advertised as sturdy moving blankets—won’t necessarily get the job done. Keep an eye out for blankets made from heavy duty fabric. When hung throughout the room, these acoustic blankets can absorb echoes, reverberation and noise reflection. If you need to block sound instead of absorbing it, then consider using soundproof blankets.

Don’t be mistaken though, moving blankets don’t double as a sound proof blanket. No matter how thick an acoustic blanket may be, if it doesn’t contain mass loaded vinyl or some other type of STC rated material, it won’t be able to block sound, because it’s still porous.

In-Depth: Guide to soundproofing moving blankets

Soundproof Curtains  – From Residential Acoustics

Ideal for hanging in urban apartments or small spaces, The AcousticCurtain™ is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to soundproof your home. This sound absorbing drapery can be custom-designed to the specific height and width of your window or door frame and installed in less than 5 minutes!

A snug fit means sound won’t seep through edges and into your space. Simply nail the AcousticCurtain™ in place or take advantage of specially-designed hooks (this will minimize the impact to your wall) and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Not to mention, these convenient curtains can be retracted with sewn-in straps when you want to let in light, sound and even fresh air.

Better than Cheap – Rearranging Your Home Layout Could be Free Soundproofing!

Often times we see a master bedroom with the bed pushed up against a demising wall, and sound complaints coming from that demising tenant. By simply getting the bed off the wall, you can reduce the structure-borne path where those vibrations are coming into your space.

Better yet – consider moving the bed to the opposite or adjacent wall, or if at all possible, exchange the master bedroom with another less sensitive space (often times home offices or guest rooms that are only occasionally used). While this may not be ideal, since the master bedroom is often the largest and most luxurious, it is a free soundproofing option to soundproof your bedroom!

Likewise, consider moving dens or living rooms away from sensitive areas, where room uses may be re-purposed.

Cheap Home Soundproofing Product – Acoustic Caulk

Did you know: even the best soundproofing strategy will fail if there are cracks or holes in a wall, floor or ceiling? If left uncovered, all of your hard work and money paid out could potentially go to waste!

Acoustical caulk can be applied liberally to gaps, small cracks or in the joint between two soundproof materials as the ultimate soundproofing solution. Be sure to invest in some durable, high-quality caulk that will resist drying out or cracking with age.

Cheap Home Soundproofing Product – Green Glue

If you’re looking for an easy and economical way to soundproof—Green Glue may be the answer. Made from a viscoelastic compound that acts as a damping material to dissipate vibrations caused by sound waves, this commonly-used noise-proofing product reduces sound transfer from one room to the next by up to 90 percent.

Conveniently enough, Green Glue can be applied directly to drywall (or any other rigid construction material) for a quick, cost-effective soundproofing solution in just minutes. Starting at less than $0.50 per square foot, Green Glue is a completely non-hazardous, environmentally-responsible and odorless product that will leave you reaping the benefits of silence in no time!

Want to learn more about soundproofing? Check back weekly for tips and tricks! And don’t forget to visit our page overviewing soundproofing product options. The AcousticCurtain™ starts at just $119!

Cheap Soundproofing Options

Soundproofing projects are often very expensive, and can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand. This is often too much to undertake when you are simply renting an apartment, and are not willing to invest significant money into a short-term living space. Consider affordable options, such as those listed above, which may sufficiently soundproof your home for cheap.

For more insight, see our guide on Soundproofing Your Apartment.