How To Soundproof A Room With Blankets

Blankets can make a huge difference to the acoustics of a room if you use them correctly.

They can be an effective method of getting a cheap and temporary solution to an immediate noise problem.

If you live in student halls or rented accommodation where you can’t really take on a big soundproofing project, or if you find yourself unable to sleep one night because of a wild party which won’t quieten down, despite your best efforts to tell them kindly to shut up, then blankets are a viable sound reduction solution which you can quickly get setup and ready to go without causing any structural damage to your room.

Sure blankets aren’t going to make your room impenetrable to all sound.

However they can help muffle and deaden external sound to a reasonable level, especially if you use purpose-made acoustic blankets.

If you are looking for other cheap soundproofing methods read our article on How To Soundproof A Room Cheap.

While your room isn’t going to be transformed from sounding like a tent pitched in a nightclub to an empty library blankets will have a much bigger impact than attempting to soundproof your room with egg cartons!

For example if you are struggling to sleep because you can hear someone next door talking then using blankets can have enough of an impact to help you get a decent nights sleep. especially if you have soundproof blankets available, these tips will still work even with standard blankets.

What Type Of Blanket Is Best For Soundproofing?

The thicker the blanket the better. A thicker blanket will better muffle vibrations and airborne sound.

A thicker blanket will also have more material to stuff into any gaps such as the gap under a door.

You should look for blankets which are made of any of these materials:

• Cotton
• Mineral wool
• Multilayered polyester

The main thing with any blanket you use is you want it to be dense.

Density is more important than thickness as some thick blankets can be very airy, these may be very comfortable for sleeping under but they won’t do a great deal when it comes to soundproofing as airborne sound will easily pass through the air in them and the lack of density means that is not much material in them to muffle sound vibrations.

A dense blanket will dampen vibrations much better than a thick airy blanket.

The best blankets we have found to use for soundproofing a room are moving blankets. These are blankets designed for protecting furniture from damage when it is being transported.

They are suitable for soundproofing because they are very dense so do a good job of dampening sound vibrations.

• 1 Moving Blanket — Size: 72″ x 80″ / Color: Blue/Black — 2.92 Lbs. / Pad
• Fabric: Non-Woven — Binding: Polyester
• Pattern: Zig Zag — Stitching: Double Lock — Batting: Pre-Consumer

However if you are looking for an immediate fix to a noise problem these techniques will all help reduce sound with any blanket you choose to use.

1. Cover All Doors

Your doors are the first place you should start in any soundproofing project and that is no different when you are soundproofing a room with blankets.

Doors can leak a lot of airborne noise through the gaps around the frame and under the door. They also transmit vibrations and can even seem to amplify some sounds, especially if your door is hollow.

Adding a blanket to your door will help muffle airborne sound, particularly if you buy an oversized blanket and use it to block any gaps around your door. it will also help muffle any vibrations reverberating through the body of your door.

There are a number of ways you can hang a blanket on a door, the most permanent solution would be to fit a wire across the top of your door, screwed in at both ends. your blanket can then be either hung or tied over it.

However most people looking to soundproof a room with blankets will probably have a rather more immediate and urgent need so you may not have time to install wires.

We, therefore, suggest that you either just pin the blanket into the door frame above the door (this will allow it to hang over the door covering all gaps).

Preferably use small nail pins rather than drawing pins as these are much stronger and are unlikely to fail, however if drawing pins are your only choice then use plenty. especially if the blanket if fairly heavy.

Another option for people who have no pins to hand is to simply wedge it into the door frame, do this by draping the blanket over the door while the door is open and then closing the door on it tightly.

This will seal the door shut. Be aware that if you are using a very thick blanket then it may not be possible to close the door so only use a thin blanket for this.

2. Cover The Windows

After your doors your windows are likely to be the place where sound will most easily leak through, especially if your windows are only single pane.

Covering your windows with blankets will help to absorb vibrations coming in through the windows.

If your window is not a perfect fit and you can feel a draught coming through then it is likely that air-borne noise is also coming through your window, covering your windows with moving blankets will help to muffle airborne sounds.

Obviously covering your windows isn’t ideal as this will block natural light from coming into your room so we advise you only use this in an emergency scenario, for example if your neighbour over the road is having a wild party and you’ve got to be in work in six hours!

Covering a window with a blanket isn’t easy but ideally you should try to fit it as close to the window as you can, simply hanging a blanket over your curtain rail is likely to have a very minimal impact.

You want it as tight to the window as possible to help muffle vibrations as soon as they hit the window and block any airborne noise.

To do this you can:

• Wedge the blanket into the window opening and then close the window on the blanket allowing it to hang down over the window.
• Use pins to secure the blanket to the window frame.

3. Cover Your Walls With Blankets

Modern apartments, particularly places like student accommodation complexes often feature abysmally thin walls through which you can hear every yawn, hiccup and whisper that your neighbour makes.

If you have a neighbor in the next room who has a regular and irritating habit of having late night conversations on skype, watching TV or playing computer games then, if they don’t respond well to you asking them politely to quieten down then your next best option would be to hang some blankets on your walls.

This will help slightly increase the density of your walls which could make a sufficient difference to allow you to get a decent nights sleep.

Using blankets, or even soundproof curtains which have grommets in will make it far easier to attach them to your walls.

The easiest and most efficient way to hang blankets on your walls is to nail them to your wall, ensuring that they are hung as high as possible so that all of the wall is covered.

You can use picture nail pins so that the damage to the wall is minimal and can easily be hidden with the tiniest bit of polyfiller when you are done.

4. Use Blankets On Your Ceiling

If you are having problems with sound from the room above yours then you could attach blankets to your ceiling. Admittedly this is a highly impractical solution which is very difficult to execute well and will have very minimal impact when it comes to blocking sound.

A far more effective way to deal with sound coming from above is to buy your upstairs neighbour a big thick rug to put in their room. This will absorb a lot of the impact sound and will make your life much easier.

However if buying your upstairs neighbour a rug simply isn’t an option then you could try attaching a moving blanket to your ceiling. Just don’t expect great results though!

To do this use nails to secure the blanket, we don’t suggest that you use picture nail pins as these are very thin so the blanket is likely to slide off them. You will require a nail with a fat head so that the blanket will remain secure.

We hope some of the tips you read hear were useful in helping you to improve your prospects of a good nights sleep.

How to Soundproof a Room with Blankets

If you’re looking for an easy way to soundproof a room, blankets might be exactly what you need. In fact, using blankets is, without a doubt, one of the easiest and most affordable ways to soundproof a room. Even a regular blanket should help reduce echo and absorb noise. As long as it’s thick and dense, a blanket could be put anywhere – walls, windows, and doors.

You could even use it on floors and ceilings if you want. However, there are better techniques for those surfaces. In this article, I’ll explain exactly where you can use blankets and exactly how you can do it. Luckily, people have actually been using blankets to soundproof and insulate their homes forever. So, we have a wealth of experience to draw on.

Actually, even musicians use blankets to improve sound quality in their recording studios. Young singers who don’t have studios have been known to line their closets with blankets before shutting themselves inside with their microphone to record their tracks. But really, there’s no need to deprive yourself of oxygen. The same effect can be achieved in just about any room.

Before we get into how it can be done, I’d like to take the time to suggest a specific type of blanket you could use. However, you should keep in mind that this can be done with any blanket or thick quilt, though it might take some layering.

In Short About Soundproof Blankets

Of course, if you want to achieve some more substantial results, you really ought to use soundproof or moving blankets instead of stacking any old blankets you get your hands on. Since I’ve written about them before, you may already know the difference between the two. Essentially, people use moving blankets to protect furniture during transportation. Since they need to be thick in order to provide proper padding, they’re also excellent soundproofing materials.

After manufacturers noticed that audiophiles were already using blankets – moving or otherwise – to soundproof spaces, they started making soundproof blankets. These products turned out to be much more efficient. Many even come with grommets, so you don’t need to cut or drill into them before putting them up.

So how can you get your hands on one of these blankets?

Well, of course, you’ll easily find them online by simply searching for them on online retailer sites. I did review some of the best ones on the market in the article linked above. And if none of them suit your needs, I also included a short buyer’s guide to get you started.

Other than online, you may also look for acoustic blankets at your local home improvement store. They may be somewhat new to the soundproofing world, but you should still be able to find them in stores. If not, you can always request that the store owner stocks them in the future.

Well, of course, you’ll easily find them online by simply searching for them on online retailer sites. I did review some of the best ones on the market in the linked article. And if none of them suit your needs, I also included a short buyer’s guide to get you started.

Other than online, you may also look for acoustic blankets at your local home improvement store. They may be somewhat new to the soundproofing world, but you should still be able to find them in stores. If not, you can always request that the store owner stocks them in the future.

BEST BLANKETS FOR SOUNDPROOFING

6 Ways to Soundproof a Room with Blankets

Without further ado, here are some quick and easy ways to use blankets, soundproof or not, to improve the sound quality in a room. Some of these ways may include having to use a hammer and nails or a nail gun. Or, you may want to have some sort of strong adhesive, or mounting putty, close at hand. So, if you don’t have those tools already, you might want to borrow or buy them beforehand.

1. Attach Blankets to Your Walls

Pretty much any room in your home can be improved by putting up some soundproof blankets. Basically, you’d attach the blanket like you would a tapestry, or even a poster. So, you can nail it, or even use more lightweight tacks. But there are actually a few ways you can do it:

• Nail the blanket flat against the center of the wall
• Tape or glue it to the wall – you may need industrial adhesive, as the blanket will be heavy
• Tack it on with mounting putty – prepare to use a whole lot of it, though
• Suspend it on a curtain rod and hang it on tall furniture, or install curtain tracks

Of these, the most permanent option is obviously to nail it to the wall. And if you choose to nail your blankets, you should make sure not to push the nail all the way into the wall. Leaving the nail somewhat exposed will make it easier to remove when you don’t need soundproofing anymore. Or, you could just want to wash the blanket, though they should be fine if you just vacuum them once in a while.

However, many people don’t have permission to modify their walls. In that case, even glue may be risky. I’d actually recommend suspending the blanket on a curtain rod – getting a blanket with metal grommets would be helpful.

However you decide to go about it, it would be best to position the first blanket in the center of the wall. If it doesn’t reach all the ceiling or floor, it would still be okay, since the largest surface would be covered. And if you only got one soundproof or moving blanket, you can use other old blankets to soundproof the exposed wall on the sides.

2. Hang a Blanket Over Your Door

Doors can be notoriously hard to soundproof, though there are many ways you could do it. Many of them have huge gaps all around them which allow air – and consequently, sound – to travel. However, I’ve personally had great success using blankets on doors.

Now, I should admit that the door I was soundproofing was one of those horizontal attic doors, which allowed me to completely and easily cover it. Still, soundproofing a door should be no more difficult than soundproofing a wall. So, you can do any of the following:

• Drape them over the door (if they’re long enough and if the door has a large gap at the top)
• You can also nail or glue them to the door
• You can nail the blanket to the surrounding wall (if you don’t plan to open the door)
• Install a curtain holder above the door and hang it

Obviously, the first option will cause the least damage to your door or wall. However, your door won’t be completely covered. In addition, many doors don’t have gaps large enough for the blanket to fit through, and most won’t be able to close with a bulky blanket on them.

Gluing or nailing the blanket to the door is a bit better, though I’d make sure to get a blanket that’s only a bit larger than the door. After you glue it, you should have some extra blanket on the sides, on top, and sliding on the floor. That should help seal the gaps somewhat. And if you don’t plan to open the door, you can also nail the blanket to the surrounding walls.

Of course, installing a curtain holder or tracks will be the best option if you want to be able to move the door.

3. Use Blankets to Cover Your Windows

When all else, including soundproof curtains, fails, you can easily switch to soundproof blankets to soundproof your windows. You could simply hang them up, just like curtains. And unlike my previous two suggestions, you wouldn’t even have to install a new curtain holder. Like always, hanging the blanket up will be much easier if the blanket comes with grommets.

For a more complete sound canceling experience, you’ll need to cover as much of the window as possible. Just like with doors, the main thing that causes windows to let sound in, even when you close them, are air gaps. If a window isn’t properly sealed, you could cover it entirely with a blanket and nail the blanket all along the surrounding walls.

However, that is obviously not the best option if you want to let the light into the room. So, I’d actually recommend checking out some other window soundproofing methods before you resort to this one. Still, having blankets over your windows temporarily, if you’re recording audio, for example, will do wonders for sound quality.