Living with a pet makes the hustle and bustle of the city more fun, but no one wants the hustle and bustle of the city inside of their apartment.
Furthermore, your neighbors do not want to hear your pet in the middle of the night. Tenants think noise pollution is something everyone has to deal with, but you really don’t have to tolerate it.
Soundproof your apartment to make it the quiet place you, your pet, and your neighbors.
Weatherproof The Front Door
Hallways make up for the majority of noise in an apartment building.
Your apartment door is most likely rather thin and it is most certainly isn’t weatherproof.
The large gap beneath the front door allows for your heat and air conditioning to escape, so invest in a door sweep.
Aside from saving money on your gas and electric bill, this will soundproof the apartment, keeping the noise of the hallway out, and the noise of your pet in.
Curtains Over the Doors
Door curtains will only aid with decreasing noise levels. After you weatherproof the front door, use door curtains to block even more sound from entering/exiting your apartment.
If you have hallway lights shining into your apartment disrupting you and your pet’s sleep, use room-darkening curtains and hang them over your front door.
These curtains are thicker than normal curtains and will keep unwanted light and sound out. They will also assist your apartment’s insulation.
Bedroom Doors
Similar to a door sweep, a draft stopper will prevent sound from bouncing off the floor and into or out of the bedroom.
This will trap any noise in the room, which will keep any pet noise down, helping you win over your neighbors.
The ideal draft stopper has an elastic band so you don’t have to keep readjusting them.
Soundwaves Bounce and Reflect
Hard surfaces, such as floors, walls, and ceilings will reflect soundwaves.
Noise reflection increases with the number of hard surfaces.
Carpeting and textile mats can be used to cover hard surfaces so soundwaves will not be able to bounce and reflect.
This will reduce the amount of pet noise in your apartment while also keeping sound from your neighbors out.
Rug Pad
Carpets and rugs make hard floors cozy while reducing noise.
To push the soundproofing capacity of the carpet or rug further, you can buy a rug pad. Rug pads are placed underneath the carpet or rug for added support.
Your pet will appreciate the extra level of comfort while they lay on the ground and your downstairs neighbors will love the added noise cancellation.
Bookcase
Bookcases are great for thin walls. Bookcases will cause any noise coming through the wall to be trapped.
The soundwaves will bounce off the shelving in the bookcase and eventually fizzle out. If you have noisy neighbors, add a wall-to-wall bookshelf to decrease the noise making its way into your apartment.
The bookcase not only keeps noise from coming in but also prevents noise from going out.
Soundproof Curtains
Sometimes room-darkening shades won’t be enough. If you have a rowdy street out front of your apartment, install soundproof curtains over windows.
Typically, a soundproof curtain will weigh up to 15 pounds and sits up against a wall or window. This will keep your pet from being irritated from any noise outside, but will additionally tone down any noise from your pet to people walking by outside.
For extreme noise pollution, highly consider purchasing soundproof curtains for your apartment.
