A home should be a haven where you can feel at ease, comfortable, and tranquil. With so many stressors brought by career, relationships, finances, education, or other things, your home shouldn’t make you feel more exhausted.
This can be quite challenging when you live in an urban or prime area where there can be more noise, and things could be fast-paced. However, there are ways that you can ensure your home helps make you feel calm and nurtured.
Here are five cheap and budget-friendly upgrades that you can do to make your home more peaceful.
Get solid doors
Solid doors absorb more sound than hollow ones, but houses nowadays are built with the latter.
You can either replace old doors or install interior doors in relevant passages to block sound.
Solid-core doors average around $100-200, but there are cheaper alternatives like composite-core and particleboard-core doors.
One advantage of getting solid doors is that you can do it yourself, whether you are remodeling your home or not, and it can be more resistant to wear.
Soundproof your windows
Windows are weak with sound insulation, so when so much noise comes from this area, you can focus on fixing this thin barrier between you and the outside environment.
Soundproof windows could cost as much as $1000, but you don’t have to break the bank and replace your windows.
Here are cheap ways to soundproof your windows:
Switching your curtains.
Using noise-reduction curtains can minimize outside noise and absorb even interior sounds.
These thick curtains can double as black-out curtains to block unwanted light, which means that you can save on energy bills because they can insulate your home better.
Sealing air gaps.
Sound waves can pass through these weak points to help when they are shut.
You can use noise-proofing sealant, acoustic putty to be molded in any shape or high-density foam tape.
Create a window plug.
Using a soundproof mat, fiberboard, and strong glue, you can create a barrier that you can quickly put in place and remove as needed.
The key to making the right window plug is to ensure that you have the correct measurements.
Seal your doors
A peaceful home improves sleep so that you can have an optimal function the next day.
The gaps below your doors are where sound and noise can sneak in, so sealing these areas reduces noise.
A few ways to seal your door gaps are:
Use draft stoppers to double as a seal. If you feel creative, there are several designs, colors, and prints available.
Install weatherstripping and use soundproofing adhesive tape.
If the hinges of your doors are squeaking, use an oil like WD-40 to fix it.
Consider ceiling baffles and rugs
Similar to the logic of curtains, these thick materials absorb sound and keep it from bouncing.
Having rugs, carpets, or mass-loaded vinyl, especially in apartments, can muffle the sounds heard by your downstairs neighbors, in addition to being interior design pieces.
If you aren’t a fan of rugs, you can choose to soundproof your space with ceiling baffles to incorporate your creativity.
Mind your garage
Do you ever wonder how a band can practice in a garage without the neighbors complaining or how it can turn into a recording studio?
Garage doors are usually steel, vinyl, or aluminum, which are not very good with sound insulation.
It’s important to take heed of your garage door to make your home tranquil and serene.
If a premium garage door with foam insulation is not within your budget, you can learn how to soundproof your garage door instead:
Cut mass-loaded vinyl or fiberglass panels to the door’s size and use adhesives or screws to install them directly on the door. Additional layers can improve sound absorption and significantly reduce noise.
Soundproofing foam panels can be installed on the door directly, but they are more effective in improving acoustics and not excessive amounts of noise.
Soundproof garage walls by adding mass like additional drywall, mass-loaded vinyl, or mineral wool batts.
Fiberglass or moving blankets and noise-reduction curtains are options you can use when you have a roll-up garage door where you can’t install material on it directly.
If you have an air vent in your garage, you can cover it in the presence of an air conditioner to keep the temperature cool during summer. Otherwise, you can create a sound maze inside the air vent.
Final thoughts
No one wants to come home to a house that will trigger more stress, so it’s crucial to cut noise pollution at homes, says Forbes. You don’t have to worry about the cost of reducing noise because it’s possible to have cheap upgrades for much-needed peace. We’ve provided inexpensive tips above, and we hope you enjoy a much more tranquil home.