The Ultimate Guide to Silencing Downstairs Neighbor Noise

Wondering how to reduce the noise from your downstairs neighbors?

If so, you don’t necessarily have to endure your noisy neighbors forever! There are ways to drown out your downstairs neighbors’ noise and make it easier to sleep at night.

Noisy neighbors come in many forms – whether they’re listening to loud music, playing video games, having a ‘spirited debate’, or just struggling to keep the kids from fighting.

But don’t worry; you’ve come to the right place for answers. You don’t have to live listening to your noisy downstairs neighbors. Below, I’ve prepared an article that’ll show you how to address the situation easily.

To help quieten your loud downstairs neighbors, you can:

• Try wearing earplugs.
• Use acoustic wall features.
• Add noise-reducing insulation to the floor.
• Add more carpets/rugs to block out downstairs noise.
• Consider puzzle floor mats.
• Blur the noise with a white noise machine.

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

Reducing the Noise From Downstairs Neighbors

#1 Try a Simple Set of Earplugs

If you like to avoid drama, you may not want to bother your neighbors or the apartment management system at all. Instead, try buying a set of earplugs.

In my experience, silicone earplugs are a great option because they mold to the shape of your ear canal. Silicone earplugs have been specifically designed to stay in your ears, drown out the noise, and make it easier for you to sleep at night.

If you love technology, you may want to get some smart earplugs as well, as they’ve been specifically designed to allow you to play music through your earplugs, further drowning out the noise that’s bothering you.

#2 Add More Items Under Your Feet

In my opinion, adding carpets and other items on the floor is also a great way to help reduce the noise from downstairs neighbors.

You need to figure out where the noise is worst in your apartment. For example, there’s a good chance your living room is directly above the living room of the person underneath you, where most of the noise comes from.

Therefore, you may want to consider adding more furniture to the living room area.

If the noise is coming from the bedroom, the principle is also the same in this area.

#3 Try Hanging Some Acoustic Fixtures from Your Walls

Another option to reduce the noise from downstairs neighbors is to hang a few acoustic fixtures around your apartment. Acoustic fixtures are devices that have been specifically designed to absorb sound waves as they go throughout your living area. The fixtures come in all shapes and sizes, so you can tailor them to meet your needs

By using acoustic fixtures, you can reduce the echoes in your apartment or condo, dealing with your noisy neighbors. If the noise comes from the side rather than downstairs, you’ll want to consider hanging items on the wall

Note: Landlords generally don’t love the idea of their tenants placing things on the walls, so my usual advice is to ask your landlord before beginning any acoustic treatment in your living spaces.

#4 Seal Windows and Doors

When looking to reduce the noise from downstairs neighbors, it’s critical that you also consider windows and doors. From what I’ve seen, sealing any cracks or holes in your window/door frame can dampen the noise.

Before doing anything permanent to the windows and doors, check with your landlord to ensure you’re greenlit.

If there is a draft coming through your windows, you’ll want to seal the area as well (get permission if needed). You can use inexpensive caulk to seal empty areas between your windows and the frame.

#5 Add More Decorations to the Walls

If you’ve already put up a bunch of acoustic fixtures and it hasn’t been enough, other options are available to reduce the noise from downstairs neighbors. For example, you may want to hang more wall art and tapestries.

The heavier the decorations are, the better they’ll absorb sound from downstairs. That said, you must ensure the fixtures are strong enough to support whatever you hang on the wall.

If you want to get particularly creative, you’ll also want to consider putting up some canvas wall art. You can feel the inside of the canvas with foam to create an extra, inexpensive buffer that you can use to reduce the amount of noise coming up from the floors beneath you.

#6 Add Insulation to the Floors

If you live in a condo building, you probably have more freedom regarding what you can do to the living area. Therefore, you may be able to add more insulation under the floors. You don’t have to get particularly creative with the insulation, but you do need to pick something relatively safe and effective.

For example, you may want to add more foam insulation underneath the floors. Or, you may want to swap out the floors entirely, going with something thicker. If you can pair the new insulation with carpeted floor mats, you may be able to drown out the noise entirely. You should always get several estimates from contractors if you’re considering adding insulation to your floors so you don’t spend more money than you have to. 

#7 Think About Using Puzzle Floor Mats

Using puzzle floor mats is one of the easiest ways to reduce the noise coming from downstairs. Puzzle mats come in various sizes, styles, and textures. Puzzle mats even look a bit like padded tiles. At the same time, they have several pieces that can interlock together.

You’ve probably encountered puzzle mats in gyms, classrooms, and even at your local park. Puzzle mats are durable, comfortable, easy to clean, and do a great job insulating the floor due to their thickness.

Therefore, you can put together and take apart puzzle floor mats, arranging them to reduce the noise from your downstairs neighbor. You should think about the materials available. Some are made of cork, while others are made of foam or rubber. Generally, the heavier the material, the better it will be at reducing sound coming from your downstairs neighbors.

Even though you may not like the look of some puzzle mats, there are plenty of choices in many colors. As long as they’re easy to work with, puzzle mats should do a good job removing noise from your downstairs neighbors. 

#8 Consider Getting a White Noise Machine

If sleep is your biggest problem with your noisy neighbors, you may want to consider getting a white noise machine. A white noise machine plays a soothing sound, making it easier to fall asleep at night. For example, you can set the machine to play the sounds of the ocean, a rainstorm, or even the sounds of animals in the forest. You can customize your sounds to meet your preferences. 

You will not necessarily be able to completely drown out your noisy neighbors with the white noise machine alone. Therefore, you may also want to consider getting a pair of headphones.

These are a few of the most important tips you should follow if you are looking for a way to drown out your noisy neighbors. Even though it can be annoying to have noisy neighbors downstairs, plenty of options are available. If you’re willing to get creative, you’ll find it easier to fall asleep at night.

Drown Out Your Neighbors’ Noise

If you live in an apartment building, it can be annoying to deal with noisy neighbors. If you’re having concerns with your neighbors, you may want to reach out to apartment management to see if they can do anything to get them to be quiet. Or, you may want to consider drowning out their noise with a bit of noise of your own.

There may also be a few improvements you can make to your apartment that might drown out the noise. If you live in an apartment building, you must contact management to ensure the above improvements are okay. You may not need permission if you live in a condo building. You can take advantage of the acoustics of your building to drown out noisy neighbors. 

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Have a great day!

-Craig.