6 Best Outdoor Soundproofing Solutions For Apartments To Reclaim Your Peace
Block out street noise and reclaim your peace.
That 3 a.m. garbage truck, the neighbor’s dog that barks at squirrels, the constant hum of traffic—it’s the soundtrack of city apartment living. You chose this location for the energy and convenience, but that doesn’t mean you have to surrender your peace. The sound bleeding in from outside isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a constant drain on your focus and ability to relax in your own home.
Controlling your sonic environment is one of the most powerful things you can do to make a small space feel like a true sanctuary. It’s not about creating a silent void. It’s about taking back control and deciding what you hear, and when.
This isn’t about expensive, permanent renovations that your landlord would never approve. We’re talking about smart, effective solutions you can implement this weekend. These are the tools that add mass, block gaps, and absorb sound waves, turning your apartment from a sound funnel into a quiet retreat.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!
Your Guide to Outdoor Apartment Soundproofing
Soundproofing an apartment is a game of defense. You’re trying to stop or reduce sound waves before they enter your living space. These waves travel through the air and find the weakest points in your apartment’s shell—usually windows and doors.
The two key principles you need to know are sound blocking and sound absorption. Blocking requires mass and density to stop sound waves in their tracks. Absorption uses soft, porous materials to trap sound waves and prevent them from bouncing around. For outside noise, your primary goal is blocking.
Forget the myth of total silence. The goal is significant noise reduction. Even dropping the outside noise by 10 decibels can cut the perceived loudness in half, which is a massive improvement. We’re aiming for a peaceful environment, not a recording studio.
Residential Acoustics Curtains Block Street Noise
Reduce noise and echoes with this extra-large, heavy-duty sound dampening blanket. Its thick, durable construction and grommets ensure easy hanging for effective sound absorption and light blocking in any space.
Windows are the biggest culprits for letting in street noise. They are essentially thin, vibrating membranes. Sound-blocking curtains are your first line of defense, adding a crucial layer of mass and density right where you need it most.
These aren’t your average decorative drapes. True acoustic curtains are made of heavy, tightly woven materials, often with a liner of vinyl or felt. They work by physically impeding sound waves, turning that sharp traffic noise into a low, manageable hum. Think of them as a heavy blanket for your window.
The main tradeoff here is light versus quiet. To be effective, the curtains must be thick, heavy, and provide full coverage, often extending several inches beyond the window frame on all sides. This means when they’re closed, your room will be dark. But for a light sleeper, that’s often a welcome bonus.
Your Flexible Sound Barrier: Audimute Blankets
Reduce noise and improve sound clarity with the Audimute Sound Absorption Sheet. This portable, USA-made sheet is crafted from eco-C-tex material and easily hangs with included hardware to absorb an average of 85% of sound waves.
When you need more power than curtains can offer, sound absorption blankets are the next step up. These are purpose-built acoustic tools, essentially quilted fiberglass or recycled cotton fabric designed to soak up sound energy. They are incredibly effective for their weight and flexibility.
Their utility is their best feature. You can hang them over a window, on a thin wall that faces a noisy alley, or even on the back of your front door. Many come with grommets, making them easy to hang from hooks, which is a perfect non-permanent solution for renters.
The aesthetic is definitely more industrial than a set of drapes. However, their performance often outweighs their look, especially in a home office or bedroom where function trumps form. Some people even hang a more decorative tapestry over them to blend them into the decor.
Indow Window Inserts: Silence Your Windows
Seal gaps around doors and windows with this wedge-shaped foam strip, blocking drafts, noise, and light. Its durable nylon cloth and strong adhesive backing ensure long-lasting insulation and a smooth, secure fit.
If you want to stop noise without blocking light, window inserts are the gold standard. These are custom-fit acrylic panels that press into the inside of your window frame, creating a sealed pocket of dead air. That air gap is a powerful insulator against sound vibrations.
An insert effectively gives you the benefit of a double-pane or even triple-pane window without replacing the original. Because they are held in place by a compression tube around the edge, there are no screws or adhesives, making them ideal for renters. You can pop them in and out as needed.
The primary consideration is cost, as they are custom-made to your window’s exact dimensions. However, their performance in reducing noise from traffic, construction, and loud conversations is unmatched by most other temporary solutions. They also provide excellent thermal insulation, which can help lower your energy bills.
Soundaway MLV: A Heavy-Duty Sound Blocker
For the most stubborn noise problems, you have to bring in the heavy artillery: Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV). This is a dense, heavy, yet flexible material that professionals use to soundproof walls and ceilings. It’s thin but weighs about one pound per square foot, giving it incredible sound-blocking capability.
MLV isn’t a finished product you just hang up. It’s a raw material. You can staple it to a wall before adding another layer of drywall, or for a less permanent solution, you can create a framed panel with MLV inside and cover it with fabric. You could even hang a sheet of it behind a large bookcase.
This is a more involved solution, requiring some DIY spirit. But if you have a specific wall that transmits a lot of noise from a busy street or a noisy commercial neighbor, adding a layer of MLV is one of the most effective blocking strategies available. It adds pure, simple mass.
Frost King Weatherstripping: An Easy, Cheap Fix
Seal windows and doors against drafts with Frost King's durable, self-stick rubber foam weatherseal. Made in the USA, this 3/8"W x 3/16"T black foam tape provides superior shock absorption for automotive and marine applications.
Sometimes the biggest gains come from the simplest fixes. Sound is like water; it will find any crack or gap to flow through. The space under your door or around a poorly sealed window frame is a superhighway for noise.
High-density foam or rubber weatherstripping tape is an incredibly cheap and easy way to seal these gaps. Just peel and stick it along your window sashes and door jambs. For the gap under your door, a simple door sweep can make a world of difference.
This should be your first step in any soundproofing project. Before you spend hundreds on inserts or curtains, spend twenty dollars and an hour sealing the air leaks. You will be shocked at how much quieter your apartment becomes just by closing these obvious entry points.
Acoustimac Panels Absorb Echo on Your Patio
Improve your room's acoustics with this Acoustimac panel pack. It includes eight Class A fire-rated panels with a high NRC rating, plus installation hardware.
You can’t soundproof the great outdoors, but you can change how sound behaves on your balcony or patio. Hard surfaces like concrete, brick, and glass cause sound to bounce around, creating a harsh, amplified echo chamber. This is where outdoor-rated acoustic panels come in.
These panels are made from sound-absorbing materials wrapped in weather-resistant fabric. Placing a few on a balcony wall or ceiling will soak up sound waves, rather than reflecting them. This won’t stop the sound of a passing siren, but it will reduce the overall chaotic noise level and make your outdoor space feel calmer and more intimate.
Think of it as adding a "soft" surface to an acoustically "hard" environment. It takes the sharp edge off city noise, making conversation easier and the space more usable. It’s about improving the quality of the sound you experience in your personal outdoor zone.
Combine Solutions for Your Ultimate Quiet Zone
The most effective soundproofing strategy is a layered one. No single product will solve every problem. The key is to identify your weak points and combine solutions to create multiple barriers against the noise.
A powerful combination for a bedroom window, for example, would be:
- First, apply weatherstripping to seal all air gaps around the window frame.
- Next, install a custom Indow window insert to create a dead air space.
- Finally, hang heavy acoustic curtains over the window for a final layer of mass and absorption.
This multi-pronged attack addresses the problem from several angles. The weatherstripping blocks direct leaks, the insert dampens vibrations through the glass, and the curtain absorbs any remaining sound that gets through. By layering your approach, you move from simple noise reduction to creating a truly peaceful and controlled environment.
Reclaiming your peace in a noisy world isn’t about building an impenetrable fortress. It’s about making smart, strategic choices to manage the sound that enters your home. From a simple roll of foam tape to a high-tech window insert, you have a range of tools at your disposal.
Start by tackling the most obvious problems—the gaps and the windows—and build from there. Each layer you add brings you one step closer to a home that feels like a genuine escape. You have more control over your sonic environment than you think.
Ultimately, a quiet space is a functional space. It’s where you can think clearly, rest deeply, and recharge fully. By investing a little time and effort into soundproofing, you’re not just blocking noise; you’re investing in your own well-being.
