There are dozens of ways in which you can make minor and tweaks and changes in your bedroom to block sound from the outside world.
From using thick rugs to block the noise from people on the floor below to using window inserts to muffle the outside ruckus, you can spend all day making these little tweaks and changes so that you can get a better night’s sleep.
However, sometimes these little fixes just aren’t enough. If noise outside your bedroom has gotten to the point where you feel like you need to bite the bullet and implement a completely unfailing soundproof solution, look no further. This post outlines a few simple but effective DIY ideas to create excellent soundproof sleeping closures to cocoon your bed from outside noise.
Although these methods might look a bit odd at first, if you are serious about sleeping without ANY interruption from outside noise, these solutions might be worth experimenting with.
Method 1: The “soundproof curtain chamber”
If you know about the benefits of soundproof curtains or happen to have soundproof curtains already, this method might be great for you. This technique involves hanging soundproof curtains from the ceiling on all four sides of your bed to essentially cocoon yourself in one of the most effective soundproof enclosures.
Materials
As far as the materials go for this setup, you will need…
- 4 soundproof curtains.
- 4 ceiling curtain tracks
- Acoustic panels (optional)
Ultimately, its better for your soundproof curtains to be on the long side, extending from the ceiling nearly to the floor. Shorter curtains will still work but won’t be as effective. Secondly, this method works the best when your ceiling curtain tracks are long enough to fit the length and width of your bed frame but not so long that they overlap at all. Again, you will see why in a second.
Setup
Start by drilling your ceiling curtain tracks in. Ultimately, you will want to line your tracks about two inches within the perimeter of your bed. This way, when the curtains will hang down from your bed, they will rest snuggly around the sides of your mattress.
Next, you can hook up your soundproof curtains. As mentioned before, it helps if these curtains are on the longer side so that they have enough length to hang along the sides of your mattress and won’t fall short before they reach your mattress.
Lastly, although it isn’t completely necessary, you can attach acoustic panels to the ceiling directly above your bed. This way you can further insulate your sleep enclosure from sound at all angles.
There you have it. Once you climb into bed, you can close all your curtains shut for complete sound dampening effect.
When done right, this method will block out every gap for sound to enter into your enclosure. For sound insulation, this is great however, you might find that there might be a lack of airflow in your enclosure. To fix this, you may want to allow a slight gap between two of your curtains to allow for a small fan to blow cool air into your enclosure.
Method 2: The “soundproof panel box”
Although it’s pretty unlikely, if you happen to have office building materials laying around your house you might be able to make use of this technique. This particular method involves using soundproof office style room dividers to essentially enclose your bed.
Materials
As far as the materials go for this setup, you will need…
- Soundproof room dividers/ office petitions (as many needed to fit around the perimeter of your bed)
- Soundproof blanket with clasps (optional)
- Acoustic panels (optional)
Setup
The best part about this configuration is that the setup is incredibly simple. It is an incredibly effective way to block out sound in a straight forward way. All you really need to do is place your room dividers flush against each other around the perimeter of your bed. If your dividers happen to be on hinges, you can bend them around the edges of your bed as well.
However, you must keep a few feet of space open between two of your room dividers so that you can actually crawl into your bed, to begin with. To close off this gap you may want to consider putting up a soundproof blanket. You may use clasps at the very top of your panels to hold your blanket down in between the two panels of your entryway. Alternatively, a more sophisticated approach would be to hang a ceiling curtain track in front of this entryway so that you can hang a soundproof curtain which you can pull back whenever you want to leave or get to your bed.
Additionally, for some extra airflow, you can keep a slight gap in between two panels to allow a fan to blow fresh air into your sleeping area. After all, a closed-off sleeping space like this can be stuffy and might need some additional air circulation.
Method 3: The “noise-blocking canopy bed”
If you already have a canopy bed, this method would be ideal for you. If not, this method is still excellent for anyone who wants to create a more aesthetically pleasing or stylish soundproof closure. This particular method involves essentially creating a soundproof bed tent by equipping a canopy bed with noise-reducing material.
Materials
- Canopy bed frame
- Heavy drapes OR soundproof blankets and clamps
Setup
First, you need to install your canopy bed frame over your bed of course. From there you can focus on the soundproofing…
You can either soundproof your bed by using heavy drapes or soundproof blankets.
Using heavy drapes is always a good strategy because drapes look stylish and they don’t necessarily draw attention to the fact that you are trying to soundproof your bed. If you want to move forward with this method, the drapes that you purchase should have some easy to follow steps on how to set them up with their respective canopy bed frame.
Alternatively, you may choose to use just soundproof blankets instead of drapes instead. To use soundproof blankets, its best to find soundproof blankets that are as large as possible so that each blanket can cover the most space on your bedframe as possible. You can start by hanging your blankets over the edge of your bed canopy frame and using clamps to keep them secure to your frame. Additionally, you can hang your blankets over the top of the canopy as well for added sound insulation.
Ultimately, with this method, you can simply slip in between two soundproof blankets to get to your bed and be totally enclosed by soundproof material.
Again, its also never a bad idea to position a fan blowing into your sleeping closure between a gap in your soundproof blankets. This way you will get enough air circulation as you sleep.
Final words
Although these methods might sound a bit extreme to some, if you find yourself still being kept awake by traffic, or noisy neighbors, and you have lost your patience, one of these no-funny-business soundproof solutions might be necessary. In most cases, there is no better way to completely block out the noise of the outside world than to completely encompass your bed with soundproof material.
Not only that, but another amazing benefit of these soundproof solutions is that they help to completely blackout your sleeping area as well. If you happen to be a light sleeper in general and you get woken up easily by sunlight, these solutions can help in that respect as well.
To learn more about the ways in which you can reduce noise in your bedroom, check out this guide on how to eliminate noise pollution in your bedroom.