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February 07, 2020
Getting that terrific rental price on your apartment or steal of a deal on the purchase of your new home seemed like a great idea, even after you found out that you were near the train tracks. After all, trains only come around every once in a while and how bad could train noises be?
Unfortunately, train noise and sleep, concentration and relaxation just do not go together. You don’t have to give up your great new place, though! We’ve assembled these tips for how to block train noise, so you can have the best of both worlds.
How to Reduce Train Noise
The rattling of the train on the tracks is one thing, but that 100-decibel train whistle gets impossible to deal with before long. Trying to figure out how to drown out train noise just replaces one loud sound with another. What you really need to know is how to soundproof a house from train noise. Here are some ideas:
- Outdoor sound-blocking barriers: If you’ve ever seen the tall fencing that separates houses from a busy highway, you know the value of sound-blocking barriers. Help absorb sound by adding dense hedges and shrubs to your yard. A fence can also help diminish train noise by 5-10 decibels while also reducing the sound of nearby traffic.
- Sound-blocking curtains: Your windows are one of the areas that let the most sound into your home. Luckily, they’re also one of the easiest to improve! Adding soundproof curtains is an easy way to reduce train noise. Blackout curtains provide a similar effect — thick material is more effective, and you want at least two layers to absorb the most sound. You can also hang our Quiet Barrier® Acoustic Quilts inside your preferred curtains for camouflaged, high-quality soundproofing.
- Soundproofing systems: If you’re really committed to getting control of those train sounds for good, the IsoTRAX® Soundproofing System from Soundproof Cow can be a real lifesaver. This isolation system is meant to be installed inside your walls and protects you from the kind of vibratory sound noise that is driving you crazy. It does this by separating the wall from its support members, creating an air gap that traps the vibrations and airborne noise before it travels through the wall and reaches your ears.
- Quiet Batt® Soundproofing Insulation: If you’re looking for a less involved solution, you may want to install a reliable soundproof barrier along the wall facing the train tracks. Our Quiet Batt® 30 soundproofing insulation is easy to install in interior and exterior walls and fits tightly between wood and metal studs. The 80 percent recycled cotton, high-density barrier provides serious sound-dampening insulation that you can combine with other soundproofing materials.
- Acoustical sound sealant: Part of the reason the train noises may seem as if they are right inside your home is that the sound is traveling through the many cracks in your walls or gaps around your doors and windows. Our OSI® Pro-Series SC-175 acoustical sound sealant works fast to plug up all those cracks and prevent air and sound from getting in. You can paint right over it once it’s sealed so that no one knows it’s there. It also works great with our IsoTRAX® Soundproofing System.
- Quiet Door™ Automatic Door Sweeps: Of course, since you still want your doors and windows to open, you can’t simply seal them up completely. Luckily, our Quiet Door™ Automatic Door Sweeps have you covered, decreasing airflow without any extra effort on your part. As the door closes, these sweeps automatically seal to the threshold. As your sweep ages, it will continue pushing the seal snuggly against the threshold, so it always fits like new to help reduce train noise.
How to Reduce Train Noise in an Apartment
Renting an apartment presents some unique soundproofing challenges, as you’ll likely have less leeway when making changes than if you owned the property.
While you may be able to get your landlord to approve some minor updates, for the most part, you’ll need to focus on temporary changes. For example, sound-blocking curtains are an excellent option for minimizing train noise in apartments as well as houses. You can also try easy-to-install soundproofing like acoustic panels.
These dense, heavy panels are easy to hang and help keep noise from entering or exiting your apartment. Our fabric-wrapped Udderly Quiet® Acoustic Panels and perforated wooden EccoTone™ Acoustic Wood Panels let you achieve your soundproofing goals in style. If you want a more personal touch, upload an image for us to print on our Art Acoustic Panels.
Tips for Living Near Train Tracks
When you live near a railroad crossing, You have several options to reduce train noise. The Federal Railroad Administration offers a way to submit your area for consideration to become a Quiet Zone. However, this process can take quite a while, and in the meantime, the trains will still be coming!
If you aren’t sure about soundproofing — or if you’re just waiting for your materials to arrive — you can also try more minimal methods for reducing train noise, like:
- Earplugs:Â Wearing earplugs can combat the train noise and help you sleep through the night.
- White noise:Â A white noise machine or app will provide a constant low-level background noise that can help you sleep through occasional train whistles.
- Soft surfaces:Â While hard surfaces reflect and amplify sound, soft surfaces absorb it. Thick carpets or area rugs, heavy curtains and lots of pillows will keep your home feeling cozy and luxurious while dampening sounds from outside.
Put an End to Unwanted Train Noise Now With Soundproof Cow
Train noise can be absolutely maddening, but it doesn’t have to be. Before you endure one more sleepless night, call Soundproof Cow and let us help you take care of business. Our friendly and knowledgeable team will be happy to tell you more about our soundproofing solutions and once and for all, you can get some much-needed rest. To get started, click one of the above links to order a soundproofing product or give us a call at 866-949-9269.
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AuthorAbout Ryan Yaukey
