How to Soundproof a Dorm Room – 8 Affordable Ways

The good thing about dorms is that they’re relatively cheap, and they’re often located near the college. Unfortunately, however, a dorm room is usually a small, confined space with very thin walls.

Since you’ll be studying, living and sleeping in your dorm room, you should think wisely about how you’ll get peace and quiet on those nights when you have a big test to prepare for, but your neighbors are playing music and partying the night away.

What can you do? Obviously, if you’re a student, money probably isn’t on your side. You could always go next door and ask them to turn the volume down, but the other students may just turn it back up in minutes. You could make your way to the library, but some people prefer to study in their rooms. So where does that leave you?

Well, to maintain your privacy and stop unwanted noise from entering, I recommend that you soundproof your dorm room. There are many different ways you can do this, but in this article, I’ll explain the best ways to soundproof a dorm room on a budget (even if you’re a broke college student!).

How to Soundproof a Dorm Room

1. Cover the Floor

You’d be surprised by the amount of sound that can come up through the floor, especially if there’s another dorm room underneath yours. To solve this problem, you’ll need a nice, cozy rug or carpet that’ll diminish the impact of the noise that’s coming from below. If your floor is already carpeted, try adding a few more rugs to provide even more sound absorption.

Aside from making your room a lot more attractive, a rug can also help reduce the volume of your footsteps so the student underneath you won’t be as disturbed.

I recommend that you get this stylish coral velvet rug to use in your dorm room. This rug is made from 100 percent coral velvet fabric, with soft sponge filling. Once you lay it on the floor, you’ll notice how thick it is and how well it absorbs all sorts of sounds.

If you have no money to spend on rugs, though, then you can simply place some thick towels on your floor as if they’re rugs. These won’t be as effective as rugs, but they’ll help reduce the noise level a bit, and they may also keep your feet warm on cold winter days.

2. Hang Soundproof Curtains From the Windows

One of the simplest ways to soundproof a room is to use soundproof curtains on your windows. Curtains are a superb way to deaden sound in your room and keep it from echoing. When used alone, they may not be able to block every bit of unwanted noise, but they’ll improve the situation.

A curtain that’s truly effective will be heavy and tightly woven. It’ll extend from the ceiling to the floor, and a few inches past each side of the window. The two types of soundproof curtains I recommend are the Nicetown ones, which have thousands of positive user reviews on Amazon, and the H.Versailtex type, which is similarly popular.

3. Rearrange Your Furniture

Rearranging your furniture can be an effective way to soundproof your room. When doing so, be sure to fill up empty spaces with furniture. Place a bookshelf with books or a dresser against the wall where excess noise is coming through (this may be a wall that you share with your neighbor).

If you already have furniture up against the wall, you can reposition it so that most of the furniture in the room is against the wall that most of the sound travels through.

4. Fill up the Walls

If your college allows you to cover your room’s walls, cover them with thick frames, artwork and even some acoustic foam panels like these. The main goal is to add thickness and density to your walls.

The acoustic foam panels from Foamily come in a size that’s ideal for a dorm room. They also have fantastic sound-absorbing capabilities, so no matter what kind of party your friends next door might be having, you won’t hear anything.

5. Soundproof the Ceiling

Dorm room ceilings typically aren’t well made, and even if yours is, you’ll still be able to hear the noise of partying students coming from the floor above you.

Nonetheless, you can easily block out all this unwanted noise installing a material known as Mass Loaded Vinyl. Mass Loaded Vinyl mats come in solid black, so once you add them to your ceiling, they’ll blend in very nicely.

6. Get a White Noise Machine

If you don’t mind spending a fair amount of money, I recommend that you get a white noise machine. These machines aren’t harmful, and they’re mainly used to help someone get a good night’s sleep, by blocking out unwanted noise. You can also use a white noise machine if you need to get rid of background noise while you study.

7. Use Noise-Cancelling Headphones

If you’ve tried all the steps above and you’re still being disturbed by noise, then it’s best if you purchase a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. These headphones have been designed to allow people to listen to their favorite music without distractions, but they’ll also block out unwanted noise while your studying.

With that being said, I only recommend this method if you’re looking for peace and quiet during your study sessions. If you want to soundproof your dorm room for reasons that are unrelated to studying, it’s probably best if you skip this method.

8. Listen to Music

Like the step above, this one only pertains to people who want to block out noise while studying. Music can help keep your mind relaxed, and for the best results possible, you can search online for specific music tracks that’ll get you in the mood for learning.

Some people may find it impossible to listen to music while studying, but I personally enjoy it, because it helps me relax and keep my mind focused on the task.

Conclusion

To summarize, I’ve listed some of the best and most budget-friendly methods you can use to soundproof your dorm room. Once you implement at least some of these methods, you’ll notice that your room is much quieter than it was.

Like a dorm room, a baby’s room is also a small space, and we’ve prepared a guide to soundproofing a baby’s room, too.

image 1: Daniel Borman; image 2: Wallpaper Flare