How to soundproof windows to reduce traffic noise
How can you reduce noise when living on a busy street?
Even a picture-perfect home can be susceptible to unwanted noise. The average street can host a barrage of activities that convey a din of noise into your home. Traffic noise, barking dogs, and lawnmowers can form an irritating and distracting suburban cacophony. There’s a variety of ways to secure your home from sound pollution and seal up noise leaks. Noise moves almost fluidly to fill space and can pervade homes through walls, windows, and doors. Soundproofing these areas of your home–and specifically finding ways to help your windows to reduce traffic noise– can greatly improve the ambiance of your day to day life.
Is it unhealthy to live near a busy road?
The clamor of those loud mufflers and construction workers can add up. There is a wealth of studies that show the effects of regular exposure to unwanted traffic noise. These range from cognitive and psychological (such as stress and poor concentration) to physiological (such as poor sleep and fatigue). Noise pollution has also been shown to be detrimental to children’s cognitive development and academic performance.
How do I stop traffic noise?
Unfortunately, there aren’t any above-board channels for issuing an injunction on all jackhammers, noisy dogs, and loud neighbors in a vicinity. However, there still remain excellent options for soundproofing your home and enabling your windows to reduce unwanted traffic noise. As you can imagine, a lot of traffic noise comes into your home through the windows. Therefore, soundproofing your windows by converting them to noise-control windows is an excellent strategy. One trick is to caulk any gaps or cracks around the window frames in your home. Another method to consider is installing thick, reinforced panes, such as Hurricane windows or other high-impact panels. Window panels can also have a sound-blocking glaze or film applied for noise control. When making these purchases, you can check the product’s STC (Sound Transmission Class), which is a rating for how effective the product is at noise control.
Does window film reduce noise?
Acoustic dampening window films are an effective way to reduce unwanted traffic noise. Window films are often made of a plastic vinyl or environmental PVC and use adhere using static-cling, making them reusable and simple to apply or remove. These films reduce the ability of the glass panes to vibrate, effectively absorbing noise, cutting down on unwanted sound, and creating effective noise-control windows.
Does windows soundproofing really work?
In the average home, there are many ingresses for unwanted noise to creep in. Windows are one of the most prevalent sources of noise leakage; therefore, using strategies that allow your windows to reduce traffic noise is wise. Luckily, there are many effective ways of soundproofing them such as sound control windows and products like the Climate Seal™ Acoustic Series window insert. One of the benefits of these innovative window inserts is that they can be easily removed in seconds for cleaning or maintenance, and are also very easily re-applied. This method– used in concert with soundproofing other areas of the home– is sure to enable your windows to reduce unwanted traffic noise that can permeate through windows and improve the atmosphere of your home.
