Noisy upstairs neighbors can really put a damper on your lifestyle. While so many of us are working from home, noisy neighbors can disrupt your work and your rest. At the same time, apartment living inevitably comes with a certain amount of noise from those around you, and learning to adjust to that noise is key to having a harmonious relationship with your neighbors.
If you have a lot of noise coming from upstairs, try these tips to reduce noise from upstairs neighbors.
1. Decorate With Rugs and Furniture
Rugs or carpeting are your best bet for reducing noise in an apartment, including both drowning out noise from upstairs neighbors and keeping your own noise level to a minimum so you don’t disturb your downstairs neighbors.
Full carpeting is usually the best noise control option, but if your apartment doesn’t have carpeting when you move in, you’re unlikely to be able to install it on your own. Instead, pick up a few lush area rugs to absorb as much sound as possible. Rugs are also great for both pulling the look of a room together and protecting the flooring underneath from damage or stains.
Furniture is also really helpful in dampening apartment building noise. If you have the space and the budget, pick up an extra couch, armchair, or loveseat. You’ll be surprised at what a difference one or two extra pieces of furniture can make when it comes to echoes and noise.
If you don’t want to spend as much money on noise-dampening options or you’d rather not substantially alter the look of your apartment, add sound-absorbing materials like pieces of foam, felt, or fiberglass to your existing decor. You can cut out pieces of the material and affix them to the backs of frames hanging on your wall, behind bookshelves, or underneath tables.
To reduce noise in your own apartment, you can get heavy-duty felt pads that stick to the feet of chairs and other furniture so they don’t make a scraping noise on the floor when you move them around.
2. Plug Leaky Doors and Windows
Another great option for how to block noise from upstairs neighbors is to seal up the spaces between doors or windows and their frames. If noise from upstairs reverberates along your hallway, blocking up your front door in this way will help reduce excess noise. Use insulation, soundproof adhesive, or draft blocking material to fit along the sides and the bottom of doors wherever there’s a gap. As an added bonus, sealing your doors and windows will also help retain heat in the winter and cool air in the summer and could even reduce your utility bills.
3. Cover It Up
There is a certain amount of noise that you may inevitably have to live with in any apartment living situation. If your neighbors have a new baby, if the floors and ceilings in your building are particularly thin, or your building has noisy plumbing or heating systems, you may need to just drown out some of the noise yourself.
During the day, get yourself a pair of noise-canceling headphones. You can listen to music or podcasts to drown out the noise, or if you’re working, you can even just turn on the noise-canceling capabilities without playing any sound.
At night when you’re trying to sleep, of course, it’s harder to wear bulky headphones. In this case, a pair of foam earplugs will quickly become your best friend. You can pick up inexpensive disposable earplugs at pretty much any drugstore or pharmacy.
4. Contact Your Neighbors Politely
If you’re bothered by noise from your upstairs neighbors, try the above steps first to dampen or drown out the sounds. But if your upstairs neighbors are particularly noisy, this might not be enough for you to live in peace and quiet. In that case, you might just need to talk with your neighbors and try to work out a solution, especially if the noise is something that they can readily address. After all, you are entitled to the “right of quiet enjoyment” as a renter.
You should definitely reach out to your neighbors directly before escalating a noise complaint by contacting your super, landlord, or property manager. Everyone expects when they move into an apartment building that they’ll have to keep the noise down a bit, so if you approach them politely, your neighbors are much more likely to be understanding and responsive.
It’s possible they don’t realize how loud they’re being or how noise travels in the building. If your neighbor is upstairs running laps and doing burpees every evening, you can politely ask them to do it on a mat or take their exercise routine outside. It doesn’t hurt to accompany your request with a small but thoughtful gift, like a batch of homemade cookies or a bottle of wine, to demonstrate that you’re well-intentioned.
You may also be able to offer your neighbors suggestions for noise-proofing their apartment or work out a system. For example, if your upstairs neighbor really wants to play music loudly for a bit every day, they might agree to do it at a time that’s convenient for you to leave the apartment to go for a walk or shop for groceries. The more flexible you offer to be, the more generous your upstairs neighbors are likely to be in return.
A little noise from neighbors is expected in just about any apartment living situation, but too much noise can be really distracting and annoying, especially when you’re trying to work or sleep. Try out these tips for how to block noise from upstairs neighbors to get some quiet time for yourself while maintaining the peace in your building.
If you’re done dealing with the noise, it may be time for a move. Search thousands of new apartments and homes for rent on Zumper and start fresh in a new place.
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