When I use to live with my parents after first graduating college, as many of us do (I’m not ashamed), my mom would always run the dryer or washer first thing in the morning. This would piss me off because the machines were so loud they would wake me up so I decided to find a way to control the noise.
Here are 4 effective tips to easily soundproof your laundry room on a budget:
- Install vibrations pads underneath your machine
- Install a solid core door
- Hang a dense blanket on the back of the door
- Install a door sweep
Isn’t it annoying when your washing machine decides to make a racket? It pretty much resonates throughout the entire house. Forget about doing a wash a night. It will keep you up. If you want to know how to soundproof your laundry room in the most inexpensive way possible then this article will solve your problem.
The crazy thing about it was the washer and dryer were in the basement while I was sleeping on the second floor! I still remember the vibrations running through the vents and my walls. The constant thudding of the clothes in our dryer would haunt me in my dreams. Something needed to be done. I have created this post to outline the steps needed to soundproof your laundry room in case you have the same problem in your home.
1) Install Vibration Pads
Start soundproofing your laundry room by purchasing these anti vibration pads for your washer and dryer on Amazon. They are cheap and effective. After a little research, I discovered that the vibrations and noise from the washer and dryer was a structural sound problem.
All I did was simply place the pads underneath each corner of the dryer and washer. Once I noticed this immediately reduce the amount of noise being generated from these machines I could not help but perform a small celebratory fist pump. An alternative solution would be using towels if you don’t feel like spending money on the pads but they won’t reduce the sound as much.
2) Install A Solid Core Door
The doorway is one of the largest openings for sound to travel through. Therefore it is important to soundproof this area.
The majority of interior doors in your home are hollow. If you have ever tried knocking on one you know how poorly this blocks sound. You can easily have a conversation with someone right through one!
If you are a handyman you can install a solid-core door. These type of doors will typically be used for your front door or any door that allows access outside. You can find these at Home Depot or Lowes. This solution requires a little more work if you plan to do it yourself. Otherwise, hire a professional.
3) Hang A Soundproof Blanket On The Door
An alternative to installing a solid door is to use a soundproof door blanket like this one sold on Amazon to absorb noise. It is super easy to install. Hang it up using 3 to 4 nails and your done. It probably will take you five minutes at the most. You will notice that this soundproof blanket dampens a lot of the sound being generated from your washer and dryer!
4) Install A Door Sweep
The soundproof blanket does a good job of covering the top and sides of your door but not the bottom. It’s a pain to constantly tuck the blanket under the door each time you open and close it.
For an airtight seal at the base of your door install this door sweep. It is heavy duty, commercial grade material that will last a long time. Installation is quick and simple.
If you need help installing it then read my post on how to install a door bottom correctly. It is important to make sure there is no space between the floor and the bottom of your door. This will soak up any remaining sound that could potentially travel out of your laundry room.
What to expect
After following these 4 simple tips for soundproofing your laundry room should help mitigate the noise. It won’t block the noise completely but it will absolutely help to dampen it.
The solutions mentioned in this post are highly affordable. This saved me years of unrest and peace of mind while living with my parents.
