I live next to a busy street...?

Question

My room is right next to a busy street. I literally can just stand next to the window and watch cars drive by.

My question is what can I do that is inexpensive to make it a little better. I'm not expecting to completely eliminate the noise, but something can help a little.

Any suggestions would be great. thanks

Answer 1

Sound can travel around objects but the less you see visually, the less sound that will get through. Fences and shrubs help block sound; the denser the better. Other things to consider are hard surfaces that reflect sound into the house which can be eliminated or softened; resonating surfaces(vibrations)that can be dampened by tightening them up so they no longer vibrate; and wall insulation(which will dampen resonances that may be erroneously observed as window vibrations). Other sound deadening techniques might work inside the house. Thick wall-hung tapestries, carpeted floors, moving sound reflective surfaces away from windows or covering them, and thick drapes will supress a lot of the noise.

Answer 2

Me too, and the options aren't great, however...  double glazing if you own the place, if not think about getting some low level background noise like a table top water feature (I got mine from a garden centre) or fish tank to off set the noise outside. You could also get some serious window coverage, like really really heavy drapes (think lined velvet or suede) or block the window up if you can live without it - maybe with something insulative (egg crates, wadding?) and throw a board over that and then paint it so it isn't such an eyesore.  You can also buy double glazed panels that you can install yourself and they are just as easy as putting flyscreens on and thus removeable when you move but again, not cheap.  Good Luck!

Answer 3

I have the same situation going on in my home.  We have actually learned just to tune out the passing vehicles.  But if you can't do that I would recommend you could use ear plugs when sleeping, if watching tv or listening to music turn up the volume, play low music or sounds of nature to drown out the noise, I actually placed two white cardboards on my windows so passing cars wouldn't see our silhouettes at night and it actually tuned out some of the noise.  Hope that helped.