Soundproofing projects can be costly. There are many ways, however, that you can soundproof a room or build soundproofing material using items you already own. One of which I will talk about in the article is towels. Soundproofing using towels can work, and I’ll show you how!
How to soundproof Using Towels? You can soundproof a wall or door using towels to create mass. All you need to do is hang them over whatever you’re trying to soundproof to absorb and block noise. You can also build acoustic panels for free using old towels.
Different Ways to Soundproof Using Towels
There are a few ways to make a soundproofing project a success by simply utilizing things you already have in your home. One of these things is towels.
We all have them, towels that should have been thrown away years ago because of being torn and faded. Here’s how to go about using these old towels for a soundproofing project before they end up in the trash!
DIY Acoustic Panels Using Towels
Acoustic panels are not very expensive but if you’re on a tight budget and you need to reduce the echo of a recording studio in your home or a home theatre then building your very own acoustic panels makes perfect sense.
All you need to do is build a wood frame the size of your panel. You might as well make the frame the size of the towel if the towels are not too large, of course. You can even make smaller acoustic panels using old hand towels.
Build the frame a couple of inches smaller on all sides so you can wrap the towel over and around the back of the frame. You can use a heavy duty staple gun since you’ll most likely have more than one layer of material. These longer staples will ensure the towels stay where they are supposed to.
I would begin with three to four towels per panel and go from there. You will know how many is enough when building it because all the towels out there are different in sizes and thickness.
Make a DIY Acoustic Panel Fire retardent
One thing that some acoustic panels have going for them are that they have a fireproof coating over them so they won’t burst into flames when they come into contact with heat.
There are two ways of accomplishing this; one is by simply buying a fire protection upholstery spray or making a homemade fire retardant solution.
No-Burn Fabric Fire Protection Spray (Amazon Link) works exceptionally well and would certainly not have a homemade fabric acoustic panel without having them protected against fire. You can use this type of spray on many types of fabric in your home or office.
Most people typically spray their curtains and rugs with this stuff and are very happy with the results. Just scrolling down the customer reviews on Amazon of this product will surely convince you that it works.
Another option is to make a homemade fire retardant application. This might be a good option if you’re on a tight budget or have a lot of fabric to apply a fire retardant solution.
- Measure 7 oz borax and then pour it into a bowl.
- Add 3 oz boric acid into the bowl
- Pour 2 qt of hot water in the bowl and stir until the borax and boric acid are completely dissolved.
- Drop this mixture into an empty spray bottle.
- Make sure this solution works by testing it on a piece of fabric you don’t mind lighting on fire. Grab a lighter and light the piece of fabric on fire. Re-apply as much solution as needed to make the piece of fabric fire retardant.
- After you’ve tested the effectiveness of the solution, you can now go on and spray the homemade towel panels. You also do not have to worry about damaging the fabric. This solution will leave no stains. You will need to reapply after you’ve washed whatever material you’ve applied this on.
I can certainly understand the rationale of making a homemade batch of fire retardant spray. You’re defeating the purpose of making a cheap or even free acoustic panel using towels by having to buy a bunch of different products to achieve this task.
Soundproofing Doors and Windows Using Towels
Soundproofing a door or window can be done with things you most likely have inside your home right now. One thing is certain; however, you might not achieve the desired soundproofing results if this is a “Mickey Mouse Operation.” It does depend on how thick the door is and if there are air gaps around the door and also on the bottom.
Using old towels to soundproof a door or window would not only help block noise from getting inside and outside the room, but it would also help absorb noise inside the room. A good sound absorber in a room will help drown the echo, so using material over the door would essentially kill two birds with one stone.
There are a few ways to go about placing towels over the door. This would work much better with large beach towels. Some beach towels are literally the size of a regular door inside a home. Here’s how I would go about soundproofing a door or window using towels.
- First would be to find at least six towels of the same dimensions. The larger the towels are, the better.
- Lay the towels on top of one another, creating density.
- You can staple them together using a heavy-duty stapler or sow the towels together. I much prefer sowing them since the finished product looks much better.
- The best way to place the towels on the door is by using self-adhesive velcro. The reason I like this method better than merely hanging the towel over the door is that you’ll have a gap between the towels and the door by hanging them. The towels will be stuck directly onto the door if you use velcro, creating a much better sound barrier. If you’re going to be removing and reapplying the towels on the door more than a couple of times, I would suggest sowing the velcro strip onto the towels. The velcro will not stick on the towel permanently otherwise.
Soundproofing a Wall using Towels
If you don’t have the budget to invest in a soundproof blanket or even some heavy duty moving blankets, old towels could be an option if you’re attempting to soundproof a wall.
Now bear in mind that soundproofing a wall using towels will not work as well as using moving blankets or actual soundproof blankets. You will, however, still be able to notice some difference in noise transmission between rooms after applying the towels, if you have enough that is.
To make this soundproofing project useful, you will need enough towels to cover the entire wall. Doubling up on towels is also critical because a single layer of towels over the wall will not be enough to make a noticeable difference regarding noise transfer.
The easiest way to have them on the wall would be by using tacks, a lot of tacks. If you want to one day remove the towels, all you’ll need is a small amount of crack filler and gallon of paint to cover any sign of your soundproofing project.
Conclusion
Soundproofing using towels can undoubtedly be done, but it will not work as good as spending a bit of money to buy some actual soundproofing products.
If you’re on a tight budget or you want this as a temporary fix, then this might just be the solution for you!
Let us know how this worked for you be leaving us a comment below.