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| When You're The Noisy Neighbor |
By:
dan the roommate man |
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Thanks to home offices, computer/game rooms and improved
entertainment centers, Americans are spending more and more time
enveloped in home activities. While having access to all that we
need under our own roof is convenient, it can also be noisy.
If you live in an apartment or condominium community, you share
most of your walls with neighbors. Because of this, you should
be extra careful about the amount of noise you make. If
neighbors have made complaints about the noise coming from your
apartment, there are certain things you can do to avoid that
eviction notice.
Place vibration mounts under major appliances: You can find
these at your local hardware or appliance store. This will
absorb some of the sound normally caused by the vibrations of
your washing machine/refrigerator/washer/dryer etc.
Place foam pads under small appliances: These work in the same
way that the vibration mounts do - just on a smaller level.
Use window drapes: fabric absorbs sound, so the more of it you
use, the less noisy your home will be. Most leases have a clause
stating that the floors must have 90% carpet coverage for this
reason.
Seal holes or cracks in doors and windows: For doors, you can
purchase regular weather stripping from a hardware store. You
can use this stripping indoors as well as on doors leading
outside. This is a great solution to a noisy laundry room or
bathroom. To seal windows, you can use inexpensive clear
caulking.
Replace metal garbage cans with plastic cans: This is pretty
obvious. The smaller the area, the more concentrated the noise
becomes. If you have metal or aluminum garbage cans banging
around, the sound will be much more intense than a plastic
container.
Purchase quiet appliances: Some home appliances will claim to be
quiet or low sound appliances right on the box. If you?re going
to buy new appliances anyway, you may as well look for ones that
are quiet.
If you want to go the extra mile (and your landlord is okay with
it): Install padded carpeting to absorb sound: It might not cost
as much as you would think. Many carpeting companies hold on to
what they call ?remnants? which are basically leftovers from big
jobs. Maybe 5? x 5? is a scrap to a big homeowner, but could
cover your entire living room. You can get lush, thick carpeting
for a fraction of the original cost this way. Installing good
carpeting will not only reduce the noise within your apartment,
it will block outside noise and will provide insulation. Good
insulation helps to reduce electric bills - so even if the cost
of carpeting seems steep, you?ll probably see that money again
in savings.
Install vinyl tile or thick linoleum to absorb sound: Again, you
might think this is a little much... but if you were planning on
re-doing your bathroom anyway, you might want to invest in
material that will look good AND absorb sound.
If you have received any complaints about the noise coming from
your apartment, and you follow any of these suggestions, it is a
good idea to document the change(s) made. This way, if you are
confronted about the noise coming from your apartment again, and
are threatened with eviction, you can prove that you have
attempted to reduce the noise level.
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