There is nothing worse than a slamming door, the loud sound of it echoing through your entire house every time it shuts closed, making you cringe or startling everyone around. Especially when it’s late at night or you’re trying to be silent!
Whether the door slams shut because of a draft of air, the wind, an unruly child, or a grumpy teenager...the problem remains the same: the door is slamming shut and you want it to stop.
And reminding everyone to be gentle with the door is never enough, although it might work for a while. Because undoubtedly, the door will keep slamming, and you’ll jump out of your skin every single time.
So what can you do? Well, there’s no need to get a new door or make big changes to it, you can simply apply an anti door slam solution. A small tweak to ensure the door shuts closed slowly, or at the very least soundlessly, so that peace can reign within your house once more.
To help you out, we’ve compiled the top 9 best anti-slam solutions, which are all super easy to apply and can be super effective. So just browse through them and pick the one you prefer, then try it out!
9 Door Anti-Slam Solutions
An anti-slam solution for your door doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. In fact, most of the solutions we’ve included in this list are super affordable and easy to apply, so that you can solve the issue fast and easy.
Let’s get right into them!
1. A door stop:
This is one of the easiest and cheapest solutions, and one of the most commonly used. A door stop can be placed under the door, so that it stays open in place, therefore preventing it from being slammed shut. The problem is, of course, that the door then stays open. But that might be something that you were after, as some doors are better kept open!
There are many different types of door stops available in the market, with the cheapest and most common being made of plastic. Wooden door stops are also an extremely common option. But if you want something aesthetically pleasing, you can find door stops that come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, and designs, so you’re guaranteed to find something that calls to you!
If the door in question is particularly heavy, then you can find a suitable door stop, designed for heavier doors and able to deal with the weight. There are lots of things to take into consideration when choosing the door stop, but it’s a simple and effective solution!
2. An automatic door closer:
An automatic door closer is a more permanent and effective solution to the issue of a door that slams shut too aggressively.
It is essentially a mechanism that you install onto the door, and you can adjust the speed and pressure on it, so that it slows down the door when it’s shutting, preventing it from slamming. These are most commonly made from aluminum or steel, which are the most durable options (as opposed to the plastic versions).
Here is a highly recommended and reliable automatic door closer option: Fortstrong Automatic Door Closer.
This particular automatic door closer is ideal for doors with low to medium traffic, like the ones you would have at home. With a hydraulic system, it ensures the door closes slowly and softly, without slamming in the slightest.
It is also fully adjustable, with both the sweep motion and the catch-closing mechanism able to be modified to better suit your needs and preferences. It also comes with everything you need for the installation, so you can put it up on your door fast and easily, without much of a struggle.
There are also plenty of other automatic door closer options available in the market, so you can keep searching until you find one that suits your door. And once installed, you will never have to worry about it slamming again!
3. Anti-slam hardware:
There are many different types of anti-slam hardware that you can install on your door in order to prevent it from ever slamming shut again. So you’re guaranteed to find something that fits the needs and preferences of your particular door, the challenge is in actually choosing a product!
One of the best anti-slam hardware available on the market, that we highly recommend you try out, is the Wittle Finger Pinch Guard.
This product is usually marketed towards homes with children, as its main purpose is preventing any fingers from getting pinched as the door is closed, but it is equally as effective at stopping the door from slamming shut because the door will never close fully.
The hardware is incredibly simple and easy to use and needs no tools to be installed. It is essentially a piece of EVA foam, which is attached to the door so that it acts as a small barrier that stops it from fully closing.
Basically, it cushions the door! And when you want to fully close the door, you can simply remove it, and then put it back on again when needed within seconds. It’s soft, simple, and highly effective. Shaped like a C, so that it goes around the edge of the door.
It’s also small in size, making it convenient as you can take it with you to wherever it is needed, or you can simply store it away when not in use!
4. Checking the door hinges:
If your door didn't slam shut as aggressively before, and it has started doing as such more recently, then it could be that the door hinges need repairing or replacing. In which case, there is no need to buy a hardware item or accessory to stop the door from slamming shut, because it should stop slamming as soon as you’ve fixed it up.
If the door hinges are worn or broken, the door will be at an imbalance, and this could be what is causing it to slam shut so aggressively when you stop holding it open or you push it slightly.
First, you need to check if this is the case. To do so, open the door so that it is at an angle of 90 degrees. Then, place a leveling tool on it to check the balance. If the balance is off, then the door hinges are indeed not doing okay. Depending on the damage, you can either repair or completely replace the hinges.
It shouldn’t be too expensive, as it’s just the hinges, and although you might have to call a professional to fix it up, the repair will mean the door is once more completely functional, and back to not slamming shut! And it means you won’t have to buy anything to prevent the slamming, as this will be a permanent solution! (Until the door hinges fail again, hopefully after many more years of good use).
5. Installing a door silencer:
A door silencer is another extremely popular piece of hardware used to stop doors from slamming shut. It’s especially popular in public spaces, such as schools, hospitals, and offices, as it’s super effective and is also very cheap to install.
A door silencer is essentially a small rubber cone, with a flat circular backing, which is installed into the doorframe, where it will effectively absorb the shock of the door closing, so that it doesn’t audibly slam.
Door silencers are super easy to install and can be used on both metal and wooden doors. They’re most commonly used on especially heavy doors, as they’re the easiest solution for those situations!
But just in case you’re still wondering how exactly they are installed, here is how to do it:
- The first step is to drill a hole, around a fourth of an inch big, into the doorframe, in the door stop section where it’s needed. This hole will allow you to slip the rubber door silencer in place so that it remains securely in place without slipping back out!
- That’s it! The rubber piece will now absorb the shock and impact of the door closing so that it doesn’t instantly slam shut. Then, as the rubber piece is flexible, it will allow the door to go over it and close properly.
6. Metal magnetic door stop:
If you’ve got a door that keeps slamming shut, instead of staying open as you need it to be, then a metal magnetic door stop might be a more effective and permanent door stop solution to the issue.
Then, if there’s a gust of wind, the door will remain safely open, and won’t just shut closed in a horrible loud impact.
We recommend you look at the Onward 67NBR Magnetic Door Stop.
This product is made of brushed nickel, and it’s super easy to install, making it a fast and easy addition to your door to keep it open and without slamming. It works through magnetism, which is strong enough to keep even heavier doors in place.
This kind of solution is quite popular amongst public spaces, in which the big heavy doors need to stay open so that customers or others can make their way around!
7. The Dreambaby door slam product:
Okay so this is yet another piece of hardware designed to stop doors from slamming shut, and it is incredibly popular amongst homes with children, and homes in general. So we simply had to include it in our list of top solutions! However, it needs to be installed properly in order to actually work, so many people struggle with the product at first!
This piece of hardware is very similar to the anti-slam hardware we mentioned earlier, the one to stop fingers from being pinched as the door closes! The main difference is that this hardware is installed at the top of the doorframe, and it’s a lot more permanent than the other option, as it works by being screwed into the doorframe.
You can find it as DreamBaby Door Stop Slamer.
Another advantage that this product option offers, is that the door can still be fully closed, it just does so gently.
So as it shuts, it bumps against the door stop, which is screwed in at the top of the doorframe. This slows it down, and then as the door pushes against it again, slower this time, the door stop mechanism slides, moving the barrier so that the door can fully close!
8. Using felt pads:
If you’re looking for an easy and cheap home DIY solution to your door slamming problem, then we absolutely recommend you try using some felt pads.
This is a super simple solution, and it basically consists of taking some self-adhesive felt pads and sticking one, two, or more, at the edge of the door frame or on the edge of the door itself.
This way, when the door shuts closed, the felt pads should act as cushioning, so that they absorb part of the impact and the sound of the door shutting so that it no longer slams aggressively!
Of course, this might not work with heavier doors, as they carry a lot more force and the pads might not offer enough cushioning. But it’s worth a try with your own doors, as it’s super simple and could be a complete life-saver!
9. Weather stripping:
If the felt pads from the previous solution aren’t enough, because maybe you have a heavier door, then we recommend you try the DIY home hack of using weather stripping.
A weather stip can be very easily applied onto the doorframe, or the door itself, by sticking it on. (They are usually self-adhesive). Just make sure you clean the surface first so that the weather strip can properly be attached.
Then, the weather stripping should cushion the door, and absorb both the impact and the sound. And as a plus, the weather stripping might also help muffle sound, as in it might act as a barrier to somewhat soundproof the room!
For this, we recommend the MAGZO Weather Strip Rolls.
Made out of thick foam, these strips are self-adhesive, and super easy to install. They are also shock-absorbent, and they insulate sound and heat, as well as being anti-skid. They’re highly durable, and they can be a long-term solution to your slamming door, which is simple and easy to apply!
