Do you want to deaden some annoying noise in your home, or flat? Do you not know what to do, or do you not have any acoustic blankets and do not know what is the best option for you?
What would work best for you? Are moving blankets a valid idea? Would these be ideal to quieten down any noises in a room, or should you just try another way?
Moving blankets are an inexpensive, fast to arrange and a super easy way to soundproof a room.
They work in a very similar way to acoustic blanket’s work, reducing noise reflection, swallowing up echoes through absorption, and reducing the sound reverberations.
It is now time for us to tell you if moving blankets are the way forward for you to get some real peace and quiet in your home.
Let’s tell you how you can get the best out of the blankets.
Moving blankets- What are they?
Before we get into all the technical if’s, how’s, when’s, and what’s, we should probably give you a basic but definitely necessary definition.
These have a few other names, names which you may better know these blankets by, such as; ‘moving pads’, ‘furniture pads’, and of course ‘moving blankets’.
These are made to be wrapped around fragile items, you can cuddle the item up within the blanket, and it will get to wherever it has got to go in one piece.
Moving blankets, however, are not all identical. Some are stitched entirely from polyester materials, others only contain some polyester.
Other materials often used are cotton, or sometimes even non-synthetic fabrics). The former option is best for longevity. Blankets made from polyester will tend to have a woven chevron pattern in them which will make them more durable.
If you do not have one like this, it is best to get one that does have this pattern, so that you get the best quality out of your blanket.
You should also pay particular attention to the corners and binding of the blanket. If the corners are not square-shaped then they won’t live as long of a life. The weight of this blanket is another important consideration.
While you do not want an excessively heavy blanket, a moving blanket should have a fair bit of bulk to it. This is something that will help when it comes to using the blanket for something like soundproofing.
Last but not least, what goes inside the moving blanket matters as well. What a majority of brands use is something called batting, which is kind of like a foam, but it is much thinner.
If you feel around the blanket with your hands then you should feel the batting all in one piece. The foam all being in one piece increases the overall durability of the blanket.
Do moving blankets actually work as a soundproofing technique?
As we have previously stated moving blankets are a sustainable and suitable method for deadening sounds around your home, as well as a fantastic way to keep delicate items safe.
The thicker and heavier the blanket is the better you will find it. The weightier blankets you get can be more skilled at cutting down noise reflection, echoes and so on.
So, what if you only have older, thinner, moving blankets. Well, they can still dampen sounds, but they won’t be anywhere near as good as you want them to be.
You could always try layering them of course to see if you get the effect of a newer, thicker version. However, it may be worth just trashing the old ones and getting some new ones.
Where should you put them? Well, you will have plenty of spaces in your house that can benefit from moving blankets.
Let’s take a look at some facts that you may not know of, that you can use for soundproofing with moving blankets.
1. Use them on your furniture by covering the furniture with the moving blanket. By doing so you reduce the number of hard surfaces in the room which gives soundwaves less to bounce off of. Instead of couches or chairs, we mean things such as coffee tables, dining furniture, or cabinets.
2. You can use them on appliances. Appliances can often be major noisemakers in your home. Drape a moving blanket or two over them, and it should help to remove the excess noise. However, this is not a recommendation for all appliances because for some appliances this could be a major fire starter.
Refrigerators and washing machines can be used with moving blankets, however some others such as toasters, ovens, microwaves, and electrical heaters are some that are potential hazards. It is best to always check owners manuals or contact appliance manufacturers if you are unsure of the safety of these appliances.
3. Floors can be a good place to put a moving blanket too, especially if you continually hear your neighbors below you in your apartment. Try to place a few moving blankets on the floor.
This is best for hardwood floors, it will not be so useful if you have carpeted floors, as carpeted floors will usually work well as a sound dampener anyway. Harder surfaces let soundwaves bounce around, so these are the surfaces that you want to cover up.
4. Although ambitious, you could also put them on the ceiling. Foam panels will adhere better to a ceiling, however, nothing is stopping you from putting moving blankets on your ceiling for less noise. This is brilliant if you find your upstairs neighbors noisy as they stomp around above you. Just do not use any nails if you are a renter this could affect your lease.
5. Another useful place to put these moving blankets is windows. If you live on a busy street, always hear traffic, or if you even live near an airport then moving blankets will help. They will eliminate some of that noise.
You should adhere them like curtains to your window via grommets or however else you find works. It is best to block out the whole window for the best results, if you can do this.
6. You can also use moving blankets on doors, the small openings on the sides, bottom, and top of the door will let noise, light and air through. While a moving blanket can deaden the noise, you should also be cautious about how you soundproof your door.
We recommend using a curtain holder over your doorway if you intend to do this. If you glue or nail your blanket to the door, this could work, but it may be a bit difficult, and again if you live in a rented property, you risk violating some leasing terms and conditions.
7. Walls are also a good choice, you can adhere your moving blankets to your walls if they are very thin. A curtain rod could be useful here. Otherwise, you could use an adhesive tape if it is strong enough, putty may also work, glue may work, and nails are also an option if you can use those.
Where can I get a moving blanket from?
If you do not have any moving blankets lying around, and you like the sound of these useful fabrics, then you can always go out and buy some.
Soundproofing your home or flat will always come with benefits and one retailer that you can count on to sell pretty much anything you will ever need is Amazon.
Of course, we can not forget Walmart, who also seems to stock everything that you could ever possibly want. Home Depot is also likely to have moving blankets in stock as well.
U-haul and moving companies will also tend to have moving blankets in stock as well, as they will often use them themselves on occasion.
Now, you know what you are looking for and how you want to use them, you can go out into these stores and shop efficiently and get yourself a good moving blanket.
What are my other options for soundproofing?
You may want to soundproof your home or flat on the cheap side of things and find that moving blankets are not quite the route that you want to go down.
Do you have other options that you can choose from? Why of course you do! We have compiled a short list of other options that you can choose from to soundproof your home with.
1. Caulk is a great option if you find that the noise that you are hearing is coming through gaps in the windows and doors. You will only have to apply it where you find the gaps are.
Simply let it dry, and then you will find peace in fewer disruptive noises. Do remember through that every few years you will need to re-caulk these areas as it does not last forever.
2. Heard of green glue? No? This is not an ordinary glue, it is instead an eco-friendly, noise-proofing glue that is made to go on plywood, medium density fiberboard, orient strand board, drywall, or cement board. You should apply around half an inch of it to get the best sound-proofing results.
This does not mean that green glue is not an option for those who live in a flat. If you are renting a home or don’t fancy taking your walls to pieces then you may also want to pass on this. However, if these things do not bother you then go for it!
3. You can also try acoustic curtains. Instead of using a moving blanket you could just get acoustic curtains if your main area of concern is the windows. These curtains will look amazing, and they will block sounds out as well. You can use curtain rails, hooks, or if you are looking for something a little more permanent, why not nails?
Acoustic Blankets Vs Moving Blankets
Finally, we want to touch on the war between moving blankets and acoustic blankets. We have been talking about moving blankets much in the same way you could use an acoustic blanket.
Although these two blanket types are not in fact, interchangeable.
Acoustic blankets are made for deadening, or even going so far as muting sounds, and so they will do it much better than a moving blanket will.
This is simply down to design, they are professional grade blankets and have many more grommets stitched into them for more superior sound blocking. They are also thicker and weightier than moving blankets.
Moving blankets are not like this, they are not necessarily made for soundproofing. It is just a useful bonus effect that they can be used for.
They are actually made for moving furniture and fragile items, hence the name ‘moving blankets’.
This does not mean that you cannot use moving blankets for soundproofing, you can always make use of them for soundproofing if you have them handy.
For the best and most consistent results you may want to level up to acoustic blankets as moving blankets just won’t do the same job quite as well.
Moving blankets are best for blocking out some sound but if you want all the sound gone then acoustic blankets are your best bet.
Overview
Although they are not the same as acoustic blankets, moving blankets can be just as efficient at sound through sound absorption as many other techniques, so long as they are thick enough.
Thin moving blankets will not do as good a job, they may need the assistance of many other layers, if you have a thicker blanket though, you are sure to notice a decent reduction in any sound deadening.
However, it will not blot it out completely like an acoustic blanket will.
Try hanging your blankets up in places where sound seeps through, or laying them on hardwood that makes a lot of noise.
They are not recommended over the more professionally graded equipment you can get, they are still useful and if you have some on hand why not give them a go and see if your peace and quiet can be improved.
