I’m not keeping this quiet.
Noisy neighbours, chatty children and howling hounds can drive you to despair, but before you lose your mind, maybe a sound absorbing rug will be the answer to your prayers.
Wool is one of the best rug materials for sound absorption so a thick cut pile rug, especially one higher than 10 mm, is going to soak up some unwanted noise for you.
Tip: You can also add a pad under the rug for some extra noise-cancelling qualities. If it’s to your taste, layering rugs can look stylish and prevent sound escaping.
Although rugs can be expensive, second hand marketplaces (online and in real life) are a very handy place to pick up good-quality rugs at low costs.
Read more: should your rug match your wall colour?
As they say…one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
If second hand isn’t your thing, then here are some of my favourite rugs for sound absorption:
Best rugs for sound absorption
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Folding ribbon – Nordic Knots from £695
HAY peas rug – Kin. £499
Flokati rug – The White Company from £395
Wool rug berber cream – Benuta £123.95
Berber floor rug – Loaf £425
Modern pink – Nordic Knots £495
do rugs help with noise from downstairs neighbours/do rugs reduce noise from downstairs?
Rugs and carpet can absorb a lot of sound and prevent you from hearing the noise from your downstairs neighbours.
Not only will it help by literally adding more layers between you and downstairs, but the material will help to dampen the sound by absorbing vibrations.
This also means the more sound absorbing materials you have in your room – rugs, cushions, blankets, books etc. the more shock absorbers you will have and the less you will hear.
how can i reduce the impact noise from my downstairs neighbours?
Other than raising your floor and lowering their ceiling (which can be wildly impractical), installing carpet is the next best thing.
Wall to wall carpet is best, but even area rugs and scatter rugs can reduce a significant amount of noise.
can my downstairs neighbours hear everything i do?
Unless you have rugs for sound absorption, your downstairs neighbours may be able to hear a lot of what you do in your home: walking around, dragging a chair across the floor, heated conversations…the lot.
Noise pollution can have a seriously negative impact on someone’s life so you should try your best to keep noise down to a minimum.