Improve Sound Insulation For The Home Office

What used to be considered an exotic exception is now more and more common. Namely the possibility of working from home, also known as home office.

In the meantime, it’s not just self-employed people who work from home. One has the impression that companies are increasingly giving their employees the opportunity to work at least partially at home.

This topic is discussed controversially because it has both advantages and disadvantages.

The pros and cons of working from home

If you work at home in a home office, you of course have some tangible advantages over your colleagues from the open-plan office. You can often sleep longer and work at your own pace.

This may give you more time for your family or friends.

In addition, you have more peace at home and are not constantly approached and distracted by work colleagues.

For many home workers it is also very important that the often strenuous journey to work can be saved.

However, working in a home office can also have some disadvantages. You need more discipline and you have to be careful not to be easily distracted at home in your own four walls.

Why quiet is important in the home office

It is all the more important to create a quiet home office in which you can concentrate and work productively without being constantly interrupted.

Because noise during work is anything but beneficial. On the one hand, concentration and absorption capacity suffer, and on the other hand, noise is also a stress factor that can have a negative impact on health.

For this reason, we will take a look below at what measures you can take to create a quiet home office.

Study or workplace in the apartment?

If you do not have a separate room for your home office, then choose the room or place in your apartment that is as quiet as possible to work. This can be the living room, the bedroom or the kitchen.

The main thing is that you feel comfortable there and have as much peace as possible.

Of course, it is also important to have a table that is as tidy as possible and offers you enough space for your notebook and documents.

If you have a large living room, you can use a room divider to separate your work space from the rest of the room. Such a room divider can be, for example, a shelf or a partition.

If you want to do something about sound insulation at the same time, then it’s best to choose a sound insulation partition.

If you have the luxury of having your own study, make sure when choosing the room that you are confronted with as little noise as possible. Be it from the neighbors or from the street.

Reduce noise from neighbors

Unfortunately, you can’t choose your neighbors. If the noise of the neighbors keeps disturbing concentration in the home office, then you should do something about it.

First and foremost, it is about soundproofing the wall from the neighbor . You can, for example, attach soundproofing panels to the wall.

For a start, however, it may be enough to simply place a large wall unit or a large and well-filled bookcase against the wall in question.

This creates even more space in your home office for your documents, books, files and other work materials.

Insulate the home office door

A great advantage of a study is that you can simply close the door there. In this way you can isolate yourself a good deal from your surroundings.

A closed door to the study also signals to the family or roommates that you are now working and do not want to be disturbed. A separate room with a closed door is also the right environment for important phone calls.

Unfortunately, room doors often do not have particularly pronounced properties in terms of sound insulation. Often these are thin wooden doors without insulation, which are hardly able to effectively block out the noise.

This is where you should start first. and insulate the door from noise . We have already published many good tips on this subject, which you can find under the last link.

A cheap and effective measure can already be the installation of a door bottom seal, such as this one here on Amazon * .

Sometimes it also helps to hang a thick curtain in front of the door that extends to the floor.

Insulate home office windows

Depending on where you live and how your study is located, the window can also be the biggest gateway for noise. Loud traffic or the background noise of a busy street is always a nuisance.

However, you can counteract this noise with a suitable window soundproofing . We have already published some good tips on this here.

A simple and quick to implement option is to simply hang up a soundproof curtain in front of noisy windows, provided that the light conditions permit.

Hang up acoustic pictures or sound absorbers

Acoustic pictures or sound absorbers for the wall are also becoming increasingly popular . Such elements can be hung up quickly, look pretty and help improve room acoustics.

These elements are particularly popular in offices to reduce reverberation. This can make the room appear quieter and more comfortable.

Sound absorbers are able to dampen sound and noise. Such a measure often leads to a noticeable improvement in the acoustics.

Alternatives to reduce the noise in the home office

If you cannot implement the methods mentioned above, or if they have not brought you the desired success, then you can consider the following alternatives.

Eliminate noisy equipment

If you have a ticking clock on the wall, replace it with a silent wall clock . You have already eliminated another source of interference.

It is also worth taking a closer look at the equipment used. For example, clattering keyboards and loud clicking mice are often annoying.

But there are also good alternatives in this regard. Instead, use a quiet keyboard and mouse that doesn’t click .

Noise canceling headphones or earplugs

Many people nowadays also like to use modern noise canceling headphones for noise reduction. So you can not only listen to music, but also actively protect yourself from annoying ambient noises.

When things get particularly loud and uncomfortable, some people still rely on the good old earplugs that can be bought everywhere.

White noise

One very interesting thing that has been popping up lately is what is called a white noise machine .

The white noise of such a device should help to raise your own hearing threshold a little so that ambient noise is no longer so annoying.

This could also be a welcome alternative in the office or in the noisy home office.

Home office tips

Regardless of the sound insulation, you will find some tips for working in the home office in the following list:

• Create a permanent job for yourself
• Set up a study
• Keep calm
• Make sure that you are not disturbed by family or roommates
• Do not let anything distract you
• Separate your professional and private documents
• Keep an eye on your working hours
• Remember to take breaks
• Set specific goals for the day
• Don’t work in your pajamas
• Get the right equipment
• Pay attention to the ergonomics of the workplace
• Provide suitable lighting

Conclusion on sound insulation for the home office

If you want to work concentrated and productive in your home office, you need peace and quiet. And complex renovations cannot always be the solution.

Therefore, in this article, we have noted some tips and tricks for a quiet home office.

Maybe there is something for you too.