How To Soundproof A Bathroom : 11 Simple & Working Tips

Are you scared to answer the call of nature just because someone will hear your toilet sound? If yes, then you must read this article to know different ways how to soundproof a bathroom and save yourself from this issue.

The bathroom is an intimate space where you do a lot of things. You don’t want to broadcast the noise to the member sitting just outside the bathroom wall. But unfortunately, it happens many times because of the construction and location of your bathroom.

For instance, flushing toilets can disturb and annoy guests if the bathroom is just near the living hall. It even disturbs your privacy.

Well, soundproofing your bathroom is an effective solution so that you can flush toilets, blow dry your hair, or sing songs while taking a shower without disturbing your household members or guests. Soundproofing does not mean you need to remodel your bathroom. You can install a few inexpensive options which can easily absorb sound waves.

How To Soundproof Bathroom?

The bathroom can sometimes be louder, especially when you shower or flush the toilets. This noise can be pretty annoying for guests or other family members in your household. Well, you can solve this problem by soundproofing your bathroom. Let’s look below how to soundproof bathroom.

1. Put A Sound Blocking Door Sweep

The door sweep is a door mat that consists of sound-absorbing materials. Try to place it just on the bottom of your bathroom door. It will help in dampening the bathroom noise. Remember, the most effective one will be a rectangular door sweep to absorb sound.

2. Use Weather Strips

You must check gaps or cracks between the bathroom door panel and door frame. If you find any gap, sound waves can easily escape through it. One of the most effective and cheapest solutions is to use weather-stripping tape. 

It seals all cracks and gaps in the door and helps to muffle the sound. Try to choose a rubber weather strip for sealing the gaps and cracks in your door. The rubber strip is a versatile product that you can apply not only on the entire door frame of your bathroom door but also on windows.

It is quite easy and simple to apply weatherstrip. Your first duty is to clean the entire door frame of your bathroom and then take measurements. You must cut the weather stripping according to the measurement, remove the adhesive backing, and install it on the entire door frame.

Below are a few tips you keep in mind while installing a weather strip.

• Don’t leave even the tiniest gap or crack, as sound waves can easily pass through it.
• You can test whether you have correctly installed weather-stripping tape on the bathroom door. You need first to switch on the lights just near your bathroom. You can then close the bathroom lights and then the bathroom door. If you find any light source entering the bathroom from the door, then there are still gaps or cracks, and you need to address them.

3.Change Your Bathroom Door

Today modern construction doesn’t care about the noises in the bathroom. Most apartments usually have bathrooms attached to the living hall or bedroom. Hence the noises in the bathroom can easily disturb guests or other household members.

The bathroom door constructed today is hollow from the inside. It is the reason why sound can quickly go outside and disturbs everyone.

So knock on your bathroom door? How do you feel? The hollow ones are usually composed of thin and light materials.

 They are inexpensive to install in the bathroom but poorly absorb sound waves. A hollow bathroom door can update your guests or other family embers about your toilet activities. Well, you can solve this problem by changing your bathroom door. 

Choose a solid one, particularly hardwood, to dampen most of the noise created in the bathroom. But it is expensive, and you need professional help to install the door.

Also Read :  How To Soundproof Windows

4. Soundproof Blankets

A soundproof blanket is another good choice to dampen bathroom noise. You can hang them on your bathroom door and keep them in place with the help of tacks. But the soundproof blanket is not aesthetically pleasing. It may interfere with the bathroom colors and tiles.

That’s why we recommend you purchase a neutral color soundproof blanket and install it properly on your door so it will not look bad.

You can even combine door sweep with soundproof blankets to reduce bathroom noise from outside.

5. Soundproof Your Bathroom Walls

Have you implemented any of the above tips to dampen your bathroom noise, but still, the problem is lingering? If yes, then you need to think about the bathroom walls.

Doors are not always culprits for releasing sound waves. If the bathroom walls are thin, it will update everyone about your bathroom activities. So, in such cases, you need to soundproof your bathroom wall.

Dry Wall Sheets

One of the excellent ways is to add drywall sheets to the bathroom wall. You can install one or two layers of drywall sheets on your bathroom wall to make it thicker. Add green glue(sound-dampening compound) between two drywall sheets to absorb the bathroom noise effectively.

Acoustic Tiles

Another solution is installing acoustic tile walls, which will help prevent noise from going outside your bathroom. 

Resilient Channels

Another option is to use resilient channels for muffling sound waves. You can use resilient channels and drywall sheets to weaken the bathroom noise effectively.

Mass Loaded Vinyl

Mass-loaded vinyl is another excellent option. It increases the mass of the bathroom wall and can effectively hinder the bathroom noise from going outside. MLV mainly comprises metal sheets that are excellent at blocking sound waves.

Use Joint Compound

Your bathroom can develop cracks with time. It happens because of regular exposure to water and moisture. These cracks can cause soundwaves to go out of the bathroom and disturb your family members. So what can you do with these cracks? 

You can fill the cracks with a joint compound and leave for a few hours. You can then apply another layer the next day if required. Paint it or put a wallpaper to hide the fixed portion of your bathroom wall.

6. Use HeavyTowels

Sometimes you want to soundproof your bathroom but don’t have much budget. In this case, you must keep or place heavy or fluffy towels in racks or rods. It will help to weaken the bathroom noise.

7. Soundproof Your Bathroom Floor

The bathroom floors can also be the culprit in releasing sound waves outside your bathroom. Well, you can fix this by investing in bathroom rugs and mats. They will increase the aesthetic appeal but also effectively absorb the bathroom noise. Another best thing is they are an inexpensive option for soundproofing your bathroom.

Various styles, colors, and designs of bathroom rugs and mats are available in the market. You can buy any of them that will match your bathroom style and lay on the floor. But we will suggest you always purchase thick rugs or mats as they can better absorb the sound. 

If you have kids, then it’s pretty general that you may be worried about keeping bathroom mats in place. In such cases, you can purchase sticky bathroom mats that will remain in a particular position in your bathroom.

 Another alternative is to buy self-adhesive bathroom mats so that they will stay in a particular place.

8. Soundproof Your Toilet Flush

Soundproofing your toilet flush entirely is not possible. However, you can reduce it in two ways. The first one is by installing a closed toilet seat. The second one is to put self-adhesive tape on the flush lid. It will help to reduce the sound coming from the toilet tank when it is empty and fill it again with water.

9. Soundproof Your Bathroom Plumbing

You cannot ignore the plumbing areas if you wish to soundproof your bathroom completely. Soundproofing your bathroom is easy when the water pipes are exposed completely. But after construction, the water pipes are hidden inside the wall. It’s pretty tricky to soundproof them, as you cannot see.

So, we recommend you soundproof your bathroom plumbing before the wall’s construction. Fortunately, there are various ways to reduce noise coming from bathroom plumbing. For instance, you can wrap the water pipe with a sound-blocking material. You can even fill the gaps around the water pipe with a sound-absorbing material.

But what can you do after construction to soundproof your bathroom plumbing? The exposed pipes of most of the homes are either made from copper or PV. You can wrap these pipes with thick vinyl to reduce bathroom noise.

Remember, MLV(Mass loaded vinyl) is a sound blocker. So it will block all the noise coming from the pipes.

10. Install A Quiet Exhaust Fan

Exhaust fans are used to keep the bathroom air fresh and clean. It will also help remove the excess moisture accumulated on the mirrors and walls. But most people ignore the sound of exhaust fans during construction. 

If you install a noisy exhaust fan, the sound produced will be louder than the sound you make on the toilet. So, we will recommend always installing a quiet exhaust fan to reduce bathroom noise.

11. Sound Proof Your Bathroom Window

Soundproofing your bathroom window is quite essential. Fortunately, there are various ways to soundproof your bathroom window. The first one is to recaulk all the cracks and gaps around the bathroom window. The second option is to hang soundproof curtains on the bathroom window so that it prevents sound waves from going out.

Conclusion

Most people don’t want the noise to broadcast while singing songs, flushing toilets, or doing their business in the bathroom. But the noise usually goes outside because of seals or cracks in the door. The bathroom walls can sometimes be thin, and thus sound waves quickly go outside.

If you are tired of all these things, you must soundproof your bathroom. We have discussed various ways how to soundproof a bathroom. 

You can utilize these tips and tricks to make your bathroom soundproof. But before doing, you need to investigate the cracks, bathroom doors, walls, pipes, and many more things and then take necessary action.

FAQ : How To Soundproof A Bathroom