My wife and I used to live in a very old house, with a very old basement. It was the stuff of nightmares, and wouldn’t look out of place in a horror movie.
What didn’t help was the fact that when the washing machine or dryer was on full spin, the noise would vibrate and echo throughout the entire house… it sounded like the apocalypse was coming.
It was driving me mad.
I had to come up with a solution to soundproof my laundry room.
Guess what?
I managed to do it, and did it very cheaply at minimal cost.
This is my guide, and will give you all the knowledge I think you will need to do it yourself, and you don’t need to be particularly handy with tools, or skilled. It really is that simple to do, so here goes.
How to Soundproof Your Laundry Room Door 3 Steps
Step 1: Use Washing Machine Pads for Anti-Vibration
By doing this I was able to eliminate structural sounds – in other words the vibrations that come through the house when high speed machinery is running. Simply soundproofing the laundry door would not have prevented this, which is why I recommend doing this as well.
It only takes around 10 minutes or so and should help to reduce vibration noise by around 30%. The numbers you hit could be different – you might want to consider using a free decibel monitor app for your phone to test before and after sound levels.
If money is an issue, and you want to get started straight away without waiting for the anti-vibration pads to arrive then you can make your own using cork. Just cut the cork to fit under the feet of the washing machine and spin dryer.
Alternatively, you can use cloth, but I would suggest a thick cloth, something similar to towelling. Only consider these as short-term measures though as the anti-vibration pads are designed to the best job.
Step 2: Use a Soundproof Door Blanket
The majority of doors, particularly in new-build modern homes have very hollow doors which are really poor at blocking out noise.
As a cost-effective solution for home soundproofing your laundry door, you can’t get much better than a soundproof door blanket as it will save you buying a specialist soundproofed door entirely. I would suggest you place it on the inside of the laundry room door for aesthetical reasons, as they don’t always look great.
The blanket will soak up a lot of the sound into the dense material and is very easy to hang or pin to the door. You can use tacks, nails, or heavy-duty pins to do so, and it should take no longer than 5 minutes to do.
I promise you that the difference will be hugely noticeable.
The other option you might have would be to actually order a new made to measure sound-proofed door, but then your budget is going to rise into the high hundreds of dollars, rather than this alternative method I am showing you.
Step 3: Use a Door Sweep Cover
This added provision should completely block washing machine noises coming through the laundry door. If you have a large gap under your door, then this should be something you do as default.
Cost of the recommended door sweeps are around $8, so again, it’s an extremely cheap way in which you can soundproof a door.
Final Thoughts
By using steps 1 and 3, you could end up just spending around $16 on eliminating sound coming from your laundry. Step 2 does involve more money, but is infinitely cheaper than investing in a specialist soundproofed door.
Due to my job, getting a good sleep, even during the day is of paramount importance so I am fanatical about soundproofing my home as you’ve probably gathered if you’ve read anything else on my website.
I hope that this has helped you, and would welcome any questions.
