From a Guest Blogger: Throwing Noise Pollution Out Of the Window

When we talk about pollution, few of us immediately shift our attention to noise. Most of the time we focus on the standard types – normally relating to some form of gas that our cars or homes are emitting into the environment.

However, noise pollution is a big deal – you only have to tune into one of the Neighbors from Hell shows to realize that. This is something which can turn the perfect neighborhood into an absolute nightmare. It’s not always the neighbors that are to blame either; sometimes it’s just bad luck. You might have the picturesque property one day, but if the government decides to build a new highway a stone’s throw away you’ll soon become accustomed to exactly what noise pollution really is. It’s not pleasant and in most cases, your ears just won’t get used to their new surroundings.

However, if that highway is in the midst of being constructed, do not fear. Before you get the For Sale sign propped up in your yard, consider some of the basic measures that you can take to improve your home’s ability to handle noise. Of course, back to the irritating neighbors part – these tips also work if you happen to live next door to undesirable individuals.

The first suggestion we’ll delve into is probably one of the simplest of them all and merely involves caulking the gaps around the window frame. Ultimately, you’re looking to plug any gap that sound might find its way through – and this step will take just minutes to carry out.

One of the more obvious retrofitting actions involves the glazing itself. Some older properties are still using single glazing and in this case we’ll tell you that the marketing doesn’t lie – these perform significantly worse than their double glazing brothers. It might be a costly exercise to install a new set of windows, but the difference between the two options is staggering and could quite possibly eradicate that dreaded noise pollution.
Something which isn’t quite as harsh on the purse strings is a new window treatment. It’s only over the last few years that these have really come to light, with insulated shades the most suitable product in question. These are of a honeycomb design and are able to block out everything from heat and cold air, right the way to, you guessed it, noise. Depending on the level of noise pollution that your property is being subjected to, there are different levels of insulated shades. Some are of a single cell; whilst others may be comprised of as many as three to truly lock everything out.

Already, you’re starting to see that noise pollution doesn’t have to be associated with drastic courses of action. It is possible to deal with the problem without spending a small fortune and ultimately, without picking up your things and moving home. In other words, noise pollution can be thrown out the window – quite literally.