If you are thinking about building a rehearsal room in your house, or if you want to soundproof a room so that the neighbors won’t call the cops on you, or maybe you want to start a podcast or a YouTube channel, lowering the amount of noise that is allowed in- or out of the room is a must.

There are many ways to soundproof a room, but an affordable way that also achieves acceptable results is using moving blankets.

In this post we’ll talk about the efficiency of soundproofing blankets and if you should get some or not.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Do Soundproofing Blankets work?

Yes.

Soundproofing blankets will not block off 100% of the outside noise but rather dampen or deaden it to a much more manageable level.

In other words, even though sound can come in, it will have a harder time doing so, effectively lowering it.

Just like anything used for noise-reduction purposes, getting 100% noise-cancellation is almost impossible, but you can deaden it to a point where you won’t notice it anymore, or at least where it won’t either bother you or other people.

What are soundproofing blankets?

Soundproofing-, or more accurately, Acoustic blankets are used to absorb sound and reduce noise by creating a sound barrier.

They can be suspended from any surface you’d like; from door frames, to windows, portable frames, floor mounted frames, you could even attach them to the sealing.

Most of them have grommets which allow you to hang them anywhere you’d like.

Most affordable acoustic blankets are simply moving blankets, which are used to protect furniture when moving to another place.

But since they are thick, they can also absorb sound, plus they are super affordable.

The only con is that they won’t really improve the room’s décor; they are quite ugly.

How do Soundproofing Blankets Work?

Soundproofing blankets are made of multiple layers.

The outer layer doesn’t provide any insulation at all and it allows the soundwaves to pass through it so that they can reach the materials responsible for sound absorption, instead of reflecting them outward.

The inner layer is the one that’s actually doing all of the heavy lifting.

They are generally made of sound absorbent materials such as fiberglass, mineral wool, and others, and these work quite well at absorbing sound.

Some of the more expensive ones actually do have mass loaded vinyl in them, or some other type of sound-blocking material, and these ones are much better at rejecting sound, while also costing more.

Now, acoustic blankets are capable of absorbing sound, but how good are they at really keeping noises out of a room?

Can they block sound?

Soundproofing blankets are excellent at dampening or deadening sounds, but they can’t block most of it.

So, in short, NO.

Soundproofing blankets don’t block sound since it can get from one side of the blanket to the other with ease, but a portion of that sound gets absorbed, which in turn lowers the amount that is allowed to get to the other side.

Like I just mentioned, higher quality blankets will reduce the transfer of sound quite drastically, but they do cost more.

What are soundproofing blankets used for?

Soundproofing blankets have multiple applications, you can get creative with how you use them.

The most common applications are;

Music Studios: If you take recording seriously then you will need to take care of the echo and reverb in the room. Soundproofing panels and acoustic blankets will do this properly.

They can also be used for a homemade vocal booth.

Rehearsal Room: One of the most common applications is for deadening the sound inside a rehearsal room, especially because of the low cost of the blankets.

Home: You could use them in laundry rooms, bathrooms, music rooms, on the ceiling, etc. Basically, if you want to reduce noise in a room, you can use them there.

Industrial Applications: In this case, soundproofing blankets are used as a sound barrier around a loud piece of machinery.

These industrial blankets are much better at sound insulation because they are much heavier and made of a higher density material like fiberglass and mass loaded vinyl.

Where and how to install soundproofing blankets?

Since most of them have grommets, they are easy to install, and if you’re soundproofing a window, one option would be to use the grommets to hang them from the wall over the window.

However, if you want to get the best seal possible, you should use Velcro around the window frame and attach the blanket that way, making sure that it seals off the entire window completely.

The same thing could be done when using these blankets to soundproof a door, since you could hang them from the door’s frame or you could use Velcro, or even nails, to firmly attach it to the door.

Basically, blankets are extremely versatile for the sole reason that you can hang them anywhere you’d like, fold them, change their shape to fit into any space, etc.

What makes a good soundproofing blanket?

There are a couple factors that determine if a soundproofing blanket is good or not, but make sure that it’s as heavy as possible; if you have trouble lifting it, then you have a great blanket!

Density: Density is very important, even more than thickness since a thick blanket may not be dense at all, which means that they won’t block any sound.

A lack of density means that there isn’t much material in them that can absorb the sound.

Thickness: Thickness is also important, but like I just mentioned a thick blanket should also be dense. This will give you the best results.

So, make sure that when choosing a blanket, it has high density and thickness levels.

Materials: You should be looking for Cotton, Mineral Wool and Multilayered polyester blankets. These are the most affordable ones and they are also very high-quality.

If you need some even higher-quality ones, like the ones made out of vinyl, then you could either make them yourself (more on this later) or you could purchase custom-made ones here.

These are, however, a lot more expensive and they take about a month to be delivered. If you buy the vinyl yourself, you could make them for a fourth of the price.

Grommets: Grommets are much more important than you may realize, without them you won’t be able to easily hang them.

What are the best soundproofing blankets?

Audimute Sound Absorption Blanket: These are the ones I would recommend the most, especially if you plan on using them for a home recording studio, rehearsal room, etc. since they can absorb high and mid-range frequencies by up to 65% all on their own.

They may be a bit pricier than the next ones on this list, but they are worth it.

Sure-Max Ultra thick Moving Blankets: You can get a pack of twelve of these for the price of one of the Audimute blankets.

The overall quality might be a bit lacking, but what can you expect at such an affordable price?

If you buy just one pack of 12 blankets you will have more than enough to cover the entirety of any room and their sound absorbing capabilities are great.

If you are of a tighter budget then go for these ones, otherwise you should purchase the Audimute blankets.

Soundproofing Blankets DIY (affordable and effective)

The best way to go about this is by using mass loaded vinyl and wrapping it in the fabric of your choice.

Mass loaded vinyl is one of the best sound-insulation materials since it doesn’t absorb sound, but rather blocks it.

The one problem is that it’s really heavy, so take that into consideration when making these blankets since hanging if from a door will probably require you to nail it to it, basically ruining the door.

However, if installed properly on a door, and if you also soundproof the door using all the methods I describe in this other article, it will have a massive effect.

How much of an improvement can you expect?

Depending on the level of noise and the blankets you use you could expect anywhere from a 20% to 60% noise reduction.

However, using a blanket on its own won’t do as much as soundproofing the doors and also the windows and THEN adding soundproof blankets.

If you do some basic soundproofing first, they will make a bigger difference, especially the ones with high quality materials in them.

Conclusion

If you are a home music recording enthusiast, or if you do podcasts, basically if you work from home and need a quiet space, soundproofing blankets can help you with this.

Note that soundproofing blankets alone, even though they might help, aren’t the best solution. A combination of methods should be used, from sealing the gaps between a door/window and the frame, to changing the glass in the window, etc.

I hope this information was helpful!

Have a nice day!

Last Updated on March 3, 2021 by Facundo