Soundproof blankets have been used for a long time to soundproof small rooms or walls, and they don’t have to be expensive.
Today we’re looking at the best soundproofing blankets and reviewing them all.
These blankets come in a range of sizes and prices, so it really depends on your budget but in general, any of these soundproofing blankets are going to be effective (that’s why they’re on this list).
Blanket
Features
Price
The best soundproofing blankets for doors and walls
- Oversized, 80” x 72”
- Constructed with thick, virgin cotton and polyester bindings
- Does not come with grommets for hanging
These are pretty much the standard soundproofing blanket people use because they’re so effective.
Soundmax make really good moving and soundproofing blankets, and they’re pretty affordable as well.
They come in packs of 12, but you can also get smaller or larger packs if you need.
For a small room however, 12 should be more than enough if you’re just using one layer!
- Oversized, 80” by 72”
- Weigh a little over 5lbs each
- Constructed with thick, virgin cotton and polyester bindings
These are the next level up from the Suremax soundproofing blankets above.
Instead of coming in a pack of 12, they come in a pack of 4. They are a little thicker and carry a little more weight.
- Standard sized, 72” x 80”
- Weight 7 ½ pounds each
- Quilted cotton/polyester blend is extremely durable
These moving blankets are great for soundproofing a small room.
We find that in general, moving blankets are GREAT for soundproofing things because they’re designed to be so thick and heavy, which is exactly what you want them to be!
They feature non-woven Polyester with Recycled Cotton making them the perfect material for soundproofing, and they look great too!
They’ve got great reviews, and they’re super long lasting.
Although they’re slightly more expensive than some other moving blankets, they’re going to get the job done.
- 78” x 72” (makes it slightly smaller than the others)
- Metal grommets placed every 9’’
- Designed to dampen noise and vibrations
This is slightly more heavy duty, and probably not suitable for an entire room.
This is what you might use to soundproof a wall, or one particular area of a space.
Because it’s so expensive and heavy, you probably wouldn’t want to soundproof an entire room with this.
- 95” x 54”
- Made from recycled materials
- Designed to absorb sounds (0.85 NRC rating)
Now we’re getting into the more heavy duty, highly effective blankets.
These blankets by Audiomute provide a very high level of soundproofing.
They come sold individually, and weigh 10lbs each.
What can soundproofing blankets be used for?
To start, it might be easier to state what soundproof blankets are not used for.
If you need to turn a room into a professional sound room, then just hanging some soundproof blankets won’t meet your needs.
You’ll need to invest your money into more permanent forms of soundproofing your walls, doors, ceiling, and floor.
But if you need to simply help soften the acoustics in the room then, yes, acoustic blankets may be just what you need. You can use soundproofing blankets for any number of reasons.
You work from home and find that your workspace allows too much noise into the room.
Or, you live in a small apartment and the noise coming from the living room keeps your children from falling asleep.
The tumble of your wash and dryer drives you crazy, so you need a simple solution to soundproof your laundry room.
Any of these scenarios can be handled with soundproof blankets.
Soundproof blankets for doors even helps reduce the level of noise transferred from room to room.
Here’s what soundproofing blankets can be used for:
- doors (check out: How To Soundproof A Door Easily With Cheap Items (2020)
- walls (check out: How To Soundproof A Wall Cheaply In 2020: Ultimate Guide)
- windows (also provide privacy)
- ceiling rafters
- around loud appliances such as your washer and dryer
- bedrooms
- a home office
- practice room for musical instruments
- home studio for recording music or a podcast (check out: How to Soundproof A Room For Podcasting)
The list could go on, but you get the picture. Soundproof blankets are an affordable solution to dampening the acoustics of your home.
Do sound blocking blankets ACTUALLY block sound?
You might be wondering: Does putting up soundproof blankets help block sound?
The answer is, Yes!
Will soundproof blankets block 100% of sound from leaving or entering a room?
No.
It might be helpful to think of a soundproof blanket as a “sound absorbing blanket.” Because that’s what they do.
Soundproofing blankets are thick and heavy. You place them along a wall, door, or window to help absorb any sounds.
They are great in home theaters to block light and sounds and work as well if not better than home theater curtains.
These acoustic blankets keep sound waves from bouncing off the hard surfaces in your room, thus dampening the overall sound.
Here’s a video comparing the difference between a room with and without soundproof blankets:
You can hear the difference of reverb in the room before and after he puts up the soundproof blanket.
If this video isn’t convincing, you can easily find other videos of people comparing the difference a soundproof blanket makes to noise in a room.
Again, soundproofing blankets won’t and can’t block 100% of the sound.
The acoustic blankets do what they were designed to do:
act as a dense layer to absorb sound waves and keep them from reverberating freely against other hard surfaces in the room.
When all is said and done, soundproof blankets can significantly reduce noise in your home.
How do I pick the best acoustic blankets for my room?
Choosing a soundproof blanket can be a little confusing.
When searching for sound absorbing blankets you’ll quickly notice people referring to moving blankets as soundproof blankets.
It may be more helpful to think of these as moving blankets for soundproofing.
There is a difference between moving blankets and acoustic blankets; understanding those differences can help you feel confident in making your final choice.
People often choose moving blankets for soundproofing as these are a cheaper alternative.
Differences between moving blankets for soundproofing and soundproof blankets will be explored further below.
The first thing you need to do before exploring your options is to measure the wall or door you wish to soundproof and decide how much money you want to spend.
Are you looking to spend under $50, or are you looking to spend hundreds of dollars?
The larger your space you’re looking to soundproof the more it will cost; if the cost skyrockets, you may just want to go ahead and plan on a larger construction project.
But if you just need to cover a door, a wall, or hang a few sound-absorbing blankets from the rafters in your basement or garage, then here are some of the things to consider.
Weight and Thickness Matters
The heavier and thicker the blanket, the more absorption will occur. The denser the blanket, the better it will be at stopping sound from traveling any further.
The heavier the sound absorbing blanket, the more expensive it will usually be.
Of course, you can always double layer blankets.
Cheaper soundproof blankets can perform better when double-layered.
If you’re soundproofing a larger space, it might be cheaper for you to go ahead buying more of the cheaper blankets, then buying several expensive ones.
Fabric
You don’t want a soundproof blanket that has a shiny or glossy exterior.
You want to look for breathable fabric, which allows sound to penetrate the absorbing layers of the blanket.
A plastic coating on the outside will simply act as another object for the soundwaves to bounce off. You need the sound to become trapped inside the layers of the blanket.
Many sound blocking blankets will have layers made from materials such as fiberglass, cotton, or wool.
These materials are dense and allow the sound to travel in all the while making it hard for the sound to travel back out.
Grommets
Another part of the design you’ll need to decide is whether or not you want a soundproof blanket with metal grommets.
Grommets make it easier to hang, like hanging a shower curtain. You can either place hooks on the wall or use a rod to drape the soundproof blanket from.
Many of the moving blankets for soundproofing people recommend do not come with metal grommets, but they will be much more affordable.
If the soundproofing blanket you pick does not have grommets already in place, you can still hang up your blanket with ease. You can purchase clips, or cut holes for metal grommets.
Here’s a video showing you how to set metal grommets in blankets which don’t have any:
If you choose a sound blocking blanket that doesn’t come with grommets won’t set you back, because there are other ways for you to hang them. You may just have to get creative.
Some suggestions on ways to hang soundproof blankets can be found here.
However, some places recommend you place acoustic blankets 2-3in away from the wall.
This requires installing a rod across the wall or installing a tract in the ceiling to run the blankets along like a curtain.
This also means your sound absorbing blankets should either already have metal grommets, or that you fit the metal grommets if the blanket you choose does not already have them.
Price
Probably, the most important thing to consider is the price. In the end, it comes down to the size of the budget for your project.
The more affordable moving blankets for soundproofing will be thinner and lighter than professional-grade acoustic blankets.
But they’ll still lessen the noise of the room noticeably and probably will meet the needs of most people.
However, the more money you spend on a soundproofing blanket does make a difference in the quality and effectiveness of the product.
Though again, some of this can be offset by double layering the lighter soundproofing blankets.
The weight and thickness between low and high ends are noticeable.
On the low end, a dozen blankets may weigh between 35-45lbs; in the middle will be around 65lbs for a dozen; and on the high end, a dozen blankets will set you closer to or over 100lbs.
These are some of the things which you should consider in a soundproofing blanket.
All of these options will be thicker than buying a blanket designed for your bed, but there will be a difference in quality attached to the price.
Ultimately, the decision is up to you.
Final thoughts on soundproofing blankets
If you’re curious about soundproofing your home but don’t want to invest the time and money in a larger project, then soundproof blankets provide an easy solution to unwanted noise.
On the cheaper end, you have moving blankets for soundproofing.
These come in packs of 6 or 12. They are thick, but not as heavy as some of the more expensive acoustic blankets.
They also usually do not come with metal grommets already in place, making them a little more difficult to hang.
But as was stated previously, you can use clips if you’re hanging them from rafters or a rod, or you can fit metal grommets rather easily.
On the more expensive end, you’ll find heavier soundproofing blankets that already have metal grommets making them easier to hang.
The downside is that these sometimes cost more since you end up buying each acoustic blanket individually.
Soundproof blankets will reduce sound waves in a room, which allows the noise level coming out, or going in to be more reasonable.
Sound blocking blankets won’t rid your house of noise coming in the windows from your neighbors.
Neither will they 100% block out the sound of drums coming from your teenager’s room.
But they will dampen the noise to levels that will be less annoying and intrusive in your home.