19 Problem-Solving Products For Anyone With Paper-Thin Walls
Because leaving your neighbors passive-aggressive notes is just not the solution.
We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
1. An under-door stopper designed to reduce drafts, light, smells, and most importantly, *noise*, from sneaking its way into your bedroom.
Especially great if your bedroom is across from the bathroom. 🙃
Promising review: "I'm in a small, one-bedroom apartment that has a ridiculous amount of space between the bottom of the internal doors and the (carpet-less) floors. I work from home in the living room area, using earbuds, but I can still hear sounds from the bedroom. My husband has severe allergies and blows his nose so hard it sounds like a bullhorn (that is, sadly, no exaggeration). This blocks nearly all sound coming out of the bedroom now and I'm extremely satisfied with it. I don't consider it a con, but it should be noted that the sound of the material sliding against a hard floor isn't totally quiet. It does make sound but I don't find it to be bothersome. I'm happy with this purchase and I'll likely buy more of these in the future. —Echo
Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (available in six colors/patterns).
2. And a roll of adhesive weather stripping if you wanna sound-proof the remaining three sides of your doorframe, too.
At this point, you'll try anything.
Promising review: "I recently bought an older house where all the windows are out of square. These strips have filled the gaps. I have no doubt that my next electric bill will be significantly lower after applying these to all my windows." —Nolan
Get a two-pack of 33-foot long rolls from Amazon for $8.97+ (available in three colors).
3. A teeny-tiny sound machine that packs a loud punch. This thing is equipped with 20 natural, soothing sounds perfect for drowning out your roommates' nightly political musings.
Promising review: "At first glance I was mad cause it’s tiny, like palm-sized tiny. I thought “there’s no way this puny thing has a loud volume”, but no, for once in my life, I was wrong. This tiny machine is loud enough to drown out annoying neighbors throwing loud parties somewhere, it drowns out my sister's dogs unnecessarily loud barking, and I’m at peace. I’m now deeply attached to this product as I’ve always had chronic sleep problems (re: aspie) and have sensory issues. My sleep environment is so chill now, I can actually tell a difference in my sleep quality cause I go into a deep a** kinda sleep and wake up like an ancient god that slept a thousand years. Best investment ever. Also cool sounds too." —Paloma G.
Get it from Amazon for $21.99.
4. Or, a white noise machine that's great for privacy, too — it'll muffle sounds coming from your room (like Zoom calls, FaceTimes with mom, obnoxiously singing your fav songs from eighth grade, what have you).
Promising review: "Love this thing, I'm a college student living in an apartment with paper thin walls and a frat house across the street. This successfully blocks out the noise from parties as well as the neighbors who blast music. Seriously a life saver. It's on the quieter side, and smaller than I expected, but definitely worth it!" —I.V
Get it from Amazon for $23.99 (available in four colors).
5. OR, just a simple fan to give you white noise AND keep your room cool.
Promising review: "Got this for my adult son for his room. He tends to have anxiety and uses it year round, nearly 24/7 for white noise and also I think the air soothes him. I was concerned it wouldn't be loud enough for a white noise but he is happy with it. On the other hand it is not so loud as to be annoying. He's been using it in his room for nearly six months so far and it's been a hit." —L.M.
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
6. Mack's silicone ear plugs that are soft AND moldable, which means you can get that perfect, noise-sealing fit without feeling like there's a bug crawling in your ear. 🦟👂
Promising review: "I really enjoy this product. I live in an apartment complex where the walls and flooring are thin and very noisy. My upstairs neighbors used to wake me up by just walking around in the morning. These work perfectly to cancel out the noise. The only draw back would be that it plugs your ears so well that there is a little pressure and suction from the plugs. Nothing uncomfortable." —Savannah
Get them from Amazon for $3.96.
7. A pair of AirPods Pro equipped with noise-cancellation, so you can WFH or study to the sounds that YOU prefer (rather than your neighbor who's auditioned for American Idol three times).
These wireless headphones are sweat- and water-resistant, provide active noise cancellation, and deliver up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Promising review: "Perfect for studying! I've been desperate for good noise canceling headphones because of my loud neighbors, and I'm SO happy with these. They sync seamlessly to my MacBook, iPad and iPhone, which I love. I'm so happy with them!" —Julia
Get them from Amazon for $199 (originally $249.99).
My colleague Emma had some delightful things to say about the AirPods Pro.
8. Some sound-absorbing foam panels that'll basically transform your bedroom into a recording studio.
Promising review: "I just moved into an apartment with an open floor plan and I have a new puppy. I could hear my neighbor cough and even snore. I staggered black and grey over my door and behind my headboard (in bed is where I would hear the most noise). I’m surprised how quiet it is in my apartment!! I’m hoping she hears less of me as well. I put them up with command strips and it was quick and easy little project. The only complaint is that the colors of the grey vary slightly. Very nice looking and otherwise happy with the purchase. Would still consider buying more, but I may just stick with black!" —C. Trent
Get a six-pack from Amazon for $16.99 (also available in a 24-pack and four colors).
9. A pack of cupboard bumpers because your roommates *love* to slam the kitchen cabinets as they fix their "midnight snack" at 3 a.m.
10. And some felt furniture pads, since your other roommate is "learning interior design" and likes to spend their weekends rearranging the living room at the crack of dawn.
Promising review: "I have a small footstool with wooden legs that scraped on the wood floor. They didn’t scratch, but the sound was loud and annoying. It only took a minute to peel off four of these pads and stick them to the legs. Peace and quiet!" —Amazon Customer
Get a 32-pack from Amazon for $5.74.
11. Noise-reducing curtains that'll mitigate the sound of sirens and beeping horns *in addition* to blocking out the sun. A true two-for-one deal.
12. A plush area rug to add some extra padding to your floors. That dog in the apartment below you is so dang cute, but its constant barking? Not so much.
Promising review: "Found this when I was looking for a black faux-fur rug to match the black faux-fur blanket on my papasan chair in the bedroom. Arrived quickly, fits perfectly in the floor space I had in mind and matches the bedroom colors! Really soft as well. Just needed to brush the fur pieces over the edges so the padding wasn't visible. Best part is this is machine washable (I air-dried it afterwards), which comes in handy when you have a fur baby! Good price/value....would recommend!" —Nicole
Get one from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in five sizes and 15 colors).
13. Insulating paint additive designed to maintain temperatures in your home and conserve energy. BUT, it has a side effect: it'll make your rooms quieter, too.
FYI: this can be mixed with any kind of paint.
Promising review: "I am a believer. It extends your paint and after using this in my upstairs interior, it quiets a room. So I recommend this product. Great product. No complaints. Highly useful. Recommend!" —JFL
Get it from Amazon for $13.25+ (available in six sizes).
14. A thick yoga mat because your neighbors share those same thin walls with you! This'll help absorb the sound (and impact!) of all those squat jumps and burpees you've been doing lately.
15. A Bluetooth sleep mask with noise cancellation so you can fall asleep to your fav podcasts or playlists without having to worry about earbuds falling out. No matter what sounds your home will be graced with tonight, rest assured — you ain't gonna hear 'em.
The sleep mask covers your eyes and your eyes and has a Velcro attachment at the back of your head.
Promising review: "I was very pleased with how well the noise-cancelling feature worked on this mask! It is very comfortable and I would highly recommend it for travel and home use." —Julia D McDaniel
Get it from Amazon for $25.99 (available in four colors).
16. A tube of door grease so that, no matter what time your roomies come home, the obnoxious sound of your 80-year-old apartment door creaking open will no longer wake you.
Promising review: "I bought this after looking up how to fix a squeaky door hinge the article said not to use WD-40 because it its only a temporary fix and they said to use this product. I used it on the door I wanted to fix, WOW it is amazing — the door makes no noise other than the latch and the air it pushes. NO MORE SQUEAK! I then used this on every door hinge in my house — seven doors, three hinges per door, so 21 hinges! And I still have 95% of the tube still left (I was being very generous with each hinge.)" —AmazonDOG
Get it from Amazon for $4.99.
17. A quiet pet ID because you've had it with the jingle-jangle of your pup's lil' collar running around your home while you're trying to sleep.
AND, if you think that noise is annoying, imagine what your pup thinks about it! You'll both appreciate this.
Promising review: "Best dog tag we have ever had. Silent. My husband is a SUPER light sleeper and the dog's tags would wake him we ever made noise even though they were created at night on the other side of the house. So when we moved recently I found these and the problem was fixed. We like it so well that we will be getting one for our all indoor cats just in case." —Nichelle
Get it from Amazon for $20 (available in three sizes and three colors).
18. A set of silicone kitchen tools that'll be wayyyy quieter when your S.O. is making mac 'n' cheese with a wooden spoon and is essentially just playing the drums.
Each set includes a large and medium spatula, a large and medium spoon, a medium spreader, a medium pastry brush, an egg whisk, and an egg separator.
Promising review: "Great quality!! I’ve been using them for a few months now and they are great! They clean up well with no spots and feel pretty sturdy while using for thick heavy foods. I also use some for sautéing and have had no heat issues or melting. I would definitely buy these again, but at this rate I won’t need to!" —Mizz87
Get a nine-piece set from Amazon for $13.99.
19. And, a privacy sign so your roommates always know when you're home and when you aren't. These are meant for more ~professional~ settings but, sadly, this is what things have come to.
Promising review: "I work from home, and if you do too you may also encounter this odd scenario: merely closing the door to one’s office is not actually a reliable method to let others know you are working. I can’t say enough good things about this sign. It is a far better design and quality than expected at this price point. The sign is a dial-style, and really sturdy. The dial even has a click-in-place feature to prevent your status from accidentally moving when the door swings shut. Gone are the days of people thinking you’re available when you’re not! Well, at least you have forewarned them! I am extremely happy with the sign, and can recommend it to anyone who might need a little extra assistance in deterring work interruptions!" —Conscious Consumer
Get it from Amazon for $10.95.
Shhhhhhh....
Reviews have been edited for length/clarity.