Do curtains reduce noise?
Updated
Curtains can soften echo inside a room, but they do not usually stop noise passing through walls, floors or ceilings. That is the advice of YourHome, an Australian Government website. For noise coming in from outside, the options it lists are glazing changes such as thicker or laminated glass.
Do curtains absorb sound inside a room?
Curtains can help with echo. YourHome explains that reverberation is reflected sound building up inside a room, which often makes a hard room feel bright, echoey or noisy. For an echoey room it advises adding materials that absorb or diffuse noise. The useful options it lists include carpet, rugs, curtains, upholstered furniture, bookshelves and acoustic panels.
YourHome says soft finishes like these can make a room feel calmer. Curtains are one soft finish among several.
Will curtains help with road noise?
Don't count on it. YourHome says curtains and other soft finishes do not usually stop noise passing through walls, floors or ceilings, and it advises against expecting them to improve noise travelling through walls or floors. Noise from a road reaches a room through the building, and the window is part of that.
For the window itself, YourHome lists glazing options. Thicker glass, laminated glass, secondary glazing and a wider air space between the panes can help, and so can well sealed windows and doors. It adds that the right solution depends on the type of noise and the whole facade design, so the answer for your home starts with a look at your own windows.
| The problem | What YourHome lists | Where curtains fit |
|---|---|---|
| Echo inside a room | Carpet, rugs, curtains, upholstered furniture, bookshelves, acoustic panels | Curtains are on the list |
| Noise through walls, floors or ceilings | Soft finishes do not usually stop it | Curtains do not usually stop it |
| Noise from outside | Thicker glass, laminated glass, secondary glazing, a wider space between panes, good seals | Curtains are not on that list |
Do blockout curtains or roller blinds reduce noise?
Blockout, also called blackout, describes light, not sound. A blockout curtain stops light with a coating on the back of the fabric or with a separate blockout lining. That tells you nothing about noise, so a blockout curtain does what any curtain does. It can soften echo in a room, and it does not usually stop noise coming through a wall.
The YourHome advice names curtains, not roller blinds, so there is nothing to back a promise of a quieter room from a roller blind. Choose a roller blind for light, privacy and looks, and look at the glazing if outside noise is the problem.
If noise is the problem, tell your retailer what the noise is and where it comes from. A curtain and blind retailer can tell you what curtains will and won't do in your room, and whether the window itself needs attention. Speedy Blinds makes curtains, tracks and roller blinds for retailers.
Other ways people ask this
Do curtains block sound?
They can soften echo inside a room. YourHome says curtains do not usually stop noise passing through walls, floors or ceilings.
Are blackout curtains soundproof?
Not in the way the word suggests. Blockout, also called blackout, describes how much light a fabric stops, not how much sound.
Do velvet curtains block sound?
Velvet curtains are still curtains. They can help take echo out of a room, but YourHome says curtains do not usually stop noise passing through walls, floors or ceilings.
Do roller blinds reduce noise?
The YourHome advice names curtains, not roller blinds, so a roller blind should be chosen for light, privacy and looks, not for quiet.
This answer is general information. For your own windows, your retailer's advice and your order with them come first.