Do curtains and blinds reduce noise? An honest answer
Curtains and blinds can soften a room's echo and take a little edge off outside sound, but none of them soundproof a window. Here is what helps and what does not.
Do blackout curtains reduce noise? A little. Heavy, full curtains soften the echo inside a room and can take some of the edge off outside sound, but no curtain or blind makes a room soundproof. If you have been searching for acoustic or soundproof curtains, it helps to know what those terms can and cannot deliver before you spend anything.
In short
- Curtains and blinds change how a room sounds inside more than they block noise coming from outside.
- Heavy, full, floor-length curtains help most. Sheers and roller blinds do very little for noise.
- Lined curtains add a second fabric layer that can soften echo. They are made for light and drape, not noise control.
- Real noise reduction comes from sealing gaps, better glazing and soft furnishings, with curtains as a finishing layer.
- If noise is a serious problem, speak to a glazier or an acoustic specialist as well.
How sound gets into a room
To see what a window covering can do, it helps to know where the noise is coming from. There are three main routes.
- Through the glass. Thin single glazing passes more sound than thicker or double glazing.
- Through gaps. Air moves through small gaps around the frame, and sound follows it. Vents and gaps under doors do the same.
- Around and over the covering. Sound reaches a room in the same way whether or not a curtain is hanging in front of the window.
Inside the room, hard surfaces such as glass, tiles, timber and plaster bounce sound around, which is why an empty room with a bare floor sounds echoing and harsh. Soft, heavy, textured surfaces absorb some of that reflected sound. That is where curtains help.
Do blackout curtains reduce noise?
A heavy blockout curtain adds weight, thickness and soft fabric between the room and the window. In practice that has two effects:
- It softens the room. A large area of soft, folded fabric reduces echo, so voices, the television and street sounds feel less sharp.
- It takes a little edge off outside sound. The more fabric, the more folds and the fewer the gaps, the more it can help.
It does not seal the window. A curtain hangs in front of the glass rather than fitting into it, so sound still travels around and through the space. The change you notice is usually a room that feels calmer, not a room that has gone silent.
Our blockout fabrics are Galaxy, the heaviest coated fabric, and Epic, a three-pass coated fabric. Both are coated, opaque and made for light control. They are designed for light control, not noise. (Many people search for "blackout curtains"; blockout is the Australian word for the same fabric.)
Which noises curtains help with most
Not all noise behaves the same way. Higher, sharper sounds such as voices, birds, a television or footsteps on a hard floor respond better to soft furnishings than deep, low sounds such as traffic rumble, aircraft or a neighbour's bass. Low sounds pass through light materials easily, and a curtain is a light material.
In practice, that means curtains are most useful for taking the harshness out of a room and least useful against constant low-frequency noise. If your main problem is a busy road or a flight path, set your expectations accordingly and look at the window itself.
Rooms where you notice the difference most
- Open-plan living areas with tiles or timber floors, where echo makes the room tiring. S Fold or pleated curtains across a large window or sliding door add a lot of soft surface.
- Home offices. Hard surfaces make video calls sound hollow. Curtains and a rug help, and you can add SunScreen or Light Filter blinds for glare.
- Media rooms. A room with blockout for the picture and soft furnishings for the sound is easier on the ears. Our home theatre suggestions are blockout, full cassette and motorised blinds.
- Bedrooms. Softer surfaces make a bedroom feel calmer, and blockout also helps with light.
What curtains, blinds and shutters can and cannot do
| Option | May help with | Will not do |
|---|---|---|
| Sheer curtains | Soften a room slightly | Block outside noise |
| Lined curtains | Add a second fabric layer, which can soften echo | Soundproof a room |
| Double curtains | Two layers with air between them, a heavier overall effect | Seal the window |
| Blockout curtains | Add weight and soft folds | Replace glazing or seals |
| Roller blinds | Very little | Change how loud a room is |
| Vertical and panel glide blinds | May soften a hard-surfaced room a touch | Reduce outside noise in a meaningful way |
| Plantation shutters | Add a solid layer at the window | Seal the blades, frame or hinges |
| Venetian blinds | Very little | Reduce noise; slats can rattle in a draught |
Do shutters block out noise?
Plantation shutters put a solid frame and panels at the window, which adds a layer that a roller blind does not. That is useful, but blades, hinges and frame gaps are not sealed, so they do not stop sound in the way a fixed pane would. Their strengths are light control, privacy and a fitted look rather than acoustics.
Soundproof curtains: what actually reduces noise
Sound proof curtains, sound dampening curtains, sound deadening curtains, sound absorbing curtains and acoustic curtains are all names for the same hope: a curtain that makes a room quieter. The products behind those labels range from thick, multi-layer curtains with dense linings to heavy blockout curtains with a new name. In every case, what reduces noise is the same: more soft fabric, more folds and fewer gaps.
| Term you will see | What it usually describes | What actually helps |
|---|---|---|
| Sound absorbing curtains | Soft, folded fabric that soaks up echo inside the room | Heavy, full curtains across the whole window wall |
| Sound dampening or sound deadening curtains | Dense or layered fabric that takes some edge off outside sound | Two layers with air between them |
| Acoustic curtains | A label for a thick, multi-layer curtain | Compare weight, layers and fullness rather than the name |
| Sound reducing blinds | Fabric blinds that soften a hard-surfaced room a little | A blind combined with curtains |
A few things to keep in mind when you see these claims:
- Ask what was tested. A figure for a fabric on its own says little about a curtain hanging in a real room.
- Treat "soundproof" with caution. It implies noise is fully blocked, which a curtain cannot do.
- Look at the gaps. Even the heaviest curtain leaves sound paths at the top, sides and bottom.
- Compare like with like. Weight, number of layers and fullness matter more than a label.
The simple rule is that heavier, fuller and more layered curtains do more to soften a room and take the edge off noise from outside.
Sound reducing blinds
Roller blinds are a thin layer, so they do very little for noise. Fabric blinds with more surface, such as vertical blinds and panel glide blinds, can soften echo in a hard-surfaced room a touch. If your window faces a busy road, treat a blind as a light and privacy product, and put your effort into heavy, full curtains and sealed gaps instead.
Common myths
- "A thicker blockout means soundproof." Thickness helps a little. It does not change the sound paths around the curtain.
- "Sheers will muffle the street." Sheers are designed to let light and air through, and sound goes with them.
- "Blinds behind curtains solve it." A roller blind adds a thin layer. Two curtain layers with air between them do more than a curtain and a blind.
How to get a quieter room with window coverings
If you want to make the most of what curtains can do, this checklist covers the choices that matter.
- Choose heavy fabric. A coated blockout or a lined curtain gives you more material between the room and the window than a sheer.
- Add layers. Double curtains put two fabrics on separate tracks with air between them.
- Go full. More fullness means more folds. S Fold has the deepest heading profile of our five headings.
- Cover the whole wall. Let the track run wider than the window and finish the curtains just touching the floor, so there are fewer gaps.
- Close the top. A box pelmet or Bonded Pelmet blocks the gap above the curtain.
- Close them. Curtains do nothing for noise when they are open.
Tip: Add a thick rug, a bookshelf or upholstered furniture in the same room. Soft furnishings absorb sound and work with your curtains rather than replacing them.
What works better than any window covering
If noise is a real problem, the biggest gains come from the window itself and the building around it.
- Seal gaps. Draught seals around the sash, door and frame reduce air movement, and sound moves with it.
- Keep windows and doors closed when noise is at its worst.
- Consider better glazing. A glazier can advise on what suits your frame and your noise source.
- Speak to an acoustic specialist for persistent traffic, aircraft, rail or industrial noise.
Once the window is dealt with, curtains are a good finishing touch. For the wider question of choosing between them, read blinds or curtains. If you want a quieter and darker bedroom, blockout for better sleep covers the light side of the same problem.
Questions
Do blackout curtains reduce noise?
A little. Heavy, full blockout curtains soften echo inside the room and can take some edge off outside sound, but they do not make a room soundproof.
Do blinds reduce noise?
Roller blinds are a thin layer and do very little. Fabric blinds may soften a hard-surfaced room slightly, but they are not a noise solution.
Do plantation shutters block out noise?
They add a solid layer at the window, but the blades and hinges are not sealed, so shutters are for light control and privacy rather than noise.
Do you sell sound absorbing or acoustic curtains?
Our heavy blockout and lined curtains soften echo and take a little off outside sound, but they are made for light control and drape rather than noise control. For a quieter room, start with gaps and glazing.
What is the best way to reduce traffic noise at a window?
Seal gaps around the window, keep it closed and consider better glazing. Heavy, full curtains are a useful finishing layer on top.
Compare heavy curtain fabrics
Order free samples of our blockout and sheer fabrics and feel the weight for yourself.
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