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5 Ways to Silence Squeaks and Other Annoying Sounds in Your Home

Creaky floor or dripping faucet driving you nuts? Our tips will silence squeaks and other annoying noises fast!

Muffle a loud drawer with hot-glue bumpers.

Ugh! Every time you close your dresser drawer, it sounds like a clap of thunder. To silence it once and for all, just grab your hot-glue gun. Open the noisy drawer, then apply a spot of hot glue to the inside corners in the back and let dry. The glue will act as bumpers, allowing the drawer to shut gently. No glue gun? Just cut off small pieces of a sponge and apply them to the inside corners to double as buffers.

Plug a drip with a ribbon.

Is the drip, drip, drip of your faucet causing you to lose sleep? Ribbon to the rescue! “Simply tie a piece of ribbon or string over the head of the faucet and let it drape down to the drain,” suggests master plumber Joe Wood of Boston Standard Company. “This simple move will allow the drip to be channeled down the ribbon like a slide — totally silent!”

Outsmart a buzzing fridge by stocking it a little less.

To make its noisy motor run less, stock your fridge at about 75 percent capacity, the sweet spot for having enough food to maintain the cold temperatures without obstructing air flow. Fridge too empty? Just fill it with a few bottles of water. This trick lets the motor run about 30 percent less, stopping that sound and slashing your electricity bill!

Quiet a noisy door hinge with a bit of petroleum jelly.

Door hinges squeak due to metal parts coming into contact with each other, explains home-improvement contractor Andrew Wilson (ContractorAdvisorly.com). “Petroleum jelly does wonders to lubricate the metal, instantly banishing that noise.” Just use a rag to rub the jelly onto the hinge. Open and close the door a few times to work the jelly in, and the squeak will be gone!

Muzzle a squeaky floor with a sprinkle of talcum.

Creaky floors are caused when the floorboards rub against each other, creating friction, says David Cusick of House Method. The fix: Sprinkle talcum powder over the noisy spot, then use a cloth to rub the powder into the crevices between the floorboards. The powder is fine enough to fill in the gaps, muffling the noise.

A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.

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