Please make the creaking stop so I can sleep peacefully.

March 13, 2011 11:34 AM

My creaking apartment wall is keeping me up at night, anything I can do to quiet it?

My bedroom wall in my apartment creaks during the winter due to the temperature difference between the room and the temperature outside. I absolutely can't stand hearing the continuous creaking every few seconds, and I've had to sleep on the couch in the other room quite often because I can't stand it anymore.

I'm not looking for cover up solutions as I already sleep with a pillow over my head, and I usually play a sleep track as well. I can still hear the creaking nonetheless, but might consider getting a fan if nothing else works.

The vent for the heating, which is also on the same wall, creaked as well, but I was able to stop it by wedging wooden dowels with rubber on the ends inside of the vents. Are there any ways that I can brace the wall so it doesn't creak anymore? If this was a house that I owned, I would try adding some screws to the wall, but its an apartment with metal studs so I'm not sure if I want to do something like that.

Suggestions? I'm tired of living out E M Snickering's Tall Man from Cornwall.

posted by Homo economicus to home & garden (8 answers total)

White noise machine? (AKA Sound Spa.)
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 11:45 AM on March 13, 2011

Ear plugs?
posted by dfriedman at 11:46 AM on March 13, 2011

This is definitely a job for ear plugs. I always wear them when I'm sleeping.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:00 PM on March 13, 2011

The sleep track that I play at night is essentially white noise; it plays continual rushing water noises.

I've also tried one type of ear plug, but I sleep on my side and it feels like they are being driven into my brain. I might try a different type though.
posted by Homo economicus at 12:06 PM on March 13, 2011

You need to find the right ear plugs. I have some that are a silicone-type material and very, very soft, small, and the only part that sticks out of my ear is a little stem but it's so soft that if I lay on it, it doesn't mash it further into my ear. They're also not foam, so they don't irritate the insides of my ears as much if I wear them several nights in a row.
posted by Addlepated at 9:21 PM on March 13, 2011

Here, like these - very soft: http://www.amazon.com/PLUGS-JELLY-SNUG-CORD-CASE/dp/B000WCVHTY/ref=sr_1_91?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1300076579&sr=1-91
posted by Addlepated at 9:26 PM on March 13, 2011

If it's caused by a temperature difference maybe the approach is to minimize the difference (and changes) by keeping your bedroom colder and sleeping under more blankets or with an electric blanket. Options include closing the vent to your room or turning down the heat in your apartment at night. Or possibly turning off the heat at night entirely or at least way low, like 50 degrees or something, but only if you live in an climate temperate enough that freezing pipes isn't a concern.
posted by 6550 at 9:34 PM on March 13, 2011

I tried cutting the slightly cone shaped, foam ear plugs that I have in half and gave them a go. I can still hear the odd loud creaks, but the ear plugs and sleep track seems to cover up most of the sound. Will try looking for those soft silicone plugs next however, because I'm slightly worried that I won't be able to remove the shorted foam plugs after a full night of sleeping on my side. Now where are those tweezers...
posted by Homo economicus at 12:12 PM on March 14, 2011