31
votes
How can I stop my wipers from squeaking?
Wiper squeaking is usually caused by bad wiper blades. Check and replace them.
- 529
27
votes
How to wake up without waking up other people in the same room
There are "vibrating watches" for this. They're wristwatches that vibrate when your alarm goes off.
Or take wireless headphone (earplug) for using it with your phone.
Good luck for that :)
- 371
20
votes
How to wake up without waking up other people in the same room
this will sound ridiculous, but bear with me.When I have a specific time that I HAVE to wake up at (say for a flight or train), before I go to bed I will repeat to myself "I need to wake up at 6:30" ...
- 1,694
20
votes
How can I stop my wipers from squeaking?
The squeaking is caused by two major factors:
Hardening of the silicone, graphite, or rubber wiper blade.
Dirt on the blade, or less commonly on the windshield.
If cleaning the windshield and wiper ...
- 676
20
votes
How to eat loud food (chips, celery) quietly
Make sure your mouth is closed completely. You can bite slowly, which might sound quieter, though it is really just enlongating the sound.
- 2,471
17
votes
How to eat loud food (chips, celery) quietly
This trick only really works with chips, and might also be a bit unappetizing. Put the chip in your mouth, and don't bite it right away. Let it soften a little from your saliva. It won't taste quite ...
- 2,075
16
votes
Accepted
Listening to music in cubicle without headphones
To have speakers audible by you, and not others implies either that you have the volume turned down so that due to sound volume diminishing with distance it blends in before reaching others, or use ...
- 6,984
12
votes
Accepted
Sleeping in a noisy environment
I found standard cylindrical earplugs are prone to falling out because they are too long: they protrude from the ear, so every time you move your head on the pillow, the earplugs are pushed sideways.
...
- 6,234
10
votes
Accepted
Reduce blender noise
They actually make blender sound enclosures which will dampen a blender's noise considerably. These are generally designed for retail applications (i.e. expensive), but you can draw on the basic ...
- 6,635
10
votes
Keeping quiet in the kitchen at night while other people sleeping
I am in a similar situation at home. I get up to go to work at around six in the morning whilst my wife and two very young children (2 and newborn) continue to sleep. If I make too much noise and ...
- 969
10
votes
Accepted
Reducing the high pitched sound of writing on chalkboard
Apparently, the way you grab the chalk influences in the noise: if you fully grab it, putting your forefinger over it, it will eliminate vibrations.
Also, write without making a lot of pressure.
...
- 377
9
votes
How to eat loud food (chips, celery) quietly
To me, this is more of a manners question, as crunchy foods are meant to be crunched.
So, offer some chips (etc.) to your workmates before snacking. Explain they are welcome to any and apologize for ...
- 91
9
votes
How to eat loud food (chips, celery) quietly
Blend it in a blender. Chips require you to also add some salsa or in general a "wet" component, celery or carrots don't.
Carry it to work in a container of some kind and use a spoon to eat.
- 338
9
votes
Listening to music in cubicle without headphones
Might want to take a look at Bone Conducting Headphones They're basically what you're looking for. I'm very tempted to get a pair for myself.
- 1,188
8
votes
How can I stop my wipers from squeaking?
There are aftermarket products, like Rain-X, that you apply to the windshield which are meant to improve visibility, but also have a great side effect - they eliminate squeaking wiper blades. This is ...
- 1,189
8
votes
Accepted
How to pinpoint noisy neighbor in panel house
Try listening at the front door of each apartment. Doors are often worse sound insulators than walls, so it should be pretty clear which apartment the sound comes from.
- 6,234
8
votes
Sleeping in a noisy environment
There are some silicone putty earplugs that stay in much better. The brand I'm familiar with is called bio ears. They mould into your ear giving them some of the advantages of the custom fitted ones,...
- 404
8
votes
Accepted
How can I stop plastic bags that cover computer speakers from vibrating?
Stop using plastic bags to cover your speakers.Change the stuff you use to protect your desk speakers.
Use something instead of a thin plastic bag that is:
inexpensive
easy to find
easy to install
...
- 13.8k
7
votes
How to make sure I can't be heard by neighbours (without asking them)?
Best way I can suggest: ask. Ask the ones on your floor closest to your shower; ask the ones above and below your apartment.
If they don't know offhand, they probably aren't being bothered by it. ...
- 9,780
7
votes
How can I stop plastic bags that cover computer speakers from vibrating?
Virolina provided a good answer: speakers make the air vibrate, and plastic bags are going to be affected by those vibrations because they're so thin and lightweight.
My suggestion is to avoid using ...
- 11.5k
6
votes
How can I stop my wipers from squeaking?
Squeaky wipers (also an annoyance for me) result from:
Dry surface
Dry wiper blades
Wiper motor issues
So for each one of the above, try these:
A simple trick (if the problem is not #3), is to use ...
- 169
6
votes
Friendly way to get rid of screeching birds
Get a plastic raven and place it somewhere they can see it. It will frighten them off. If the thought of the little birds starving bothers you, wait till the chicks have flown the nest, and prevent ...
- 1,491
6
votes
Friendly way to get rid of screeching birds
Quoting from this page:
Birds are very sensitive to their environment during the breeding season. In particular, you take a big risk when you move a nest, even if you move it a short distance. The ...
- 11.5k
5
votes
How to wake up without waking up other people in the same room
There are light alarm clocks, which you could use selectively. Essentially a light slowly turns on rather than making noise. Selective placement of the light-alarm or standard sleep blindfold mask ...
- 1,977
5
votes
Huge noise in my inkjet printer
Instead of making the output directly to paper, you could set up a PDF printer and make the printout at midnight go to the PDF printer. And then you could make the paper output at daytime not ...
- 6,984
5
votes
Sleeping in a noisy environment
I would recommend the app SimplyNoise (iOS link, Android link).
You mention that you tried "white noise" apps that "don't have a constant" sound. Actual white noise is completely constant, like ...
- 151
5
votes
Accepted
How to reduce the noise from my household washing machine
It sounds as though your washing machine needs to be balanced properly.
If you've never done it, it can be a bit of a black art. The machine will normally have 2 feet at the front which can be ...
- 3,127
5
votes
Keeping quiet in the kitchen at night while other people sleeping
I'd suggest ensuring people close their doors while sleeping (they should anyway, for fire safety and privacy), and you may want to install a noise machine in the hallway, or play a CD of surf sounds, ...
- 9,780
5
votes
Coping with the dynamic loudness inequality of a Zoom classroom
If you have a Windows computer, you can try to limit the peak level for your output by using SoundLock. There may be an equivalent program for the Scottish computer.
The directions are on the site. ...
- 13.8k
4
votes
How to wake up without waking up other people in the same room
Drink lot of water before sleep, so you could wake u on the morning by call of natural (biological ). It won't disturb any one but you.
Water is good for everything.
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible