Do Pool Noodles Absorb Sound? How To Use Them To Soundproof A Room

Who actually invented the pool noodle? It has been four decades and the answer is still up for debate, but the iconic status of those colorful foam tubes is not. Pool noodles make for great floatation devices and water toys, but that is not where their resourcefulness stops. DIYers have found many great alternate uses for these summer staples, giving them second lives as door stoppers, wrist rests, and even works of art (we tried 8 pool noodle DIYs and these are our favorites). Pool noodles can also be used for some additional soundproofing, but you wouldn't want to cover an entire room in it.

Soundproofing differs from sound absorption, but in this context we're talking about stopping noise from coming in or going out, not improving the quality of sound inside a space. Foam made specifically for blocking or absorbing sound in a room is called acoustic foam. It comes in different shapes, sizes, and material compositions, and with one of two cell structures: open or closed. Pool noodles are made with polyethylene foam, which has a closed cell structure. Closed cell foam is more water-resistant and rigid, and a closer look reveals why its usefulness in soundproofing is limited.

To simplify the science, sound waves, also called airborne energy, are vibrating particles moving from one object (a radio, for example) to another (your ears). When those waves pass through a medium like a wall, water, or foam, they are reflected, lose energy, and are transformed into heat. In soundproofing, the goal is to cause those waves to lose so much energy that what makes it through can't be detected by your ears. The open cell structure of the acoustic foam is better for blocking noise in high and midrange frequencies. The closed cell structure of polyethylene foam still blocks some of that noise, but the dense material is better at blocking low frequencies in the sub-bass and bass range.

TikTok user reggieoin found that when sticky foam, cardboard, and a door weren't enough to quiet their air filter, adding a pool noodle to fill the gap at the bottom of the door helped to reduce the deep humming sound. Another DIYer under the username jenlingvall cut noodles into 1,086 three-inch discs and used them to add a design flare to sound panels in an acting studio. Pool noodles will work supplementally for your soundproofing efforts. Create a gallery wall of flat, polyester fiber sound-absorbing panels (the BXI Sound Absorber panels are $19.95 on Amazon!)  This material has been engineered to absorb a wider range of frequencies, but what it doesn't stop, the noodles will. Cut the noodles lengthwise. Use Gorilla Glue spray adhesive to attach the pool noodles to the panels side by side. Not only will this channel tufted formation be functional, but it will add a trendy design aesthetic to your space.