Family
Tips to Create Peaceful Household Living
By
Sep 20, 2005, 20:36

(NUI) - At the end of a long day, most people want a little peace, quiet and relaxation. They want a home free of potential annoyances like ringing phones, power tools and noisy family members.

Regardless of gender, everyone has unique likes and dislikes, and what may sound like a concerto to one could be nails on a chalkboard to another.

In a recent poll conducted by Jeld-Wen Inc., men and women were surveyed about the most annoying noises made by housemates of the opposite sex. Nagging, slamming of objects and other emotional outbursts were the most offensive female noises, said an overwhelming number of men surveyed.

However, men irritate women in a different way. Of the women surveyed, 60 percent agreed that the gastrointestinal noises emitted by men topped their list of annoying sounds.

However, men and women found common ground on intolerable noises like car alarms, yelping little dogs and whiny children.

While it's not possible to completely eliminate these annoying noises, men and women can take steps to create a more tranquil home. By making a few minor improvements, homeowners of both sexes can significantly reduce these auditory privacy invasions.

* Inspect interior doors. You can shut out the noise of a television, laundry room or a teen-ager with a solid-core door. They offer a greater sound transmission control rating than thin, lightweight hollow-core doors commonly built into many homes. Window and door manufacturer Jeld-Wen offers ProCore The Quiet Door, an interior door that is 50 percent quieter than a hollow-core door and is available in a wide variety of sizes and styles.

* Find ways for your house to absorb sound. Bare walls and hardwood floors magnify sounds. Consider decorating with insulated draperies and plush carpeting to absorb sound, thereby keeping those irritating distractions at bay. For those who do not want to give up their beautiful hardwood floors, try using decorative rugs in high-traffic areas to help absorb the sound of people walking.

* Stop slamming things. In the kitchen, using rubber mats as drawer and cupboard linings and placing padded stickers inside cabinet doors where wood meets wood will help eliminate those disturbances and alleviate the temptation to slam. Something as simple as a small piece of weather stripping on a doorstop can also help to deaden the noise of a door closed too hard.

While human behavior can be altered to a certain degree, these home improvement tips can even help those people who do not change.

To locate a local dealer carrying Jeld-Wen doors, visit www.jeld-wen.com.

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