Farts are Funny!
Juvenile. Boyish. Silent but violent. Loud and proud.
My girls giggle, “Farts are funny!”
Yes, they can be. They can also be extremely embarrassing.
Passing gas in private. No problem.
Need a bathroom at a friend’s house. Big, big problem.
When nature calls, here’s what you can do to make your guests as comfortable as possible.
Short of rebuilding your house on a concrete slab, packing the walls with noise reducing insulation, or tucking the commode away/surrounding it with uninhabited spaces like closets and garages, there are a few ways to sound proof the water closet.
Close the gap - Is there a space between the floor and the bottom of the door? Sound (and scent) escapes via the gap. On the internet, a plethora of door sweep options exist. I haven’t seen one I love, but you might.
Flooring – Cork. Vinyl. Natural fiber area rugs. Ground the boom starting on the bottom. Notice I didn’t say wall to wall carpet. Carpet in a bathroom… gross, just gross!
Fabric – Shower curtain. Window treatments. Organic fibers excel in absorbing sound.
Wall treatment – Wainscotting. Thick wallpaper like cork or grass-cloth. Decorative acoustic panels. Drywall plus another layer improves a bathroom’s insulation and assists in holding it in.
Shelving – Decorative or functional. Shelves interrupt sound waves thus reducing noise. Actually, anything 3D would interrupt sound. Hanging cabinets, shadow boxes, bulky sculptural art. Add layers of dimension to grab and trap the racket.
Soft accessories – Woven hampers. Fluffy towels. Canvas art. More soft options to help soak it all up.
Rolled towels in a basket displayed on a shelf. You get the idea.
Layering design elements not only adds decorative interest to the outhouse, it helps enhance your restroom’s function by muffling mortifying toots.
Exhausted all your options?!? Rethink that discolored, 40-year-old light/fan combo in your mom’s house. Yes, that fan! The fan that’s so loud you can hear it next door. Turn it on! That old fan is louder than the funniest fart.