Earplugs for noisy neighbours, what actually helps?

Earplugs help against noise from the neighbours, but not equally well against every sound. Voices and the sound of a TV become clearly quieter. The bass of music, thudding and banging partly get through, because earplugs reduce low tones less. A low hum that mainly reaches you through your skull is usually not stopped by an earplug.

Below you can read what to expect for each type of sound, which filter to choose at home and what you can do about the noise itself. Audibling makes custom earplugs and does not give medical or legal advice.

You have the ear impressions for custom earplugs taken at a partner hearing centre. The ear impressions are included in the price and you pay at the hearing centre.

What earplugs do and do not block

What an earplug with a filter does depends on the type of sound.

Why bass and thumping still get through

A filter does not reduce every tone equally. Dynamic Ear Company, the maker of our filters, gives three values for each filter. H stands for the high tones, M for the mid tones and L for the low tones. For the DR filters, which are in our earplugs for general use, L is always the lowest.

A voice is higher than the bass from a speaker. That is why you still hear the neighbours talking, only more quietly, while the thump of their music decreases less. In the datasheet for the DM filters, Dynamic Ear also writes that regular earplugs often give too little attenuation in the low tones. What the letters and the SNR mean is explained in what SNR, HML and dB on earplugs mean.

You also feel impact noise through your body

Footsteps from the upstairs neighbours, a slamming door or a washing machine on its spin cycle make floors and walls vibrate. An earplug reduces the part that reaches your ear through the air. But sound also reaches you in other ways, such as through the skull, writes Arboportaal, the Dutch government's website on working conditions. That is why all hearing protection has a limit. According to Arboportaal, it is around 35 dB(A), even if you wear earplugs and earmuffs together. If your bed is against the neighbours' wall, see whether a different spot helps.

Which earplugs against noise should you choose at home?

At home you want peace and quiet, but you also want to hear what is happening in the house. The material and the filter make the difference.

The material

If you sleep on your side, choose silicone. It is soft and gives a little when your ear presses against the pillow. Hard acrylic is sturdier and easy to clean. Read more in acrylic or silicone, which should you choose?

The fit matters too. Arboportaal writes that earplugs are not always inserted correctly into the ear canal, so they reduce too little sound. A custom earplug is made from an impression of your ear, so it sits in the same place every night.

The filter

• The earplugs for general use come with a DR filter of 16 dB SNR as standard. Voices and TV become clearly quieter and you still hear what is happening around you.
• If you want more quiet, choose a stronger DR filter when you design your earplugs, the DR 20 grey with 19 dB SNR.
• If bass is your main problem, look at the L in the table. The DI filter reduces the low tones the most, but also everything above them. That is a lot of attenuation for home use.

Not sure? Use the filter finder. Do not automatically choose the strongest filter. With a lot of attenuation, you actually hear your own voice and breathing more. That is called the occlusion effect.

Still hearing your alarm clock and smoke alarm

A filter reduces sound, but does not take it away completely. Whether you hear an alarm through your earplugs depends on the filter, the alarm and you. So test it with your earplugs in. How to do that and what the fire service advises is explained under still hearing your alarm clock and smoke alarm.

Masking with a soft background sound

Stichting Laag Frequent Geluid, the Dutch foundation on low-frequency noise, mentions masking as a tip against a hum or thump. You make a different sound yourself, for example with a fan next to your bed. According to the foundation, that does not make it quiet. But a sound you choose yourself feels different from a source you have no control over. What works differs from person to person.

If you also wear earplugs, they reduce the background sound just as much. So try out which combination works for you, with the sound soft and close to your bed.

Also tackle the noise itself

Earplugs make the noise quieter, but they do not solve the problem. The Legal Services Counter (Het Juridisch Loket) gives a step-by-step plan for this.

1. Talk to your neighbours. Tell them what bothers you and when. Look at practical solutions together, such as rubber pads under the washing machine.
2. Keep a log. Write down when the noise happens and, if you like, make sound recordings in your own home.
3. Send a letter. The Legal Services Counter has a sample letter.
4. Try neighbourhood mediation or professional mediation. Neighbourhood mediation (buurtbemiddeling) is usually free, but professional mediation is not. You both have to be willing.
5. Report it in writing to your landlord or owners' association (VvE). If your neighbours rent from the same landlord, the landlord has to deal with the nuisance.
6. Report it to the nuisance reporting point of your municipality (gemeente).
7. Talk to your community police officer (wijkagent). If drugs are involved or you feel threatened, contact the police straight away.
8. Go to court. Against your neighbours, you then need a lawyer, and a court case costs money.

Are the neighbours renovating?

According to the Legal Services Counter, the law does not say at what times you may do DIY work. Many municipalities do have rules for this, for example between 7am and 7pm on weekdays. If you work from home while the neighbours are drilling, also read earplugs for focus.

A hum that nobody else hears

Do you hear a low hum that the people you live with do not hear? Then earplugs usually do not help. Stichting Laag Frequent Geluid writes that such sound mainly comes in through the bones of your skull, and an earplug only closes off your ear canal. Do you think the source is at the neighbours, such as a heat pump or central heating boiler? Then the foundation advises trying to solve it first by talking it through amicably or via neighbourhood mediation. If you rent, ask your landlord for an investigation or measurement. If you have doubts about your hearing, see your GP (huisarts).

Frequently asked questions

Which earplugs block the most sound?

According to Arboportaal, custom earplugs and well-sealing earmuffs reduce sound by up to 30 dB(A). Together, they go no further than about 35 dB(A). At home, the strongest filter is not always the best, because you still want to hear your alarm clock.

Which earplugs help against low-frequency noise?

Look at the L value of the filter. The higher it is, the more the low tones are reduced. If a hum mainly reaches you through your body, an earplug does not help, according to Stichting Laag Frequent Geluid.

How many decibels do earplugs block?

The SNR gives one number for the sound as a whole. Our earplugs for general use have an SNR of 16 dB. It differs by pitch, from 16 dB in the high tones to 11 dB in the low tones.

Do earplugs help when the neighbours are renovating?

They make drilling and sawing quieter, but you still hear it. You also still feel a wall vibrating with earplugs in.

Design your earplugs with the material, filter and colour that suit you. A partner hearing care professional then takes the impressions of your ears. Your earplugs are ready about three weeks after your ear impressions are taken.

Design your earplugs

Sources

• Dynamic Ear Company, DR series datasheet (PDF) (accessed 5 October 2026)
• Dynamic Ear Company, DM series datasheet (PDF) (accessed 5 October 2026)
• Dynamic Ear Company, DI series datasheet (PDF) (accessed 5 October 2026)
• Stichting Laag Frequent Geluid, Tips voor laag frequent geluid (tips for coping with low-frequency noise, in Dutch) (accessed 5 October 2026)
• Het Juridisch Loket, Wat kan ik doen tegen overlast van de buren? (what can I do about noisy neighbours, in Dutch) (accessed 5 October 2026)
• Arboportaal, Gehoorbescherming (hearing protection, in Dutch) (accessed 5 October 2026)
• Audibling, sleeping with custom earplugs

Last updated 5 October 2026.