It would be nice to have curtains that absorb street noise.
Some custom curtain tailors offer a fabric that claims to be soundproof. It’s a little pricey. Not absurdly pricey, but it’s also a bit hard to be confident that such thin fabrics can absorb much sound (they claim 20%).
I would prefer to try hacks. I’ve heard that thick furniture moving pads absorb sound well. I’ve also heard that fiberous fabrics can be effective. For the moment, I probably want to pass on edgy ideas like egg cartons. Maybe later on those. What fabrics are decent for reducing sound? Specifically, I’m wondering about carpets or painter’s drop cloths. Not the simple white canvas drop cloths, but the thicker drop cloths may out of recycled fabrics.
A word of advice: if your household has a gravity-centered airflow, please do NOT block all small gaps, else you might develop nasty air quality-related problems later on
What do you mean by this? I’ve never heard that term before
I was paraphrasing from my mother tongue, so idk if the term is 100% accurate. But in a nutshell, many older houses (at least where I come from, in Europe) don't have machines that take care of the airflow/changing fresh air, but rather have systems designed around the natural airflow based on gravity. In these kind of homes, making DIY adjustments might break this gravitational airflow, causing mold issues and bad air quality in general.
I don't know if this is a thing in 'murica but I thought my small addition might save someone a house, hence I decided to include it in the conversation :)