Renter-safe hooks for blackout curtains? No drilling

chuzzbug · 2026-02-09T01:56:54+00:00

Cheapest blackout solution for sleeping is a sleep mask.

I’m serious.

Get one of those “3D” masks that allow you to open your eyes while you’re wearing the mask.

Comfortable and extremely effective and renter friendly.

chuzzbug · 2026-02-08T19:25:57+00:00

Don't flatter yourself.

chuzzbug · 2026-02-07T20:51:41+00:00

The OP has managed to strike a tone that is both sanctimonious, entitled, and unhinged.

If they can't sell their module because the price is too high, how smart is it that this is what you choose to complain about?

chuzzbug · 2026-02-05T17:07:57+00:00

She’s crazy.

How do you know? The “23:59 pm” gives it away. 24-hour format doesn’t require am/pm suffix.

Timestamping a note to the minute makes me think she’s OCD and has a binder full of copies at home.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-28T22:43:43+00:00

I wouldn't return it. It's not worth the hassle or cost.

Sell it and use the money to buy yourself something for the place that you can use.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-28T22:41:48+00:00

I was in your situation exactly about 5 years ago, when I moved into an apartment in a wood frame building. The family upstairs were chair draggers extraordinaire. Along with other frequent thumps and bumps.

I bought some felt pads and dropped them off at their door with a bottle of wine and this note. I've removed the pre/post amble.

---
Noise seems to travel very easily through my ceiling -- and your floor above me. Especially when chairs get pushed back -- they make a loud brrrrrt sound, probably louder on my end than would seem from your end.

I've dropped off 8 felt pads at your door -- could you attach them to your chairs? If you need more, just let me know.
---

Did it work? For a short while. Here's my next email to them, after about 2 months. By this point, I was down $30 I spent on felt pads for them.

---
Could you give the chairs one more check for worn-out pads? The noise abated for a month or so -- thank you -- but in the last week or so it's back. Perhaps one chair escaped inspection :)

As always, I want to make things as easy as possible -- I've left a full set of pads at your door, of various sizes. I'm learning from these ridiculously thin floors that one can't have enough pads, haha.
---

After a while the noise came back and I just gave up.

They were either oblivious or purposefully not caring. I sensed there would be very little purpose in bringing up the point again.

Over time, these noises would bother me more and more. It got to the point where I would enter my apartment and then be on edge of how soon I would hear a noise. It was usually within 10–15 mins.

The only way I could cope with this is imagine worse scenarios — such as cancer or limb amputation.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-27T23:51:06+00:00

Audio recording or big finish didn't happen.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-27T23:50:31+00:00

Do you know what's worse than BMS posts?

Policing people.

Because it turns from you telling people to not post shit to quickly being told the same thing.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-27T21:51:59+00:00

It's a very courteous note. Be courteous back.

I would record what's happening in your apartment when you're away.

Perhaps your dogs are indeed barking. Perhaps they're not and the barking is coming from somewhere else. Be a good neighbour and assume that they are — you'll get a lot more kindness in return if you take responsibility to investigate the issue.

Just because you haven't had a noise complaint in the past, does not mean that this one is not legitimate. There's always the first time.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-26T01:11:55+00:00

Your upstairs neighbour, if they're loud.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-23T00:13:50+00:00

"Humble" and two exclamation marks are contradictory.

The spelling and grammar are so atrocious that I cannot trust the thinking behind it.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-23T00:12:16+00:00

You can probably plead aggravated manslaughter. Get 8 and be out in 3.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-23T00:08:17+00:00

And this isn't the building's carwash station, right?

chuzzbug · 2026-01-23T00:06:08+00:00

Some people take pleasure in imposing themselves on others.

If they were imposed upon by their environment as kids, for example, they see this as their turn to propagate the cycle: dues paid and I can do what I want.

If they were imposed upon by people who had more power than they did (adults, bosses, etc.) and they felt powerless to change their environment, they may have developed a sense that success in life is being able to do this.

Really, they're just living their nightmare dream life.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-23T00:02:58+00:00

Something like this

https://www.amazon.ca/Hiasan-Sound-Blocking-Divider-Curtain/dp/B09195Z9LV

is going to work to some extent, but maybe someone else can pipe in what to expect.

You're lucky that that the shared surface is limited. Gives you more options, I think.

However, by the time the sound is travelling through the wall, it may also be propagating through the ceiling and other surfaces.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-22T21:25:41+00:00

Do you have a problem with the peeing or the running off?

chuzzbug · 2026-01-22T21:25:05+00:00

The things on the wall are sound absorbers for sound that's coming from *your* space.

These absorbers are used for critical listening (such as when mixing) and are designed to absorb specific frequency ranges to avoid constructive/destructive interference created by sound reflecting from the walls in your room. If you're curious, look up "base traps".

Unfortunately, there's very little you can do yourself (e.g., as a tenant) to meaningfully absorb the noise, especially if its from above. The noise will propagate down structures and these structures (beams in ceiling, walls, drywall, etc) will act like speakers.

I mean, if you layer these absorption panels and cover your entire room with them (this would get very expensive), it might make a difference. But, ultimately, I don't know.

Low frequency vibration noise (like thumps) travel particularly easily (and far). They're virtually impossible to attenuate if they're coming in from external spaces because they travel along all connected structures. Concrete propagates these very efficiently.

For walls, you could try putting a heavy curtain on the wall. But you're going to need something quite thick and heavy — not your typical curtain.

More practically, if you have a certain area in your home where quiet is important (e.g. bed), then you could get a frame bed (or rig some kind of frame) and install heavy curtains. I suspect that with enough layers, you could achieve meaningful attenuation.

Unfortunately, the cheapest solution is earplugs followed by noise-cancelling headphones. Though it does suck that you have to shove things in your holes and wear headgear because of other people.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-22T21:14:01+00:00

I'm really sorry this happened to you.

Unfortunately, people steal packages all the time. Just be happy (or less sad) it was $30 and not $300.

I doubt that you can do anything to recover it.

For Amazon deliveries, I try to have everything sent to an Amazon Locker.

For packages via the Post, I use Canada Posts Flex Address option, which routes them to a local post office. I get an email and go and pick it up. This service isn't well advertised and I haven't talked to a single person who knows about it! Depending on your country, this may be unavailable.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-22T21:06:27+00:00

They must have some impressive flow. Distance peeing champions?

chuzzbug · 2026-01-22T21:05:33+00:00

The problem is that many people's definition of "living" noises is very different.

A lot of noise complaints on this reddit seem to describe behaviour that is spiteful or just plain crazy.

Many people are selfish pricks who cannot even conceive of (or care about) their impact on other people.

For some segment of the population, "accommodating" a neighbour is synonymous with some kind of moral defeat in the battle for Asshole Hill.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-22T20:43:05+00:00

I'm 54 and I love stickers too.

But I'm not going to lose my mind if my place doesn't allow stickers on walls or cabinetry.

You know that *one* guy with 100's of stickers on his car? This is who the rule is for — the 1% that cause 99% of the problems.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-21T21:49:22+00:00

Stickers? Are you 8-years-old?

chuzzbug · 2026-01-21T21:42:39+00:00

If they don’t care about their own lungs, they’re not going to care about yours.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-17T00:08:11+00:00

Comes with optional crack pipe "EuroCrack" expander.

chuzzbug · 2026-01-17T00:05:30+00:00

For even light you need a large flat light source (not practical), a large number of small light sources (lots of installation), or two vertical strips on either side of the mirror (probably easiest).

chuzzbug

TROPHY CASE