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.
I live next to a bridge with heavy traffic, a river, and train tracks on either side of said river. Thankfully the train only comes by once or twice a day on our side, but constantly over on the other one.
I got used to the noise relatively quickly after moving in, like maybe a month or two. I’m used to city noise though.
That being said, my eventual plan is to get some heavy wooden window shutters. I figure I can close them up in the colder months, and it should block some noise out. I do keep the windows open in the summer though, no A/C here.