Shh! Here’s How to Fill a Bathtub Quietly

 

When my son was a baby, I’d try to bathe during his nap but the sound of the tub filling would often wake him. Well, necessity is definitely the mother of invention. So this mother invented the perfect hack to fill the tub without a  thunderous roar.

To run a bath much more quietly, wrap a cotton cloth around the tub spout and secure it with an elastic band. The water will flow through the cloth and hit the tub basin with less force. The cotton cloth absorbs the water pressure, allowing the water to run much more quietly into the basin.

Every exhausted parent who wants a bath should be able to take one since a hot bath is proven to decrease stress and fatigue.

 

How to Quietly Run the Tub

 

There are all kinds of people who are desperate for a hack to help them or their partners fill the tub more quietly. Often the crashing roar of a filling bathtub can disturb a nearby sleeper–whether that sleeper is a newborn or a 30-year old lover. It’s hard to believe, but running the tub has also been known to awaken a sleeping teen.

The cotton cloth you wrap around the spout of the tub should not be plush. A clean T-shirt will do the trick! A dish towel could also work. You want the cloth to cushion the fall of the water, quite literally, and you don’t want something so large that there will be a lot of excess material hanging off.

Once you wrap your T-shirt or cloth around the spout, turn on the water and watch the water fill the tub for a few seconds. You just want to be sure that the water isn’t pooling on the ledge of the bathtub behind the spout. If it is, you may need to only wrap the cloth around the part of the spout hanging furthest over the basin.

I like to secure my T-shirt onto the spout with an elastic. You could also use a hair scrunchy for this. In any case, as the cloth absorbs water it will get heavier and you don’t want it to fall out of place. 

When I tell some people about the hack, they worry that the tub will take longer to fill. I suppose if you used a very large cloth, it would absorb a good bit of the tub water before the tub fills. But if you use a T-shirt or dishrag, you’re not going to lose much water to absorption.

Quieter Tub Spouts: The Waterfall Faucet

 

It’s worth mentioning here that not all tub spouts will send the water down into the basin in a thunderous roar. 

Specifically, waterfall faucets are specifically designed to create a soothing sound while filling your tub. If you find a nice one and turn it on, a nearby sleeper might even start to dream of a tropical paradise with a gorgeous waterfall that gently cascades into a watering hole. The waterfall faucet can sound like that. You can hear it for yourself in this video:

 

You can get a tall standing waterfall filler that will quietly fill a freestanding tub. Or, you can get a deck-mounted or wall-mounted waterfall faucet for your tub. For my favorite gently filling waterfall faucets for your tub, read The Best Waterfall Bathtub Faucet on Bathtubber.com

 

Quietest Bathtub Material: Porcelain-Enameled Cast Iron

 

 

Just like your bathtub will fill more quietly with the right faucet, the bathtub material also has a lot to do with the noise generated by the water. A copper tub, for example, is going to have a tin-roof quality and fill loudly. Fiberglass and acrylic bathtubs will fill rather loudly but not quite as thunderously as copper or steel. 

But quietest of all is the porcelain-enameled cast iron tub. Most vintage clawfoot tubs are made of this material. For much more about bathtub materials read Looking for the Best Bathtub Material? Here’s Help!

 

Play Music Over a Quietly Filling Tub

 

 

Consider playing some gentle music over the sound of the filling tub. Even if it adds to the overall noise, it may be a more appealing sound both to the person who is about to take the bath as well as anyone sleeping nearby. 

I always love to play the piano music of George Winston as my tub fills, even though I’ve got the T-shirt wrapped on the spout too. To me the combination of the softly filling tub and the gentle sounds of the piano are pure bliss.

In my post Need a Bathroom Audio Solution? Listen Up! I show you the best waterproof speakers for the bathroom.

 

Run the Bathwater Quietly

 

Does anyone in your house object to the noise of the filling tub? If so, it’s time to take action. After all, a bath is all about serenity, and that will surely be ruined by the sound of complaining family members. It’s completely worth the two seconds it takes to wrap a clean T-shirt around the spout. Then everyone can relax!

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