A decibel figure means little until you know which room it is for. The 72 dBA spin cycle that nobody notices in a basement laundry would be unbearable beside a bed. This page sets out the few official reference points that exist, and then walks through the house using the figures makers publish.
Two cautions first. The reference points describe the sound level in a room. Maker figures describe one product, measured at a distance the maker almost never states. So the two cannot be matched exactly, and we do not try. Use this page to decide what to aim for, and the buying guides to compare products.
The reference points that exist
- Bedrooms at night. The World Health Organization's community noise guidelines recommend less than 30 dB(A) in bedrooms during the night for a sleep of good quality.
- Everyday sounds. The US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders puts whispering at 30 dB, a humming refrigerator at 40 dB and normal conversation at 60 to 70 dBA.
- Sones, for fans and hoods. The Home Ventilating Institute compares 0.5 sone to rustling leaves, 1.0 sone to a refrigerator, 3.0 sones to typical office noise and 4.0 sones to a television at normal volume. It says a quiet bathroom fan should be rated at 1.0 sone or less.
- Campgrounds. Federal rules for national parks prohibit running a generator above 60 decibels, A-weighted, measured at 50 feet.
- Loudness. The National Park Service says an increase of 10 dB causes a doubling of perceived loudness. So 40 sounds about twice as loud as 30.
That is the whole list. There is no official figure for a living room, a kitchen or a home office.
Bedroom
The target is the WHO's 30 dB(A), and very few products get under it, even on their makers' figures, and then only at their lowest setting.
- Tower fans. Lasko lists its DC tower fans at 23 and 24 dBa on low, and Levoit lists 25dB. See the quietest tower fans.
- Box fans. Vornado lists its Model 80X at 28 dBA at the quiet end of its range. See the quietest box fans.
- Heaters. Dyson lists its Hot+Cool HF1 at 26 dBA in Quiet Mode. See the quietest space heaters.
- Mini fridges. The lowest published figure we found is 32.9 dB, from Summit. A fridge also switches on and off through the night, which a steady figure does not capture. See the quietest mini fridges.
- Dehumidifiers. The quietest full-size units list 43 dBA on low, well above the bedroom target. One option is to run it during the day and switch it off at night. See the quietest dehumidifiers.
- Portable air conditioners. The lowest published figures are 42 to 44 dBA at the lowest speed. A window unit is quieter on the makers' own figures. See the quietest portable air conditioners.
In a bedroom, look beyond the motor too. A bright display or a beep at every button press can bother a light sleeper as much as the fan. Some tower fans let you switch both off.
Home office
There is no official target, so use speech as the yardstick. Normal conversation is 60 to 70 dBA, so an appliance near that level competes with your voice on a call.
- Heaters. The fan heaters with published figures list 25 to 44 on their makers' numbers, and fanless heaters have no fan at all, though no maker publishes a measured figure for one.
- Walking pads. Makers' figures run from 35 dB, claimed with no conditions, to under 70 dB at full speed. One maker's manual says noise under load is higher than without load. See the quietest treadmills.
- Robot vacuums. The robots list 52 to 65 in their everyday modes, and the self-empty dock lists 70 to 83 where a maker publishes it. Schedule both for when you are not on a call. See the quietest robot vacuums.
Kitchen and open-plan living
Here the units change. Range hoods and bathroom fans are rated in sones, and sones are not decibels.
- Range hoods. On the Home Ventilating Institute's ladder, 4.0 sones is a television at normal volume. The quietest hood we could verify at full cooking power is certified at 4 sones. Hoods marketed as quiet were certified at 5 to 13 sones at full speed. In an open-plan room, that is the figure that decides whether you can talk while you cook. See the quietest range hoods.
- Garbage disposals. No maker publishes a decibel figure, so there is nothing to set against a target. We rank on the sound insulation each model has. See the quietest garbage disposals.
- Microwaves. Almost no maker publishes a figure, and the complaints are about doors and beeps as much as hum. See the quietest microwaves.
Bathroom
The Home Ventilating Institute's guideline is 1.0 sone or less for quiet ventilation. Several fans are rated under 0.3 sone, the lowest rating HVI will certify. Check the rating at the higher test pressure where a maker publishes it, because that is closer to a real duct. See the quietest bathroom exhaust fans.
Laundry
Washing machines are the loudest appliances in this list, and only two brands publish a figure. Bosch lists 51 to 52 dBA for washing and 72 to 75 dBA for spinning. A spin at 72 dBA is louder than conversation, which is fine behind a closed door and a problem next to a bedroom. The manuals agree that the floor, the feet and the shipping bolts decide most of what you hear. See the quietest washing machines.
Living room
Ceiling fans belong here, and they are the least documented product we cover. Only one maker ties a figure to a speed: under 35 dBA at maximum. For the rest, choose a DC motor with more speeds, and keep the fan off a wall dimmer, which the manuals name as the cause of humming. See the quietest ceiling fans.
Outdoors and campgrounds
The only hard legal number on this page lives here: 60 decibels at 50 feet in national parks, plus a clause against unreasonable noise below that. No generator maker measures at 50 feet, so a figure on the box proves nothing either way. The lowest published figures are Honda's: 42 to 50 dB(A) for its smallest unit. See the quietest generators.
How to use this page
- Pick the room, then the target. Bedroom: as close to 30 dB(A) as you can get. Bathroom fan: 1.0 sone or less. Everywhere else: lower is better, and 10 decibels is twice as loud.
- Read the setting behind the figure. A bedroom figure should be the low-speed figure. A kitchen figure should be the full-speed figure.
- Compare like with like. Same unit, same setting, and ideally the same maker.
- Remember the room. Hard surfaces reflect sound, and no maker's figure accounts for yours.
For the units themselves, see dBA explained and sones vs decibels. If something that used to be quiet no longer is, see why your appliance got louder.
Common questions
What decibel level is quiet enough for a bedroom?
The World Health Organization's community noise guidelines recommend less than 30 dB(A) in bedrooms during the night for good quality sleep. That describes the whole room, not one appliance, and makers do not say what distance their figures were measured from. Treat it as the target to get close to, and look for products whose lowest published figure is under 30.
How loud is too loud for a home office?
There is no official figure for a home office. A useful yardstick is speech: the US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders puts normal conversation at 60 to 70 dBA. An appliance running near that level will compete with your voice on a call. The quiet fan heaters in our guide list 25 to 44 on their makers' figures.
How many sones is acceptable for a range hood?
The Home Ventilating Institute compares 1.0 sone to a refrigerator, 3.0 sones to typical office noise and 4.0 sones to a television at normal volume. The quietest hood we could verify at full cooking power is certified at 4 sones. Hoods marketed as quiet were certified at 5 to 13 sones at full speed.
Can I trust a maker's figure to tell me how loud my room will be?
No. Makers almost never state the distance they measured from, and OSHA notes that indoors, sound falls away more slowly than in open space because it reflects off surfaces. Use published figures to compare products with each other, not to predict a reading in your room.
Is it safe to sleep with a fan or appliance running all night?
That is a question about the product, not the noise. Follow the maker's manual. For heaters, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says to turn them off when sleeping. For generators, CPSC says outside only, at least 20 feet away, with the exhaust facing away.
