Hang heavy drapes, curtains or fabric on the walls of the room. Heavy fabrics will absorb sound and reduce reverberation in the room. The number of walls covered and the thickness of the fabric hung in the room will define the amount of reverb absorbed. You can precisely control the amount of reverb absorbed by experimenting with fabric thickness and the number of walls covered.
Place a rug or carpet in the room. Tile, hardwood flooring, vinyl and laminates all have extreme reflective properties. The placement of a rug or carpet in the room will help absorb sound.
Insulate the walls of your room. Many older homes do not have any insulation in the walls of the rooms. Hollow walls can reverberate sound by trapping it between the two wall panels. This also amplifies certain frequencies depending on the width of the wall. By installing absorbent materials in walls such as standard fiberglass or foam insulation sheets, the amplification and reverberation qualities of a hollow wall can be dampened. This can be a very costly and time-consuming process as it generally requires you to demolish one side of a wall or remove dry wall from one side, install the insulation and then rebuild the wall or reinstall the wall covering.
Outfit the room with furniture or other sound absorbing objects. Furniture made without hard reflective surfaces such as glass, wood and plastics can help absorb reverb in a room. Effective options include outfitting a room with fabric and leather couches and chairs or beds and mattresses.
Install sound panels. There are a variety of sound panels on the market. The most common commercial-grade sound panels are cloth-wrapped foam boards, polyurethane open foam panels designed with small pyramid shaped squares used to "trap" sound, and open cell melamine foam ceiling tiles. These acoustical panels can be placed on the walls and ceilings of recording studios or home theaters.