How do you bust a window quietly?

There are multiple reasons for breaking your window glass quietly.

You’re either renovating and want to be a good neighbor and reduce the glass shattering noise to the bare minimum, or you’re stuck inside a room with faulty windows and the only way out is to break the glass, but you don’t want the neighbors to call the cops thinking that you’re a burglar.

In this neat little guide, we’ll give you some useful tips about breaking your window glass as silently as possible and as safely as possible without making a huge mess out of it. Let’s dig in, shall we?

How do you bust a window quietly?

Top 6 Ways of Quietly Breaking your Window Glass

What You'll Be Needing:

Soundproof blanket

To absorb noise

Sparkplug

To break glass quietly

Porcelain bits

To break glass quietly

Safety hammer

To break glass safely

EMT Device

To break glass quietly

Punch tool

To break glass quietly

Safety googles

To protect your eyes

1. Household Objects to the Rescue!

Many common household objects can be quite useful when it comes to silently breaking any type of glass, not just windows. By combining them, you’ll get an almost perfect way of soundproofing your work.

Take a look at this combination of duct tape, a thick blanket, and a large pillow.

First, you need to cover the window with duct tape, and make sure you leave not a single square inch uncovered, and do that from both sides if possible to maximize the effect.

Secondly, find a nice, thick blanket, and place in under the window. If you don’t have a blanket you can use for this, a couple of layers of cardboard or cartons will do just fine.

You can use a common blanket, or, ideally, one or two of those special soundproofing blankets.

How do you bust a window quietly?

Finally, get the pillow – the denser the better – and place it against the glass, then gently start tapping it with a hammer.

This way, the noise caused by shattering glass is almost eliminated – the pillow absorbs the brunt of it, the tape keeps the glass from falling down, and if there are some glass shards that end up not sticking to the tape, the blankets are there to absorb the noise of them falling down.

2. Use a Sparkplug

A sparkplug is a useful little thing. It’s made to deliver electricity to your car engine’s combustion chamber, but it can be used for another purpose – breaking the glass.

Believe it or not, this little fella is super-effective when it comes to breaking glass quietly! In fact, it’s much quieter than your safety hammer!

The outer part of your window glass cools much more rapidly than the inner part, and the tension arising from different temperatures is what enables this little piece of ceramic to penetrate the glass quietly and easily.

And to maximize effectiveness, don’t hit the center of the glass – hit the corners!

3. Break the Windows with Porcelain Bits

Standard porcelain bits used in drills can also come handy when in a pinch. You can either throw them at the glass or use them to hit the glass from up close.

Much like the spark plug part, they’re more silent than a hammer, and thus much more effective.

Additionally, they’re also commonly found in every tool shed or a toolbox, so that’s also a big plus.

4. Hit It with a Hammer!

The safety hammer is a versatile tool every car owner should have. You can use it in many extreme situations, but you can also use it when it comes to breaking window glass.

It is relatively quiet when applied correctly – remember, you should tap the edges and corners of your window glass – and however inelegant compared to some other tools mentioned in this text, and its effectiveness is certainly undeniable.

However, in some methods we previously described, you don’t necessarily need the safety hammer – any hammer will work just fine as long as it’s not too big.

5. Use an EMT Device

EMT device is a device used by professionals. They’re used mostly for breaking car windows, but you can also use it to break standard windows equally well.

The device on its own barely produces any sound other than the sound of dropping shards of glass, but that can easily be avoided by using blankets.

If you can’t get one, a standard hammer and apiece of nail work just as good.

6. Use the Automated Steel Center Punch Tool

Among carpenters and plumbers, an automated punch tool is extremely popular when it comes to breaking the glass and removing window panes.

It’s fairly easy to use. Press it against the glass, release the spring, and the tool breaks the glass with ease, and more importantly – without too big of a noise.

If you’re a handyman, you likely already have the punch tool, and if not, you can get it here.

Necessary Safety Measures

And there you go!

These pieces of advice will be of great help when it comes to soundproofing your glass-breaking activities. However, before you start the silent smashing, here are some safety measures you should pay attention to, just in case.

Protection is the Key!

Shattered glass is a great source of danger for everyone, so before you start breaking it make sure you’re properly protected.

Protective clothing is mandatory. Long-sleeved jackets and safety goggles are a great way of protecting yourself from unsuspected glass shards, and a pair of gloves will prevent all possible cuts.

Wearing protective boots is also a great idea, and if don’t have them, any good pair of shoes should do. 

Check which Type of Glass You’re Breaking

Different windows can be fitted with different types of glass, so make sure you know which type of glass your windows have.

For example, safety glass is a type of glass with two glass layers and a plastic layer in between them, and because of it, it breaks much more quietly than your standard window glass.

Keep the Children and the Pets Away!

Finally, make sure your pets and children aren’t nearby when you start breaking the glass.

The last thing you want is for them to get hurt because of the random shard of glass you failed to pick up after all the shattering is done!

How do you bust a window quietly?

Conclusion: How to Break a Window Quietly

The methods we described are efficient and easy, and if done right, perfectly safe both for you and for your immediate surroundings.

All the tools we mentioned are very easy to acquire and apply, so breaking glass quietly will be a piece of cake from now on.

Remember though – safety’s first, so be careful not to forget to protect yourself properly and to prevent others from cutting themselves on the glass shards.

Now that you have all the info you need, grab the tools, secure your workplace, put on your safety clothes and glasses, and let’s do some smashing! Silently and carefully, of course.

Active Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Materials

Instructions

    1. Household Objects to the Rescue!
    2. Use a Sparkplug
    3. Break the Windows with Porcelain Bits
    4. Hit It with a Hammer!
    5. Use an EMT Device
    6. Use the Automated Steel Center Punch Tool

How do you break a window silently?

To break glass quietly, use a rag, blanket, or pillow to cover it before hitting it with a heavy object like a hammer. If you have duct tape, you can also use that to cover the glass. Another method is to use a steel center punch, pocket knife, or spark plug.

How do you break a car window without the alarm going off?

You have to open the vehicle [to set off the alarm],” Borges said. He explains most car windows are not connected to the car's security system, which is why no alarm is triggered when glass is shattered. “If I didn't want to set off the alarm, I would just [break the glass], jump over the window, grab and run.

How does a window punch work?

The Window Punch Tool is the instrument needed for extrication from vehicles after accidents or other auto emergencies. It is used by applying pressure with the tool on the safety glass of a car window, which will cause the window to shatter and allow for safe extrication from the vehicle.