What is next to the elevator inside your unit? We hung a blanket on the wall - tapestry style - to kill the noise in my last apartment.

Perhaps you could put an 'out of order, use stairs' sign outside the elevator? ;)

I can say from experience that Green Glue totally does work. Last winter my boyfriend and I moved into a loft apartment in an old mill, and one of the first things we did was hang two extra layers of sheetrock with green glue because we could hear everything our neighbor did. (We heard him play the Alien Ant Farm version of 'Smooth Criminal' one too many times) It was a lot of work (the walls we were fixing were 15 ft. tall) but it worked wonders. The only times I hear him any more are when he watches movies with big explosions.

I'm pretty sure it's the extra layer of sheet rock that's doing it, not the green glue.

If you're doing extra gypsum board, you could do something like QuietRock.

There is a huge amount of misinformation about soundproofing online.

I have soundproofed a couple of apartments in my time. I don't have any experience with green glue so I can't comment on that.

However I can say that to make any kind of meaningful difference you have to be prepared to give up at least 6" of space on that wall.

To soundproof you need to both deaden the sound (ie; provide a dense vibration absorbing layer) and to isolate that surface (make it independent of the sound vibration source).

Thankfully the solutions available are relatively cheap and easy.

I would recommend building a stud wall about 2" in front of the existing wall. You can use thinner timber than usual, and more studs, to take up less space. The new stud wall should not touch the wall the sound is coming from at all (to isolate it). Then Between the studs use Rockwool (I recommend RW3 grade). But make sure you leave your 2" airgap. Then plasterboard over your new studwork with two layers of soundboard (High density plasterboard, quiet rock, whatever you call it in your area). Then just plaster over your new wall. Like I say, you will loose around half a foot, but it's likely the most effective solution you'll find. It's very hard to soundproof decently without giving up this space. There is no magic bullet - sound travels in mysterious ways!

The good part is that this solution will only set you back a couple of hundred dollars in materials, and whatever a couple of days labour costs in your area.

The PDF brochure on this page has good information; My solution is listed at the bottom of page 3 with a diagram.

Sorry I forgot to include the above link:

http://guide.rockwool.co.uk/products/building-insulation/acoustic-slab.aspx

Figure out where the noise is coming from before you do anything else? Is it coming thru your walls from the shaft, or is coming under the door from the hallway?

This isn't actually helpful, I just want to say, I feel your pain! I actually slept better than usual during the recent hurricane---I think because my apt was quieter than usual! I, too, am next to the elevator shaft. But it's better than my old neighbor who would play his "compositions" in the wee hours . . . Ah, the things we apartment dwellers have to deal with!

Oh, the best thing to soundproof your apartment is time. When I first moved into my previous apartment on the top floor close to the lift (and the machine the keeps the lift moving) I literally panicked. After a couple of months, I couldn't barely hear it. I lived in that flat for almost three years and loved it.

It might be worth to mention that the wall I shared with the lift was in the living room, not my bedroom!

I agree with denisol. Repetitive sounds do kind of go away after a while. I live on the service road to the Long Island Expressway. Lots of traffic, but I don't even notice it now (unless a Harley goes by). I used to have an apartment right by the train tracks. That too didn't bother me after some time.