Say you were staying at a hotel or even lived in an apartment building, I imagine the sharp clicking of the typewriter could often be heard in the next room. Was it ever a problem, or am I incorrectly gauging the level of noise?
People didn't use typewriters the way they used computers. Most people didn't have typewriters in the home (unless there profession called for it)
The average typewriter is said to have operated at around 70 DB which I imagine would annoy the neighbors in an apartment building. However in the late 70s Brother and IBM introduced hybrid electrical typewriters that greatly reduced noice. Later electric word processors ran silent but printed noisy.
But in general answer. There weren't ever really enough typewriters in homes to make this a 'problem'