Recycling Loose Cellulose Attic Insulation

Cellulose attic insulation is an alternative material to fiberglass home insulation. This type of insulation has a lot of qualities and advantages compared to the conventional fiberglass. It is used in areas of the home that are irregular or odd shaped cavities  behind walls and ceilings unlike fiberglass that will be difficult to install on areas that are hard to fill. Other than being applied to regular areas of the attic that need insulation, loose cellulose insulation material is applied in areas of the home are often described as hard to insulate such as areas around plumbing, air ducts or around wiring. Basically, this type of insulation is so easy to install that any homeowner can install it because it is comes in an easy to use spray container that easily fills up these oddly shaped gaps and cavities without the problem of expanding and suffocating wirings that are dangerous to compress.

Materials

Cellulose attic insulation is made from 100 percent recycled products such as plant resin scraps or shredded paper like newsprint. They are mixed with low toxicity chemicals like fire retardants to have it insulation and durability properties. Compared to fiberglass insulation, they consume less energy to create and the material itself is environmentally friendly. It is also considered to be better than fiberglass.

Advantages

Cellulose material has a lot of advantages over fiberglass such as its thermal performance. This type of insulation increases the R-value of a home. Since it fits well in small crevices and cavities, there is no way that air from the outside can go into the attic walls. It also keeps the noise out if you are looking for insulation that acts as a noise barrier. The borates used as fire retardant in the cellulose material also acts as a pest control chemical and will keep pests out and have been observed to stop mold production despite improper installation. Cellulose attic insulation will no longer need a vapor barrier when it is used since this type of material is also good in preventing formation of vapor though evenly distributing moisture thus avoiding moisture build up.

Potential Damages

Since loose cellulose attic insulation is easy to apply, homeowners tend to over apply or buy these insulation material and end up having a lot of excess and do not know what to do with it.

If you end up putting too much on your attic, the best way to remedy this is to remove it by using a wet-dry vacuum. This type of vacuums allows to remove cellulose material that may be moldy, dry or wet. Make sure to always remove insulation that has collected inside your vacuum so that the suction and hose is not blocked by cellulose material.  Do not throw the excess cellulose attic insulation you have since this material is made of recycled material such as 100 percent recycled paper and can be taken to recycling centers to be recycled or disposed of properly. Although, you may need to know your local recycling laws to know if these are wet or dry.