Rumor has it that cellulose insulation is an exterminator’s product. Is this true?
Yes… and No!
Specifically, cellulose insulation is recycled paper and light-weight cardboard. It’s not the cellulose that kills the insect.
The bug-killing qualities come from the added “ingredients” that the cellulose insulation manufacturers mix-in with the cellulose.
Who is Bob Bird?
Keep in mind that I am not a chemist. I don’t own a cellulose insulation manufacturing company nor have I worked at one. So I only share what I have read and learned over the 20+ years of installing cellulose insulation for homeowners, primarily in the Atlanta market.
The EPA requires cellulose manufacturers to warrant the insulation as a Class 1 fire retardant. To my knowledge, there are two ways the manufacturers meet this standard:
Add ammonium sulfate to the cellulose, and it renders the cellulose as fire retardant.
Add Boric Acid to the cellulose, and the BA renders the cellulose as fire retardant.
Boric Acid is a well known exterminator’s product for controlling and killing roaches, silverfish, ants, spiders, and other bugs!
Boric Acid Does the Trick
So, it’s the boric acid that is mixed into the cellulose fibers that actually kills insects.
The amount of BA that Cellulose Insulation uses for the Bora Spray product that we buy, is 11+%. In other words, for every 10 pounds of Bora Spray cellulose I install in your attic, I’m including over 1 pound of boric acid!
And when an insect so much as comes in contact with our insulation in your attic, and grooms itself, they die. Simple-as-that.
Mold organisms can’t live in contact with BA either.
Is Boric Acid Dangerous for Me?
Any chemical that includes the word “acid”, makes most of us pretty nervous. After all, how many times have we experienced the caustic effects of battery acid leaking into a forgotten toy or flashlight, and ruining a “good shirt” by getting battery acid on it after adding water to the car battery?
However, Boric Acid, (BA) is pretty safe. In fact it’s so safe it’s the active ingredient in over-the-counter eye drops, and a very popular antiseptic.
Actually, it’s 6 times less toxic than table salt, and 14 times less toxic than caffeine. Most everyone I know has daily dosages of salt and caffeine, so don’t sweat the boric acid in your attic insulation.
Additional Uses for Boric Acid
Look at all the uses of Boric Acid noted in this online article:
“It may sound like a dangerous chemical, but boric acid (BA), derived from boron, is actually an antifungal cure-all of sorts. How so? Well, BA is the key ingredient in a variety of effective and affordable home remedies for some of the most common fungal infections, including athlete’s foot and vaginal yeast infections. And that’s not all.
Do you suffer from frequent eye irritations? An eyewash made at home with BA as the key ingredient can be used to cleanse and fight irritations and infections of the eye. Boric acid eyewash quickly provides soothing relief and helps remove pollutants from the eye.
You might have heard of boric acid being used as a natural pest control as well. It’s true. People have been fighting cockroaches with BA for nearly a century. It’s one of the most effective cockroach control agents ever developed, and it can be used as an alternative pest control for roaches and other unwanted invaders. The awesome thing is it’s less toxic to humans and pets than other harsh chemical pesticides, and it also has several beneficial uses beyond getting rid of pests…. One of the most common and helpful boric acid uses is for nontoxic pest control. The employment of boric acid for ants and other unwanted home invaders actually goes pretty far back. In 1948, it was first registered in the U.S. as an insecticide to control cockroaches, termites, fire ants, fleas, silverfish and many other insects. In combination with its use as an insecticide, BA also prevents and destroys existing wet and dry rot in timbers.” https://draxe.com/health/boric-acid/
Your Attic: the Dead Sea!
Will you benefit from having Bora Spray cellulose insulation installed in your attic? If you have bugs in your attic, the answer is an enthusiastic, YES! And what Atlanta home doesn’t have bugs in the attic?
Not only is cellulose an exceptional high-density, high-performance loose fill insulation for your attic, but when you choose Bird Family Insulation and all-borate cellulose, you’ve turned your attic into the “Dead Sea!”
And how cool is that? I remember one testimonial we received just after we had started our business 20+ years ago. It was an older couple in a stately, 1920’s big house in mid town with a huge tree canopy over the roof. The testimonial went something like this:
“Bob, we love the new insulation you added to our attics. We’re not sure if it’s because of your work, or something else, but we’ve never seen so many dead roaches around the house!”
I guess you can tell that the Bird Family clan is very impressed with the all-borate cellulose product. In fact, it’s the only loose fill insulation we install! And, it’s what’s in MY attic too!
Does the bug killing quality work when we layer the Bora Spray cellulose over the top of your current attic insulation?
YES! When the roach comes into contact with the BA, the tiny particles of powder stick to it’s legs and body. As the insect grooms itself, it ingests the BA, and dies. It kills fleas, ants & termites too. Because your all-borate cellulose is the top layer of attic insulation, it’s the surface the bugs fall on as they drop from your roof vents.
-Bob Bird
Bird Family Insulation
Buy One, Get One FREE!
I like to say, our services will dramatically improve the comfort inside your home, AND turn your attic into the DEAD SEA, at NO extra cost! Talk about VALUE! And the bug killing qualities in our Bora Spray cellulose last as long as my insulation is in your attic. It does not have to be reapplied.
Bird Family Insulation + all-borate cellulose attic insulation: your best value! Would you like an Instant Online Estimate to improve your attic insulation? Use my online calculator now, it’s easy! https://birdinsulation.com/attic-bump-up-estimate/
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