SOUTHEAST DENVER Blog

Reducing Pest Problems in Denver with the Right Insulation

For some homeowners, it may seem like you can only pick two out of the key three options: safety, comfort, and cost. When it comes to cultivating an environment for you and your household to grow in, though, it's important to find an agreeable balance. Especially in Denver, this can be a default objective when it comes to preventing, neutralizing, and removing pests. However, there's one area many homeowners may look over as a potential solution.

With the various types of insulation material to choose from, homeowners can increase their safety and comfort without dropping a fortune on pest control. You may choose to line your attic with blown-in cellulose, add spray foam into your walls and roof, or discuss other options with a local expert. Regardless of your decision, it's important to understand how insulation helps keep your home secure and provides you with another line of defense against unwanted guests.

What Does Insulation Do?

The primary function of insulation is to regulate heat transfer; the material reduces the rate at which heat enters and escapes a building. There are many types of materials to use for insulation, each with its own properties that ultimately help this function. However, because each type of insulation has different needs and treatments, there are often additional benefits of insulation - such as aiding in moisture resistance, fire retardation, and pest control.

Insulation won’t necessarily be the replacement for a quality insect and rodent repellent, especially if you’re already experiencing an infestation. Instead, insulation can offer another line of defense against unwanted guests. The material may be treated with a chemical hazardous to insects, the installation can prevent easy access to your home, or your type of insulation can simply be uninviting to small creatures looking for a new home. Here are a few of the insulation materials that could help you prevent and protect against pest infestations.

How Insulation Types Protect Against Pests

Cellulose

Cellulose insulation is a blown-in or "loose-fill" insulation material, typically made out of 85% recycled material like recycled newspaper. Most often grey in color, if examined closely you'll still be able to make out bits of the recycled material used like paper and cardboard. What makes this insulation type particularly useful in attics, walls, and crawl spaces is the treatment it goes through during production. Cellulose is treated with boric acid, a chemical that makes it useful for more than just your basic insulation needs like thermal performance and noise reduction.

Boric acid not only enhances cellulose's resistance against fire and moisture but also contributes to its defense against pests. With antifungal and antibacterial properties, things like bacteria and mold don't have anything to feed off of and grow. The material also kills insects that ingest the insulation as well as an irritant to rodents and small animals. Luckily, boric acid isn't known to be hazardous to people and it can be found in the ingredients of household medications and personal care items such as soaps and detergents.

Spray Foam

Spray foam insulation is installed as one of two types: closed- or open-cell spray foam. Open-celled spray foam looks almost fluffy and cloud-like after it's been applied and is typically installed in hotter climates. Closed-cell spray foam, on the other hand, is rigid and performs better as a vapor barrier. While they have different benefits when it comes to fire resistance, structural support, and reduced heat transfer capabilities, they both serve similar purposes when it comes to pest control.

When installed, spray foam is applied as a spray-on chemical that quickly reacts on contact, expanding into the space it’s installed on. Because of this rapid expansion on contact, spray foam fills minor cracks and spaces that are perfect cozy spots for small insects. Entry points that rodents and other pests may find their way into are easily filled as the insulation is sprayed on top of them. While this main function is beneficial for air sealing and keeping out unwanted outdoor air and pollutants, pests have a difficult time getting through the material to invade.

Other Material Options

Your area could be better equipped to handle pests as long as you’re on top of regularly checking and retrofitting your home’s insulation. One of the main problems with insulated-related pest insulation is the lack of regular evaluations. If you have fiberglass or mineral wool installed in your building but neglect to check for weathered, wet, or deteriorated spots, this could be the prime location for mold growth and bug attraction.

In order to reduce your chances of attracting and keeping hidden guests in your walls, attic, and crawl spaces, consult a local insulation expert on your current insulation situation. Not only could an update benefit your indoor air quality and moisture resistance, but it could also reveal pain points in your home that are bringing in critters like ants, roaches, or even small creatures. Having an experienced insulation installer evaluate and inspect your home could help save you in monthly utility bills, maintenance fees, and pest control costs.

Finding The Right Insulation for Your Denver Home

Now that you better understand the role insulation has to play in pest prevention, it’s time to consult a local insulation expert. As we mentioned earlier, it can be difficult to find a balance between safety, comfort, and cost when looking for the right solution. However, with free evaluations from Koala Insulation of Southeast Denver, you have the opportunity to review your options and choose which would cover all three bases without worrying about additional fees.

Our team is dedicated to not only bringing you the right solution for your home and situation but also educating you on the importance of proper insulation installation and coverage. Because insulation has a hand in multiple areas of your household's life - temperature regulation, moisture resistance, pest control, etc. - finding the right material and placement is an important job. Contact our team today to find out more about where your home is lacking in proper coverage and how insulation can help in reducing your pest problems.