# Non toxic insulation



## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

I have been researching ways to insulate the home that I live in. I definitely want something that my bloodhound of a wife will not smell or react to. She claims that spray foam smells terrible and their is no way it is getting sprayed in the house. 
The standard pink is out. The formaldehyde free pink maybe possible. She claims the denim smells lie fabric softner. The blown in has all that fire retardant so that is out.
Has to be a natural material that is safe. The county will not let me raise sheep here, but I have a tenant in Detroit that can raise a dozen or so and bring me the wool to stuff in the walls.
In can not live in the house if the wife is unhappy. I want to finish out my basement so I need to find an insulation that she likes. What about hemp or flax? Do they use sheep's wool? I can get a boat load of sheep pretty cheap from a guy I know, he owes me a big favor. 
This is sort of a problem for me now, I will be selling the house soon but wife does not want something off gassing or smelling bad while we still live here.


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## Robpo (Mar 30, 2014)

My house is strawbale but not in the attic. I think loose straw would be too much of a fire hazard but if you could enclose it in something like sheetrock or something. Just a thought.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Anything you get will require some sort of fire retardant. We use borate only cellulose and have never had a complaint. Boric acid is very innocuous as stabilizers go.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Get a sample of aircrete too. 

Is this strictly for a basement?


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## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

For now, mostly likely only for the basement


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

If these are poured or block basement walls, rigid foam works great. It is manufactured under very controlled conditions and, depending on the board, has very little VOC off gassing. You could probably put a section in front of your wife and she couldn't smell a thing if it has been out of the package for a while.

You still need to seal up the bands and you can do that with a non-VOC caulking/sealant.

Aircrete is nice but it isn't cheap. I have a customer getting ready to use it and a modest sized basement was over 5K for the exterior walls.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

here is all the insulation you will need to purchase. Nothing else appears like it would be acceptable to your wife:


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## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

Well, apparently the wife has decided. She found some glass bottle recycled woven insulation batts. She was trying to get some hemp stuff but it was going to take to long to get or something.
I can post back with specifics, sounds like it is fiberglass insulation someone fancied up. The shipping was somewhere around 600 dollars. The insulation will probably be about the same. I just paid for a whole pallet. What ever it takes to keep the Mrs happy!


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Hope it works for you. Batts usually do horrible on basement walls. 

Happy wife...happy life.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Compare *Case #3* to Case #4, starting *page 47*+: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...CXD8l4_mQElvIWQ&bvm=bv.57752919,d.cGU&cad=rja

Gary


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## b4bhomeowner (Mar 31, 2014)

Roxul. http://www.roxul.com/


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