How to Make Cellulose Insulation From Newspaper
Cellulose insulation, an eco-friendly alternative to conventional insulation, primarily comprises newspaper shreds. you can install it in your home -- usually in the attic -- to save energy and insulate the house. Install cellulose insulation by blowing it into the cavities in the attic with an blower machine. For an even greener project, make your own cellulose insulation by reusing old newspaper. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Paper shredder
- Scissors
- Large sealable plastic bags
- Boric acid paste
- Blow dryer
Instructions
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1
Measure the area where you plan to install the cellulose using a tape measure to determine how much newspaper you will need. Record the total square footage for future use.
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2
Gather a stack of newspapers, and remove all pages that contain any color. Set the black-and-white pages aside, and slide them into a paper shredder. Shred enough paper to cover the desired area, and cut all the strips with scissors into pieces measuring no more than 1 1/2 inches in either direction.
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Stuff the pieces into sealable plastic bags, and add a few drops of boric acid paste to each bagful. Seal the bags, and move the newspaper clippings around by hand from the outside of the bag so they can adhere together with the boric acid paste. Fill any other bags, and repeat the process for the rest of the newspaper clippings.
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4
Wait a few hours for the paste to settle and dry in each bag. Turn a blow dryer on low, and open a tiny hole in the first plastic bag. Dry the newspaper clippings in the bag, and repeat the process for each of the succeeding bags.
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Spread the bags evenly around the area you plan to insulate.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit old newspapers image by Warren Millar from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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Dan Lea
Feb 04, 2011
The process described here would NOT produce cellulose insulation. It would be nothing more than chopped up newspaper. Cellulose insulation is made by processing recovered paper through a series of mills that reduce it to a state resembling the original paper pulp. Fire retardants are ground to a powder state that for engineering purposes is treated as liquid. They are added to the fiberized celluose at loadings that typically range from 13% to 15% by weight.
