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I found some denim insulation on craigslist for free. It's really inviting to me as I'm on a tight budget and would really appreciate not having to buy my own insulation for near $500.

I asked the seller if there was any mold and he said no. Only got a little wet while stored outdoors.

It is about 400 sqft and I need 340 sqft. If some parts are dirty, I can still get a good amount of usable insulation out of it.

  1. Is it safe for my health to use?
  2. Is there any cleaning I should do prior to using it?
  3. Is denim insulation washable?
  4. Is it significantly less effective due to its age?

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  1. Is it safe for my health to use? Probably healthier than some options. It's a natural cotton fiber and if made AS insulation (as opposed to someone just shredding old jeans), it is treated with boric acid (Borax) as a mold and pest repellent as well as making it flame retardant.

  2. Is there any cleaning I should do prior to using it? No, absolutely not! It takes a LONG time to dry out if it gets wet.

  3. Is denim insulation washable? Again, NO!

  4. Is it significantly less effective due to its age? Probably not, but we don't know it's age. Cotton fibers do break down.

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    Besides taking a long time to dry out, I would be concerned about washing it removing the borax fire retardant. For that reason, I'd only use the parts that had stayed dry. I'd try to brush off the brown spots though, in case they had any mold in them. A few dusty spots, I wouldn't worry about.
    – Eric Simpson
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 15:15

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