Spray to keep blown-in cellulose insulation from drifting?

Question

I have a hip-roofed garrison colonial in New England, with blown-in cellulose. I have two whole-house fans ("half-house fans"?), and to give enough attic venting I have continuous soffit vents on all four sides of the house.

Problem: some of the cellulose has drifted into the soffits and then over the vents, blocking them. I'm going to remove, clean and replace all the vents (ouch), but I don't want any more insulation blocking them.

There's a substantial amount of (useless) insulation in the bodies of the soffits. I tried using a leaf blower to clean one out one of the bays, but cellulose dust exploded all over my front yard. I can push the insulation to the side to open the air path, but I'm concerned it will just drift back over the vents.

Any suggestions on a spray that could bind the insulation together and keep it from drifting? I could just stick a random can of spray paint up into the slot, but that could get messy. I was also considering dilute white glue. I'd have no problem using up a cheap spray bottle, but that would require something quite thin and probably water-based.

Answer 1

I tried the diluted white glue (Elmers) and it worked well. I diluted it about 1:5, glue to water, and put it in a spray bottle. I then stuck the spray head up into the slot and sprayed indiscriminately. It sprayed well, looking like skim milk. When it dried, the cellulose was indeed (at least loosely) bound in place.