You’ve undoubtedly used Dow Building Solutions products, though you may be more familiar with their Great Stuff brand. New to the Great Stuff line is Pestblock Insulating Foam Sealant. This is a sealant foam designed to not only block air leakage points, it also adds chemicals to repel insects. What Dow advertises, however, is that Pest Block does it without using pesticides. In that way it’s beneficial to homeowners who want to avoid the use of pesticides due to concerns for family or pets or because of environmental concerns. Great Stuff Pestblock Insulating Foam Sealant contains a bitter, non-pesticide ingredient, Denatonium Benzoate, an additive that has been used for years to make a variety of products, such as electrical wire casing, that deter pests and other animals. Dow’s Great Stuff Pestblock is designed specifically to keep ants, roaches, spiders, bees, mice and other rodents outside of your wall cavities and structures where they belong. Great Stuff Pestblock is designed more like their Window & Door sealant and expands to fill, seal and insulate gaps up to one inch (25mm) in diameter. The added benefit is that you can reduce or even eliminate the need to regularly reapply pesticides to select treated areas.
Great Stuff Pestblock Insulating Foam Sealant Features
We’ve had a lot of experience in weatherproofing and insulating homes and homeowners that properly air-seal and insulate their homes can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs. Of course, if all of the standard home wrap and insulation materials also included pest-blocking properties, it would be a great improvement on the current state of affairs. Great Stuff Pestblock Insulating Foam Sealant is working itself into a plan of attack against pests that covers all the entry points where pests can enter the home. This includes:
- Gaps surrounding PVC pipes in the attic or throughout the home interior
- Openings around dryer and other exhaust vents
- Sill plates and rim joists
- Under baseboards
- Household plumbing and exterior water faucets
- Around attic hatch frames
Great Stuff Pestblock Insulating Foam Sealant will be available at home improvement stores in March.
