Wool unlocks a number of amazing benefits for your health and wellbeing. As well as helping you to breathe more easily thanks to its hypoallergenic qualities, dressing in and furnishing your home with wool is the perfect way to enjoy better thermal insulation all year round.
Wool also provides a more luxurious way of living, whilst protecting the environment and supporting an all-natural, ethical, and cruelty-free industry. These are just some of the reasons why wool products make excellent gifts for everybody, not to mention a great treat for yourself. Wool is the perfect present for your home too.
A traditional home insulator that is making something of a comeback, sheep wool is a versatile material that can help properties of all sizes and uses harness several great advantages. Here we reveal more about the benefits of wool home insulation.
It’s the best natural insulator
Forget man-made, technologically enhanced home insulation, going back to basics with a wool product is all you need to keep your property warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Sheep have been able to not just survive but thrive in the harshest of climates, all because of their wool coats. Wool has an excellent ability to protect from extreme heat and cold, with the crimped structure of fibres creating millions of minuscule air pockets and a hardy thermal barrier.
In addition to providing great thermal insulation, wool delivers outstanding sound insulation, a quality that has seen its use grow in properties with noisy, busy areas, such as schools and offices.
It’s super breathable
The hypoallergenic nature of wool makes it an easy wear for every individual, even those with asthma, eczema and allergies. It’ll also be a breath of fresh air for your home. Older properties, in particular, will benefit from the breathability of wool home insulation.
Moisture within the property can be bound and released to limit the damp and humidity that can cause permanent and costly structural damage.
The purifying abilities of wool can also absorb and neutralise airborne pollutants to make your home a better and healthier place to live.
It’s naturally fire-resistant
Wool naturally safeguards against fire too. The fibres simply don’t burn, melt or stick with any flames self-extinguished by this brilliant material.
Due to its high nitrogen content, temperatures have to reach at least 570°C to burn wool. Here the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) explains more about wool’s natural flame resistance:
“Because of the way the wool fibre is structured, wool requires more oxygen than is available in the air to become flammable. Wool is accordingly an excellent fibre when it comes to fire safety. Furthermore, it does not melt, drip or stick to the skin when it burns. Of the commonly used textile fibres (cotton, rayon, polyester, acrylic and nylon), wool is widely recognised as the most flame resistant.”
Thanks to its natural fire resistance, wool is used across a number of applications to uphold fire safety. It even protects firefighters and military personnel exposed to fire or explosives.
It’s great for the planet
As a 100% natural product, wool is super sustainable, particularly when compared to man-made insulation alternatives, such as glass wool.
As well as requiring less energy to produce, its natural source means reduced use of non-renewable energy and hazardous chemicals that cause untold damage to the environment.
Find out more about the benefits of wool insulation for your home by watching this video from The Campaign for Wool.