Dry ice blasting
Water-free cleaning for the machinery, rooms and surfaces that can't get wet. CO2 pellets at supersonic speed lift the contaminant off the substrate, then disappear. No grit, no water, no secondary waste.
What it is
A game-changer in water-free cleaning.
Dry ice blasting goes by several names: dry ice cleaning, CO2 blasting, dry ice dusting, even environmentally sustainable cleaning. Whatever you call it, it's an efficient, cost-effective way to clean surfaces and areas that can't or shouldn't be saturated with pressurized water.
It looks like other blasting methods, sand, plastic bead or soda, where a material is accelerated in a pressurized air stream to hit the surface. That's where the similarity ends. Instead of grinding the surface with an abrasive and potentially damaging it, dry ice blasting uses soft pellets of solidified carbon dioxide (a non-poisonous gas) accelerated to supersonic speed. On impact they create mini-explosions that lift the contaminant off the underlying substrate, then sublimate straight back into gas.
Nothing to sweep up but what came off the surface.
Where it's most effective
Three jobs water can't do.
Large machinery
Equipment where water-based cleaning would be dangerous. Removes production residue, paints, grease, oils and weld slag, usually with the machine cleaned in place and no time-consuming disassembly.
Fire and smoke damage
Removes charred wood and soot and, most importantly, mediates the lingering burnt smell, all without damaging the surface materials any further. Popular with insurers for its practical, efficient application.
Historic restoration
Ageing surfaces are often too sensitive for cleaning agents or abrasives. Dry ice uncovers the original surface and restores its beauty without causing further damage. It's the method we recommend for these projects, for its soft nature and environmental sustainability.
Why it's unique
What dry ice does that traditional media can't.
- Non-abrasive, non-flammable and non-conductive.
- Environmentally responsible, with no secondary contaminants such as solvents or grit.
- Clean and approved for use in the food industry.
- Most items are cleaned in place, without time-consuming disassembly.
- Safe around active electrical and mechanical parts, with no fire hazard.
- Leaves the substrate intact. The pellets lift the contaminant and sublimate to gas.
On camera
Dry ice, filmed on site.
Questions
Before you book.
Yes. Dry ice is non-conductive and the process is dry, so it can be used around active electrical and mechanical parts without creating a fire hazard. That's a big part of why it's used on production lines and in mechanical rooms.
No. The pellets sublimate into gas on impact. The only thing left to clean up is the contaminant that came off the surface, with no grit, solvent or water to deal with.
Dry ice blasting is clean and approved for use in the food industry, which makes it the method of choice for production equipment that can't be saturated with water or exposed to abrasive media.
When the surface needs a profile cut into it for a new coating, or when a heavy failed coating would come off faster with dustless blasting. We'll tell you straight which method fits the job, even if it isn't this one.
Other methods
When you do want water or abrasive.
Request service
Can't get it wet? Call us.
Send a few details and a member of our team will be in touch right away. Emergencies go straight to the phone.